There are a few buildings in Munich that are home to surprising cafes and restaurants – Isartor is home to a cafe, the Turmstüberl; the BMW Welt has a Michelin-star restaurant on its top floor; and inside Poccistraße’s Lindwurmhof is a hidden cafeteria, serving up weekday lunches surrounded by film props.
The Deutsches Museum also houses a hidden gem. Tucked away between the museum and the Isar is Blitz, a vegetarian Mexican restaurant that serves up hearty fajitas, elegant cocktails and exquisite tequila.
Sandra Forster runs the restaurant that adjoins the homonymous club, and we jumped at the chance of speaking to her about the origins of Blitz…
Sandra, you’re responsible for several restaurants in the city (Kismet, Charlie and Roecklplatz), and the cuisine varies in each one. What inspired you to start up a Mexican restaurant?
I wanted to set up a vegetarian restaurant, and I think that South American and central American cuisine is well suited to vegetarian food.
Tell us a little bit about your background…
I started off as a tattoo artist, before setting up my first bar/restaurant Hit the Sky in Baaderstraße. After that came the cafe Zappeforster in 2003, then Zewirk and Cafe King, and in 2008 I opened Roecklplatz, a schooling restaurant that aims to give underprivileged youngsters the chance to learn about the world of gastronomy. Thereafter came Charlie, Kong and Kismet, and we opened Blitz earlier in 2017.
My aim was always to do something that hadn’t been done a thousand times before, both in terms of content and aesthetics. Furthermore, it’s important to integrate social components into the restaurants – as I’ve managed with Roecklplatz and Blitz.
Working in gastronomy can be a hard task – what do you think is important to be successful?
You need a lot of perseverance and need to be able to handle your drink, but otherwise I don’t think it’s too hard.
Can you tell us a little bit about the striking image on the wall?
I always wanted to have one eye-catching picture on the wall – I find it rather beautiful – and a little bit extravagant. The figures are called calaveras.
Who decides what’s on the menu?
I’m a trained cook, and as such, I come up with a basic framework for the menu, but there’s always room for the chefs to express themselves.
And the team?
We have a very young team, with two refugees doing their chef apprenticeship program.
How did you come across the location?
I live around the corner, and had noticed, while walking around, that the spot had been empty for many years. One day, I simply enquired – and luckily, it paid off. The negotiations were pretty strenuous and we’re only permitted to house Blitz for five years there.
Besides your own restaurants, where do you like to eat in Munich?
I like to go to Königsquelle, Emiko, and from time to time – Tantris.
Address
Blitz, Museumsinsel, 80538 München
Opening times
Tue – Sat | 18:00 – 01:00