Food and Drinks from / In Austria
Essen und Trinken aus / in Österreich
We’ve put together a list of food and drink that you absolutely have to try when you’re here! By the way, some of these also make great souvenirs.
Essen (food)
We often have soup as a Vorspeise (appetizer), staff favorite Suppen (soups) are:
Frittatensuppe (soup with strips of pancake): We know it sounds weird but try it first, judge later 😉
Grießnockerlsuppe (soup with semolina dumplings): We’ve got lots of soups with some kind of dumpling in them (or dumplings as a side or even dessert!).
For the Hauptspeise (main course), we can’t leave out our beloved Wiener Schnitzel mit Erdäpfelsalat (traditionally a breaded veal cutlet with potato salad), which you can also get from pork or chicken, and if you prefer more greens on your plate with Vogerlsalat (lamb’s lettuce). Maybe this is also a good time to mention Kürbiskernöl (pumpkin seed oil), which is used in salad dressings a lot.
But it’s not just all meat in Austria: Kirsten’s vegetarian all-time favorite is Käsespätzle (cheese spätzle), crunchy at the bottom, cheesy at the top.
Have you heard of the austrian "dessert stomach"?
When you’re so full you can’t eat anymore but then someone asks if you would like a dessert? Austrians always have room for a Nachspeise (dessert), in their dessert stomach!
A favorite is the Apfelstrudel mit Vanillesauce (apple strudel with vanilla sauce), especially the sauce (because you can also get it with whipped cream). When it comes to Vanillesauce, Alexandra prefers it with a Germknödel (yeast dumpling filled with plum jam and topped with sugary poppy seeds), truly a taste explosion in your mouth. Every ski week, Alexandra tries to convince the students to try it and it’s always a hate it or love it. Check out Emperor Franz Josef I.’s favorite and more:
However, we don’t just eat sweets for dessert. We’ll have Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) in the afternoon, for example, eine Melange (a medium strong coffee with hot milk, partly frothed) and a classic Sachertorte (chocolate cake with a lining of apricot jam, covered in chocolate) or Esterházyschnitte (buttercream cake with nuts, Schnitte here: rectangular piece of cake), or generally enjoy something sweet like Manner Schnitten (wafers with a hazelnut-cocoa creme filling, Schnitte here: wafer) or Dragee Keksi (biscuits covered in chocolate). Alexandra can’t stop eating them, just like their slogan “Wenn ich nur aufhören könnt’…” (“If only I could stop…”) suggests. Can’t stop?
For Eis (ice cream),
check out Tichy ( famous for their Eismarillenknödel - iced apricot dumplings), Eissalon am Schwedenplatz, Veganista, Eis-Greissler, Schelato and many more here!
If you’re out and just want a quick snack, you’ve got two perfect options in Austria:
1. Go to a bakery and buy a Briochekipferl (crescent-shaped brioche pastry, Sofia's secret love) or Topfengolatsche (curd cheese pocket) – Kirsten’s mom’s favorite afternoon snack!
2. Go to a Würstelstand (hot dog stand) and order a Käsekrainer (cheese kransky). You can also get it as a hot dog.
You could also go to a supermarket and have them create your own sandwich but that requires a little more interaction with locals. Other alternatives for street food (with or without conversations with locals) can be found to the right.
Salty is more your thing? Try Kelly’s chips or Soletti, which is actually the brand name but that’s what we call the Salzstangen (pretzel sticks). You can dip them in Liptauer (a pepper and cheese spread) or any of the many others spreads, which you can also have on bread. A quick note on bread: Try various kinds, dark and white, salty and sweet…
Speaking of bread, let’s not forget about the breakfast classic: Semmel (white bread roll). And have you ever had Eier im Glas (eggs in a glass)?
Bakeries and what to order:
Joseph Brot: Beinschinkensemmel mit Kren und Gurkerl
Felber: Kürbiskernspitz, Vanillekrapfen
Felzl: Mandelcroissant, Wachauer Weckerl
Getränke (beverages)
Austria might not be as well known for its drinks, but we’ve got a great selection for you down below.
On the right: A typical Wiener (Viennese guy) during the year, always tired or sad and always with a drink!
Antialkoholisch (without alcohol)
Although we strongly recommend you to sleep enough, you may feel the need to pull an all-nighter at some point. Then drink Makava, an alcohol-free drink containing caffeine. Our staff’s favorite soda pop is Almdudler, a sweetened carbonated beverage flavored with herbs. It’s so delicious, Haribo made gummy bears with this flavor!
Alkoholisch (with alcohol)
Austria is a wine country so be sure to try white wines (from Kamptal) as well as red wines (from Burgenland). The former can be mixed with sparkling water to create a Weißer Spritzer (white spritzer). But we are also known for Sekt (sparkling wine), perfectly used in the cocktail Hugo, which is based of prosecco or sparkling wine, elderflower syrup (or lemon balm syrup), seltzer (or sparkling water) and mint leaves. This is Sofia’s favorite, actually she loves anything with elderflower syrup!
But what would this list be without beer? There are many different breweries in Austria (Gösser, Stiegl, Wieselburger) and Vienna (Ottakringer), also craft beer breweries such as Muttermilch (mother’s milk) or 100 Blumen (100 flowers). To find more craft beer, check out the Beer Lovers. Many prefer Radler (beer and lemonade), especially during the warmer months.
Saisonale Highlights (seasonal highlights)
Last but not least, here are some seasonal highlights and specialties that you just can’t miss when you’re in Vienna during that time!
Fall/Winter
For when you are thirsty after the wine harvest, drink a Sturm (must, that’s grape juice during fermentation).
The Martinigansl (St. Martin's goose, with red cabbage and dumplings) comes with a lantern and kindergarteners singing songs 😉
At Christmas markets, you can have a Punsch (punch) or Glühwein (mulled wine), and Maroni (roasted chestnuts), which you can also buy from street stands.
In the New Year, we move on to Krapfen (cruller, traditionally filled with apricot jam) for the Faschingszeit (carnival time).
Spring/Summer
Try Bärlauch (wild garlic) that you can collect yourself but be aware that the Maiglöckchen (lily of the valley) look similar but are poisonous. We also like other greens like Schnittlauch (chives) or Kresse (cress), which you just put on top of a slice of bread with butter.
Then there’s Spargel (asparagus), Kirsten gets really excited about it. There’s white and green asparagus and during its season, it’s not just a side dish but the main event the plate! You can have it with hollandaise sauce, or melted butter and parmesan, or Kirsten’s mom’s secret recipe sauce (or others) but either way, the asparagus will never taste any better than in Austria!
And let’s end with something healthy: Erdbeeren (strawberries) and Marillen (apricots) that become a filling in plenty of the sweets mentioned above.