Oktoberfest food

Oktoberfest food is hearty, Bavarian and built to go with a liter of beer: roast chicken from the spit, crisp pork knuckle, giant pretzels, sausages and sweet dumplings. Every large tent has its own kitchen and its own specialties, from fish on a stick to whole roast ox. This guide explains the classic dishes you will find on the menus, what they cost in 2026 using one tent's official menu as an example, and where to look if you do not eat meat.

The classic Oktoberfest food

Hendl: roast chicken

Half a chicken, roasted on the spit with butter and parsley, is one of the great classics of the festival. It is so central that the reservation rules published on oktoberfest.de use it as a yardstick: for a table in the main hall of a large tent, the minimum spend is usually two liters of beer and half a roast chicken per person. After several years of decline, demand for the classic chicken rose again in 2026, according to the city's final report.

Schweinshaxe: crisp pork knuckle

Schweinshaxe, or Schweinshaxn in Bavarian, is a whole pork knuckle, roasted until the skin crackles and served with gravy and a potato dumpling. It is one of the most filling plates at the festival; split it if you also want dessert. In the Hofbräu-Festzelt, for example, it came with caraway gravy and potato dumplings in 2026.

Brezn: the pretzel

The soft Bavarian pretzel, the Brezn, is on every table, and a giant version is a festival classic. It is the natural companion to Obatzda, the spicy Camembert spread, and to Radi, the Bavarian radish; oktoberfest.de recommends Obatzda, Radi and a Wiesn pretzel as a hearty starter.

Weisswurst and other sausages

The white veal sausage is eaten in the morning with sweet mustard and a pretzel; the Hofbräu-Festzelt, for instance, serves it only until 1 pm. How to peel it and why it traditionally should not hear the noon bells is explained in Weisswurst. Pork sausages with sauerkraut and bratwurst in a roll are other common choices.

Steckerlfisch and roast ox

Two tents built their name on a single dish. At Fischer-Vroni, mackerel, whitefish, trout and char are grilled on sticks over an open grill around 15 meters (50 feet) long. The Ochsenbraterei has roasted oxen since 1881; its meat comes from the city-owned Karlshof estate, about 27 kilometers (17 miles) from the Theresienwiese, and from selected regional farms. Its ox roll, the Ochsensemmel, has been on the menu since 1983.

Sweet dishes

Kaiserschmarrn is a pancake dish made fresh in the pan and served with apple sauce. A Dampfnudel is a large sweet roll with vanilla sauce, and apple strudel needs no introduction. Outside the tents, stalls sell roasted almonds and the famous gingerbread hearts, which can be worn around the neck as well as eaten.

What does food cost at Oktoberfest?

Every tent sets its own menu and prices, so there is no single price list for the whole festival. As an example, here are selected dishes from the official 2026 menu of the Hofbräu-Festzelt:

Prices from the tent's published menu for 2026. Other tents set their own prices; for 2027, check the menus the tents publish.

Eating cheaper: lunch specials

Many tents offer a cheaper lunch menu on weekdays, with a different dish each day. Some only run it from Monday to Thursday, not on busy Fridays or at weekends. In 2026, the Hofbräu-Festzelt served daily lunch dishes such as beef goulash with egg noodles for €14.50, Monday to Friday from 10:30 am to 3 pm. According to oktoberfest.de, lunchtime on weekdays also gives you a good chance of a free table without a reservation.

Vegetarian and vegan food

Going without meat is easier than the smell of roast chicken suggests. Allgäu cheese spätzle, egg noodles with mountain cheese and fried onions, is available in almost every tent according to oktoberfest.de. Dumplings with creamed mushrooms, potato pancakes and Obatzda with radishes and a pretzel are other meat-free classics, and the choice of vegan dishes is growing year by year. Some stands also offer gluten-free and lactose-free options.

How many calories?

Oktoberfest food is rich. According to oktoberfest.de, a half chicken has about 700 kilocalories, a portion of cheese spätzle about 690 and Kaiserschmarrn with apple sauce about 800. A Maß of festival beer adds almost 500. Pace yourself, drink water between beers and leave room for a walk across the grounds.