Must-see restaurants in Austria

  • Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer

    Vienna

    'The White Chimney Sweep' is reputedly named for a chimney sweep who, thanks to his romance with the neighbouring baker, was more often covered in flour…

  • Maxing Stüberl

    Vienna

    Johann Strauss' one-time favourite, this dark-wood-panelled restaurant serves fabulously traditional dishes using produce from the owner's home region of…

  • Joseph Brot

    Schloss Belvedere to the Canal

    Purveyors of Vienna's finest bread, Joseph Brot's bakery, bistro and patisserie is a winner. Besides wonderfully fresh loaves – organic olive-tomato…

  • Alma Gastrothèque

    Vienna

    Seizing its inspiration (and name) from France's Alpes-Maritimes region, this chic wine bar/bistro has tinted glass pendants lighting up its mosaic…

  • Plachutta Hietzing

    Vienna

    Emperor Franz Joseph I declared Tafelspitz (boiled beef) his favourite meal, and this wood-panelled restaurant serves 10 different varieties, made from…

  • Verwallstube

    Tyrol

    Wow, what a view! The mountain panorama that opens up at this 2085m-high location is uplifting – as is the food. Billing itself as one of the highest…

  • Schrofenstein

    Tyrol

    With a generous helping of Austrian heartiness and a dash of Mediterranean lightness, Schrofenstein’s elegantly rustic restaurant moves with the seasons:…

  • Vestibül

    Vienna

    In the southern wing of the Burgtheater, Vestibül is a showpiece of marble columns and stucco topped off with a glorious sparkling mirrored bar. The menu…

  • Cake Tree

    Prater & East of the Danube

    This light and airy white-walled space should be high on your list come Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) time. The cakes are rather glorious – whether…

  • Hammerwirt

    Salzburg & Salzburgerland

    Banquette seating, wood tables and brass lanterns keep the mood traditional and cosy at Hammerwirt, situated 3km north of Hallein. The real delight is the…

  • Goldener Hirschen

    Vorarlberg

    Austrian through and through, this restaurant in the Weisses Kreuz has bags of rustic charm, with its high beamed ceilings and jovial crowd of locals. The…

  • Caylend

    Graz

    Backlighting, a streamlined design and primary colours lend a contemporary feel to this vaulted, wood-floor bistro and wine bar, with ever-exciting fusion…

  • Santa Clara

    Graz

    Santa Clara eschews a regular menu structure or set prices per dish – there's simply a nightly buffet of Italian-style antipasti. Teamed with a bowl of…

  • Artner

    Vienna

    A double-height wall of wine bottles (including vintages from the owners' vineyard) links Artner's ground-floor wood-panelled dining room and romantic…

  • Stomach

    Vienna

    Stomach has been serving belly-rumblingly good food for years. The menu brims with carefully plated meat, fish and vegetable dishes, including Styrian…

  • Mayer’s

    Zell am See

    Andreas Mayer heads the stove at hotel Schloss Prielau’s refined restaurant, holder of two Michelin stars. Freshness is key, with home-grown vegetables…

  • Konstantin Filippou

    Vienna

    With two Michelin stars to its name, this minimalist restaurant helmed by Austrian-Greek chef Konstantin Filippou is one of Vienna's top tables. Seafood…

  • Buzihütte

    Innsbruck

    With cracking views of Innsbruck from on high, the Buzihütte is a 3km hike northwest of town or a five-minute taxi ride. It's a deliciously alpine-style…

  • Peppino im Hofkeller

    Graz

    This wine bar and restaurant is the perfect place for sipping from a large selection of Italian wines. Choose an authentic pasta or main dish from the…

  • m3 Restaurant

    Tyrol

    A prime people-watching terrace fronts this super-slick restaurant, with vaulted ceilings and art-slung walls. Austro-Italian specialities are presented…

  • Kupferstube

    Tyrol

    Fine dining in Kitzbühel doesn't get better than at the Kupferstube in the five-star Hotel Tennerhof. Award-winning chef Stefan Lenz puts an imaginative…

  • Humboldt

    Salzburg

    Like a blast of nouveau alpine chic from the mountains, Humboldt keeps the vibe cool yet cosy, with exposed beams, a modern wall-of-glass fireplace, retro…

  • Cook&Wine

    Salzburg

    Highly regarded chef and food and wine connoisseur Günther Grahammer is the brains behind this slick operation. It combines a wine bar, a cookery school…

  • Heunisch & Erben

    Schloss Belvedere to the Canal

    This contemporary wine bar and restaurant has carved out a reputation for itself in gastro circles. It's a minimalist, high-ceilinged space, with tall…

  • Liebling

    Vienna

    No sign hangs above the door at Liebling, whose distressed walls, stripped-back floorboards and mishmash of flea-market furniture create a cool, laid-back…

  • Ubl

    Vienna

    The menu at this much-loved Beisl is loaded with Viennese staples, such as Wiener Rindsgulasch (Viennese beef goulash), Schweinsbraten (roast pork) and…

  • Imlauer Sky

    Salzburg

    From the lofty vantage point of this slickly modern, glass-fronted rooftop restaurant, Salzburg spreads out before you in all its glory – it's…

  • Figlmüller

    Vienna

    Vienna would simply be at a loss without Figlmüller. This famous Beisl has a rural decor and some of the biggest (on average 30cm in diameter) and best…

  • Glass Garden

    Salzburg

    One to impress, the Glass Garden is canopied by a striking glass dome at the Hotel Schloss Mönchstein, with panoramic city views from on high. The eye…

  • Harvest

    Prater & East of the Danube

    A bubble of bohemian warmth, Harvest swears by seasonality in its superhealthy vegetarian and vegan dishes, swinging from lentil, pear, walnut and smoked…

  • Zum Zirkelwirt

    Salzburg

    A jovial inn serving good old-fashioned Austrian grub is what you get at Zum Zirkelwirt, which has a cracking beer garden on a tucked-away square and a…

  • Flo's

    Zell am See

    Worth the short hop out of town, this nicely chilled restaurant prides itself on season-driven modern Austrian cuisine with an experimental twist – and it…

  • Endlich

    Tyrol

    If you endlich (finally) find your way to this deli–wine shop and bistro-style restaurant, you’re onto a good thing. With just 18 covers, dining here is…

  • La Tavolozza

    Vienna

    You'll feel part of the famiglia at this friendly neighbourhood Italian place, where tightly packed tables are lit by candlelight. The food is superb:…

  • Garage 01

    Schloss Belvedere to the Canal

    One of the hippest kids on the block, this bar-restaurant under the railway viaduct arches goes for the stylishly distressed look, with raw brickwork,…

  • Galzig Bistro

    Tyrol

    Winningly fresh produce is the secret to the bistro-style dishes served at Galzig, which stretch from gourmet salads (wild herb and pine nut, for instance…

  • Kim

    Vienna

    Kim Kocht puts her own creative spin on Korean and Japanese cuisine at this understatedly stylish restaurant. Her menus are constantly changing but often…

  • Bräustüberl

    Tyrol

    As traditionally Austrian as they come, this brewpub-restaurant dishes up satisfying Tyrolean and Bavarian grub, from schnitzel as big as a boot to…

  • Olive

    Innsbruck

    Vegetarians and vegans are in their element at this cute retro-flavoured bistro, with wood floors, a mishmash of vintage furniture and the warmest of…

  • Rotes Haus

    Vorarlberg

    For a meal with a generous slice of history, book a table at this Dornbirn institution, lodged in an oxblood-red house dating to 1639. A tiled oven warms…

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