A few years ago, the Blauer Bock was an undistinguished hotel with a distinctly old-fashioned feel. Sold to a city association, its new owner-leaseholder has utterly transformed it. It hasn't lost its traditional heart but is now an attractive mid-range hotel with very good restaurant.
There are few better locations: in the Altstadt, yards from Viktalienmarkt (the famous outdoor food market), a few steps from the Stadtmuseum and the impressively imposing new synagogue. Marienplatz S-Bahn and U-Bahn connections are a five-minute stroll.
The Blauer Bock has an attractive, simple style that is in a way gently Bavarian but at the same time a kind of modest modern. It has benefited from years of renovations, including creating a striking cream façade. There is nothing ostentatious or elaborate but lighter colours and woods provide a welcoming ambience.
There is a slight familial feel to the hotel. Welcomes don't have the 'corporate' touch and there is something akin to a likeable Bavarian down-to-earthness. No spa or swimming pool, but there is a beauty room, which need to be booked in advance.
Standard rooms are simply designed, with wooden floors, televisions and Bose docking systems. All beds have the same style of mattresses while walls are adorned with prints of historical Munich and Bavaria. Bathrooms are modern, mostly with bath or shower, and a handful with both. Of the 70 rooms, the owner has insisted on maintaining seven that have shared bathrooms. Best views are of the Stadtmuseum or the Shrannenhalle, the latter now a huge Italian eatery and market.
Under chef Hans Georg Bachmeier (also a local Bavarian television chef) the restaurant has gained high praise. The style is classical French, and only occasionally with a heavier Bavarian choice. Starters range from oysters and belly pork to goose liver parfait and caviar. Veal sweet bread and sautéed duck liver are examples of main dishes, with turbot and lamb for mains.
Hotel guests get a monthly restaurant deal, such as 30 per cent off. The breakfast buffet has everything from cereals and various breads to eggs and vegetarian sausages. There is a small bar, but with so many excellent ones in the vicinity it is worth venturing out for a pre- or post-dinner drink.
Double rooms from €140 (£110) in low season; rising to €255 (£200) in high (these prices refer to booked in advance by credit card and cancellation is not possible when booking directly). Breakfast included. Free Wi-Fi.
The hotel dates back to the early 19th-century and though it has undergone extensive recent renovations its old-style character means it has no disabled access.
Sebastiansplatz 9 80331, Munich, Germany.