What to Eat and Drink in the Austrian Alps: Schnitzel and Beer
- In the Austrian Alps we ate soup with a dumpling, schnitzel with potatoes, chicken schnitzel with salad and pasta with prawns.
- With that came beer on the terraces of mountain huts, for example Paulaner at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe.
- The key tip: a mountain hut with a beer and a water pool is the best reward after a hike.
Austrian food in the hills is simple and filling. After a week around Mittersill and on the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße I remember mostly schnitzels, soups with dumplings and beer on terraces with mountain views. Here is what we ate.
What to eat when you arrive
On the first evening we had soup with a dumpling, which is an Austrian classic: broth with a liver dumpling. Then came a Wiener Schnitzel, a fried schnitzel with potatoes, lemon and cranberries, and a big beer.
Schnitzel again, and a salad
We had schnitzel once more, this time chicken, with a fresh salad. It's a lighter version that suits a day in the mountains.
Something different: pasta with prawns
If schnitzel isn't enough for you, you can find pasta in Mittersill too. We had spaghetti with prawns and basil, which worked as a light dinner.
Beer in the mountains
A beer on the terrace of a mountain hut is part of the trip. On the Edelweißstraße we had a pint under the chamois statue, at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe a Paulaner Weissbier with a Großglockner beer mat, and after a hike near Pass Thurn a beer with my feet in a Kneipp pool.
Practical tips
- Schnitzel and soup are the safest choice in any mountain hut.
- Beer in Austria is often served in big pint glasses, so it pays not to rush.
- In the mountains expect higher prices than in the valley, and check whether they take cards.
You can find out where we were and what else we managed in the article Mittersill and the area in five days.
Lukáš Dobrovolný
Over 17 years on the road, but still with one foot in Czechia. I write about road trips, mountain hikes, cycling trips, Amazing Places and my favourite food.