20 Best Places to Eat in Austria: The Ultimate Culinary & Dining Guide

Austrian cuisine is hearty, comforting, and deeply rooted in Central European imperial traditions. Famous for crispy golden schnitzels, rich stews, savory alpine knödel dumplings, elegant Viennese coffeehouse culture, and decadent pastries like Sachertorte, dining in Austria is a memorable experience.

Must-Try Traditional Dishes

Make sure to taste these iconic Austrian specialties during your stay:

Wiener Schnitzel: A thin, tender veal cutlet breaded and pan-fried to a crispy golden brown, served with lemon and warm Austrian potato salad.
Tafelspitz: Tender prime beef boiled slowly with root vegetables and spices, traditionally served with apple horseradish, chive sauce, and rosti potatoes.
Kässpätzle: Fresh egg noodles layered with grated mountain cheeses, baked until melted, and topped with crispy fried onions.
Sachertorte: Vienna's famous rich chocolate cake layered with apricot jam and served with un-sweetened whipped cream (Obers).
Apfelstrudel: Delicate hand-pulled thin pastry dough stuffed with spiced apples, raisins, and toasted breadcrumbs, dusted with powdered sugar.

20 Best Places to Eat in Austria

1. Figlmüller

Cuisine: Traditional Viennese
Location: Wollzeile & Bäckerstraße, Vienna
Must-Try Dish: The Original Figlmüller Wiener Schnitzel
About the Place: Operating for over 115 years, Figlmüller is internationally dubbed the "Home of the Schnitzel." Famed for serving oversized, crispy golden schnitzels pounded thin that famously overflow the dinner plate.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Figlmüller

2. Steirereck

Cuisine: Fine Dining Modern Austrian
Location: Stadtpark, Vienna
Must-Try Dish: Freshwater Char cooked in Beeswax with Yellow Turnip
About the Place: Consistently ranked among the top fine dining venues in the world, two-Michelin-starred Steirereck sits inside Vienna's Stadtpark, reimagining Austrian regional ingredients into modern culinary works of art.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Steirereck

3. Plachutta Wollzeile

Cuisine: Historic Viennese Beef Specialties
Location: Central Vienna
Must-Try Dish: Traditional Tafelspitz served in Copper Pots
About the Place: Plachutta is Vienna's undisputed temple for Tafelspitz. Served in copper pots with step-by-step imperial dining etiquette—first drinking the rich broth before savoring tender prime boiled beef.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Plachutta Wollzeile

4. Cafe Sacher Vienna

Cuisine: Historic Viennese Coffeehouse
Location: Hotel Sacher, Vienna
Must-Try Dish: Original Sachertorte with Melange Coffee
About the Place: Set inside the opulent Hotel Sacher opposite the State Opera, Cafe Sacher is the birthplace of the Original Sachertorte, created by Franz Sacher in 1832.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Cafe Sacher Vienna

5. Cafe Central

Cuisine: Traditional Coffeehouse & Pastries
Location: Herrengasse, Vienna
Must-Try Dish: Warm Apfelstrudel and Wiener Melange
About the Place: Opened in 1876, Cafe Central is a legendary Viennese coffeehouse housed in a grand Venetian-Palaezzo style building. Historically frequented by Trotsky, Freud, and Stefan Zweig.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Cafe Central

6. St. Peter Stiftskulinarium

Cuisine: Austrian & European Fine Dining
Location: St. Peter's Abbey, Salzburg
Must-Try Dish: Salzburger Nockerl and Roasted Duck
About the Place: Documented in AD 803, St. Peter Stiftskulinarium is officially Europe's oldest operating restaurant. Located inside the stone walls of St. Peter's Abbey, it serves elegant dining and hosts Mozart dinner concerts.
Explore More: Read our full guide to St. Peter Stiftskulinarium

7. Cafe Tomaselli

Cuisine: Historic Coffeehouse & Patisserie
Location: Alter Markt, Salzburg
Must-Try Dish: Einspänner Coffee and Homemade Esterházy Cake
About the Place: Operating since 1700, Cafe Tomaselli is Austria's oldest operating coffeehouse. Nestled in Salzburg's Old Town, traditional silver tray coffee service is accompanied by cake-tray hostesses.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Cafe Tomaselli

8. Ikarus at Hangar-7

Cuisine: International Guest Chef Fine Dining
Location: Salzburg Airport, Salzburg
Must-Try Dish: Monthly Changing International Guest Chef Menu
About the Place: Located inside Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz's glass-and-steel Hangar-7 at Salzburg Airport, Michelin-starred Ikarus features a unique concept where top international chefs rotate monthly.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Ikarus at Hangar-7

9. Lichtenthaeler Wirtshaus

Cuisine: Traditional Viennese Wirtshaus (Tavern)
Location: Alsergrund, Vienna
Must-Try Dish: Zwiebelrostbraten (Pan-Roasted Beef with Crispy Onions)
About the Place: A classic neighborhood wirtshaus in Vienna loved by locals for authentic, unpretentious Viennese comfort food, draught Austrian beers, and warm neighborhood hospitality.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Lichtenthaeler Wirtshaus

