The giant portico makes you think of majestic meals and kingly prices. Yet nothing could be further from the truth: You get good stuff on fair terms. And this is despite the fact that the Brenner in Munich has almost turned into the same kind of institution like its namesake Alpine pass between Austria and Germany.

The ravioli, orecchiette and spaghetti are always homemade, and in the “Ret Hot” area everything is barbecued that water and land produce. The chefs avoid all the other frippery so common on the posh Maximilianstraße and let the ingredients be, which, for the most part, are organically grown and raised.