Oktoberfest is famous for its beer, but anyone who skips the food is missing half the festival – and risking a very short day. The Theresienwiese is a paradise of hearty Bavarian cooking, from spit-roasted meats and giant pretzels to sweet treats that smell incredible from fifty metres away. Eating well is also the single best way to pace yourself: a full stomach is what gets you through hours of strong Märzen beer. Here are the ten dishes you absolutely have to try in 2026, what they taste like, what to budget for each, and how to handle drinks and dietary needs.
1. Brezn (giant pretzel)
The icon of the festival. These are not the small pretzels you find elsewhere – an Oktoberfest Brezn is the size of a dinner plate, golden, chewy on the outside and soft within, scattered with coarse salt. Buy one from a roaming basket-seller the moment you sit down; it soaks up beer and keeps you going through the afternoon. Expect to pay around €5–7. Tear off pieces and share it with your table – it is the most sociable food at the festival.
2. Hendl (roast chicken)
Half a chicken, roasted on a rotating spit until the skin is crisp and burnished gold, is the single most popular dish at Oktoberfest – well over half a million are eaten each year. Juicy, simple and easy to share, a halbes Hendl costs roughly €15–19 and comes with a slice of bread. If you order only one main, make it this.
3. Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle)
For serious appetites. This roasted pork knuckle has glassy, shatteringly crisp crackling on the outside and meltingly tender meat inside, usually served with potato dumplings and a dark gravy. It is enormous, so consider sharing one between two. Around €18–24, and worth every cent if you arrive hungry.
4. Schweinsbraten (roast pork)
A gentler cousin of the Haxe: slow-roasted pork in a rich dark-beer gravy, served with a Knödel (bread or potato dumpling) and often sauerkraut or red cabbage. It is comfort food at its finest and a reliable, less daunting choice if the knuckle feels like too much.
5. Weißwurst (white sausage)
A true Bavarian ritual, not just a dish. These delicate veal-and-pork sausages are traditionally eaten before noon, gently poached, peeled from their skins and dipped in sweet Süßer Senf mustard, with a fresh pretzel and a wheat beer alongside. The old saying goes that a Weißwurst should never hear the church bells ring midday – so this is a morning treat.
6. Steckerlfisch (fish on a stick)
Head to the Fischer-Vroni tent or an outdoor stall for whole mackerel or trout, marinated in oil and herbs, skewered on a wooden stick and grilled upright over open flames. Smoky, salty and surprisingly refreshing between rounds of richer food. About €12–16, and a real spectacle to watch being cooked.
7. Obatzda (Bavarian cheese dip)
A creamy, paprika-spiced cheese spread made from ripe Camembert, butter, onions and a splash of beer, served with pretzels or rustic bread and often radishes. It is the perfect lighter snack to share around the table and pairs beautifully with a cold Maß.
8. Käsespätzle (cheese noodles)
The Bavarian answer to mac and cheese: soft egg noodles layered with melted mountain cheese and topped with crispy fried onions. Hearty, vegetarian and deeply satisfying – one of the best meat-free options on the grounds.
9. Gebrannte Mandeln (roasted almonds)
You will smell them before you see them. Almonds caramelised in cinnamon sugar, sold warm in paper cones from stalls across the grounds, alongside candied nuts and lebkuchen hearts. The classic sweet snack to nibble while you wander between rides.
10. Dampfnudel & Kaiserschmarrn (sweet finishers)
Save room for pudding. Dampfnudel is a fluffy steamed dumpling served warm with vanilla sauce, while Kaiserschmarrn is a shredded, caramelised pancake dusted with icing sugar and served with apple or plum compote. Either is the perfect sweet end to a feast, and big enough to share.
What to drink with it
The beer is the obvious partner – the festival Märzen at around 6% – but you have options. A Radler (beer mixed with lemonade) is lighter and refreshing for a long day. The wheat-beer tents pour Weißbier, and the Weinzelt offers wines and sparkling Sekt. Crucially, there are excellent alcohol-free choices too: alcohol-free wheat beer, Spezi (cola and orange), apple spritzer and plain water are available everywhere, so non-drinkers and designated travellers are well looked after.
Vegetarian and dietary options
Vegetarians are far from stuck: Obatzda, Käsespätzle, giant pretzels, potato dumplings, salads, grilled corn and the entire sweet-stall selection are all meat-free. Vegan and gluten-free choices are more limited inside the tents but growing, and the outdoor stalls offer plenty of snacking. If you have a serious allergy, it is worth asking staff directly, as menus are meat-heavy by tradition.
Tips for eating at Oktoberfest
- Bring cash. Most tents and stalls are cash-only, and you tip your server a euro or two.
- Eat early and often. Lining your stomach before and during drinking is the secret to lasting the whole day.
- Share dishes. Portions are huge – ordering a Haxe and a Hendl between two lets you taste more.
- Try the stalls outside the tents for cheaper, quicker bites when you do not have a table.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I budget for food per day? Around €25–40 per person for a main plus snacks, on top of your beer.
Can I eat without a tent reservation? Yes – the outdoor stalls and small tents serve food all day, no booking needed.
Is there food for children? Plenty – chicken, chips, pretzels, pancakes and endless sweets.
Breakfast and brunch at the Wiesn
Oktoberfest is not only an afternoon and evening event – the mornings have their own charm. Several tents open early and serve a traditional Bavarian breakfast of Weißwurst, sweet mustard, fresh pretzels and a wheat beer (or coffee), a leisurely way to start the day before the crowds arrive. It is also the calmest, most photogenic time in the tents, with the brass band warming up and the long tables still half empty. If you want a relaxed introduction to the festival, a late-morning breakfast is the insider move.
Edible souvenirs to take home
The festival is full of treats you can carry home. The famous Lebkuchenherzen – decorated gingerbread hearts on a ribbon – make charming, inexpensive gifts, and bags of gebrannte Mandeln (candied almonds) travel well. Many stalls sell jars of sweet mustard, packets of pretzel salt and souvenir Maß glasses too, so you can recreate a little of the flavour at home long after the festival ends.
Hungry yet? Plan your whole visit with our trip planner and budget tool, pick the right beer tent for your table, and check the 2026 dates. Guten Appetit!