10. Gasthof Post Strasswalchen

Cuisine: Country Alpine & Game Specialties
Location: Salzburg Countryside
Must-Try Dish: Roasted Venison Ragout with Bread Dumplings
About the Place: Gasthof Post offers a traditional rural tavern setting in the Salzburg countryside, serving seasonal game dishes, freshwater lake fish, and home-brewed regional beers.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Gasthof Post Strasswalchen

11. Landtmann Cafe

Cuisine: Classic Imperial Coffeehouse
Location: Ringstraße, Vienna
Must-Try Dish: Kaiserschmarrn (Shredded Pancake with Plum Compote)
About the Place: Located on the Ringstraße next to the Burgtheater, Cafe Landtmann opened in 1873. Known for grand velvet interiors, polite tuxedoed waiters, and serving fluffy Kaiserschmarrn pancakes.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Landtmann Cafe

12. Zum Schwarzen Kameel

Cuisine: Historic Deli, Wine Bar & Dining
Location: Bognergasse, Vienna
Must-Try Dish: Gourmet Open-Faced Sandwiches (Belegte Brötchen)
About the Place: Operating since 1618, Zum Schwarzen Kameel is an iconic Art Nouveau deli and restaurant. Famous for open-faced sandwiches served over glass counters paired with Grüner Veltliner.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Zum Schwarzen Kameel

13. Restaurant Ice Q

Cuisine: Gourmet Alpine & Fine Wine
Location: Sölden, Tyrol
Must-Try Dish: Alpine Char with Mountain Herbs & Austrian Sparkling Wine
About the Place: Perched at 3,048 meters atop Gaislachkogl peak in Sölden, Ice Q is a futuristic glass fine-dining restaurant featured as Spectre Clinic in James Bond's *Spectre*, offering 360-degree glacier views.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Restaurant Ice Q

14. Gasthof Goldener Hirsch Restaurant

Cuisine: High-End Austrian & Tyrolean
Location: Getreidegasse, Salzburg
Must-Try Dish: Roasted Back of Lamb with Herbs
About the Place: Situated inside the legendary Hotel Goldener Hirsch on Getreidegasse, this historic tavern serves authentic regional dishes amidst traditional Tyrolean hunting lodge decor.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Gasthof Goldener Hirsch

15. Landhaus Bacher

Cuisine: Gourmet Wachau Regional Fine Dining
Location: Mautern an der Donau, Wachau
Must-Try Dish: Danube Salmon Trout with Marillen Apricot Chutney
About the Place: Located in the Wachau wine region, Landhaus Bacher is one of Austria's premier gourmet countryside destination restaurants, led by renowned chef Lisl Wagner-Bacher.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Landhaus Bacher

16. Der Steiermarkhof Wirtshaus

Cuisine: Styrian Regional Fare
Location: Graz, Styria
Must-Try Dish: Backhendl (Styrian Fried Chicken) with Pumpkin Seed Oil Salad
About the Place: Located in Graz, this rustic tavern is dedicated to celebrating the culinary traditions of Styria, famous for crispy Backhendl fried chicken drizzled with local dark green pumpkin seed oil.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Der Steiermarkhof Wirtshaus

17. Bitzinger Würstelstand at Albertina

Cuisine: Viennese Street Food
Location: Albertinaplatz, Vienna
Must-Try Dish: Käsekrainer Sausage with Mustard and Draft Beer
About the Place: Located outside the Albertina Museum, Bitzinger is Vienna's most famous würstelstand (sausage stand), serving night owls and opera-goers Käsekrainer sausages stuffed with melted cheese.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Bitzinger Würstelstand

18. Hospiz Alm Restaurant

Cuisine: Gourmet Alpine & Wine Cellar
Location: St. Christoph am Arlberg, Tyrol
Must-Try Dish: Charcoal-Roasted Ribeye and Big Bottle Wines
About the Place: Located right along ski slopes in the Arlberg ski region, Hospiz Alm combines open wood-fire hearth cooking with a world-famous underground wine cellar holding giant big-bottle vintages.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Hospiz Alm Restaurant

19. Mayer am Pfarrplatz Heuriger

Cuisine: Traditional Wine Tavern (Heuriger)
Location: Heiligenstadt, Vienna
Must-Try Dish: Buffet Spread of Smoked Meats, Spreads, and Wiener Gemischter Satz Wine
About the Place: Located in a historic wine village suburb where Ludwig van Beethoven lived in 1817, this atmospheric wine tavern serves estate-grown white wines alongside regional buffet platters.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Mayer am Pfarrplatz

20. Stanglwirt Gasthof

Cuisine: Organic Tyrolean Farm-to-Table
Location: Going am Wilden Kaiser, Tyrol
Must-Try Dish: Tyrolean Gröstl (Pan-Fried Beef, Potatoes, and Fried Egg)
About the Place: Operating as an inn for over 400 years, the gasthof at Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt serves organic Tyrolean mountain fare prepared with fresh ingredients from its own alpine farm.
Explore More: Read our full guide to Stanglwirt Gasthof

Featured Image

Traditional Wiener Schnitzel Feast