Food · Austria
What to eat in Austria
Austria's food, destination by destination.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Superbass, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz and Sachertorte. A thin escalope of veal, breaded and fried until the crust puffs up, served with lemon and potato or cucumber salad.
Key facts
- Dishes in this guide
- 12
- Destinations
- 4
Dishes to try in Austria
Try in Vienna
Wiener Schnitzel
A thin escalope of veal, breaded and fried until the crust puffs up, served with lemon and potato or cucumber salad. By law, a 'Wiener Schnitzel' must be veal; pork versions are labelled 'vom Schwein'.
Where: Traditional Beisl restaurants and schnitzel specialists across the city, especially in the 1st district.
Try in Vienna
Tafelspitz
Prime boiled beef simmered in broth with root vegetables, served in its copper pot with apple-horseradish, chive sauce and roast potatoes. The broth is drunk first as a soup — Emperor Franz Joseph's favourite dish.
Where: Classic Viennese restaurants and Beisln; a few specialise in boiled beef in many cuts.
Try in Vienna · Vegetarian
Sachertorte
Dense chocolate sponge with a thin layer of apricot jam under dark chocolate glaze, served with unsweetened whipped cream. Hotel Sacher and the confectioner Demel fought for years over who could call theirs the original.
Where: Café Sacher at Hotel Sacher, Demel on Kohlmarkt and most traditional coffee houses.
Try in Salzburg · Vegetarian
Salzburger Nockerl
A soufflé of sweetened egg whites baked into three golden peaks, said to represent the hills around the city, dusted with icing sugar and often served over fruit sauce. It is light, large and made to order.
Where: Traditional restaurants and coffee houses in the old town; order it for two and expect a wait of about 20 minutes.
Try in Salzburg · Vegetarian
Mozartkugel
A ball of pistachio marzipan and nougat coated in dark chocolate, created by Salzburg confectioner Paul Fürst in 1890. Hand-made versions in silver-and-blue foil differ from the mass-produced kind.
Where: The Fürst confectionery shops in the old town sell the original hand-made version; others are everywhere.
Try in Salzburg
Bosna
Salzburg's own hot dog: a grilled bratwurst in a toasted bun with onions, parsley, mustard and a curry-spiced seasoning. It has been sold from a tiny stand on Getreidegasse since 1950.
Where: Street stands in the old town, including the small grill in a passageway off Getreidegasse.
Try in Innsbruck
Tiroler Gröstl
Fried potatoes with onions and pieces of pork or beef, finished with a fried egg and often served in the pan with cabbage salad. It is a classic way to use leftovers and a staple of mountain huts.
Where: Traditional inns in the old town, St. Nikolaus and almost every alpine hut above the city.
Try in Innsbruck · Vegetarian
Kaspressknödel
Flattened cheese and bread dumplings fried until golden and served in clear beef broth or with sauerkraut or salad. Made with tangy Tyrolean mountain cheese.
Where: Tyrolean inns and mountain huts; ask for 'in der Suppe' for the broth version.
Try in Innsbruck
Speckknödel
Bread dumplings studded with smoked Tyrolean speck, served in broth or with sauerkraut, one of the oldest dishes of the region.
Where: Inns and mountain huts across Innsbruck and the surrounding valleys.
Try in Hallstatt
Reinanke
A whitefish from the Hallstätter See with mild, delicate flesh, served pan-fried in butter (Müllerin-Art), grilled or smoked. It is the village's signature dish.
Where: Lakeside restaurants and guesthouse dining rooms in Hallstatt Markt and Lahn; ask which fish is from the lake that day.
Try in Hallstatt
Saibling
Arctic char from the Salzkammergut lakes, with pink, slightly richer flesh than whitefish, served grilled, fried or as smoked fillets.
Where: Fish restaurants around the lake and smokehouses in the region that sell it to take away.
Try in Hallstatt
Steckerlfisch
Whole fish skewered on a stick and grilled over charcoal, a Salzkammergut and Bavarian festival favourite, eaten with bread.
Where: Village festivals and some lakeside stands and inns in summer.
Food scene by destination
| Destination | Food experience | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna | Coffee-house afternoon | Water is often served free with coffee in coffee houses; in restaurants, ask for 'Leitungswasser' (tap water), which may carry a small… |
| Salzburg | Beer hall supper | Many traditional restaurants offer a cheaper set lunch (Mittagsmenü) on weekdays. |
| Innsbruck | Alpine hut lunch | Many traditional inns serve hot food from about noon to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm; mountain huts may close their kitchens in mid-afternoon. |
| Hallstatt | Lake fish lunch | Restaurants are few and fill quickly in the evening; reserve dinner if you are staying overnight in summer. |
Food experiences
- Vienna — Coffee-house afternoon: Order a melange and a slice of cake in a traditional coffee house, read the newspapers on wooden holders and stay as long as you like; nobody will hurry you.
- Salzburg — Beer hall supper: At Augustiner Bräu you collect a stone mug, fill it from the barrel and assemble dinner from food stalls selling sausages, pretzels, roast pork and radishes.
- Innsbruck — Alpine hut lunch: Huts reached by cable car or on foot, such as those around Seegrube, Hungerburg and Patscherkofel, serve Gröstl, Kaspressknödel and Kaiserschmarrn on sunny terraces with valley views.
- Hallstatt — Lake fish lunch: Restaurants with terraces on the water in Hallstatt serve Reinanke and Saibling caught locally; book a table for a lakeside view in summer.
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Austria famous for?
Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, Sachertorte, Salzburger Nockerl and Mozartkugel.