Best Restaurants in Salzburg: Our Opinion
Salzburg eats like a beer city. The Stiegl brewery goes back to 1492, the Augustiner Bräu Kloster Mülln has brewed since 1621, and 11 breweries work in and around town today. You taste that on the plate and in the glass: pork roast finished with beer sauce, cheese dumplings browned in the pan, and beer that still comes from the wooden barrel in Mülln. For us, the best restaurants in Salzburg are the ones that lean into this. Start at a beer hall or a Wirtshaus, order what the house is known for, and drink the beer that's brewed down the road.
The sweet side matters just as much. Salzburger Nockerl come to the table as three warm peaks said to stand for the hills around the city, and the Original Salzburger Mozartkugel is still made to the recipe Paul Fürst created around 1890. Our advice: plan one dinner around a Salzburg classic, one slow afternoon in a coffeehouse on the Alter Markt, and one lunch on your feet, with a Bosna from the window in the Stockhamer passage and a loaf from the abbey bakery. The sections below work like filters for the best restaurants in Salzburg. Jump to a dish if you know what you're craving, or browse by type of place if you're choosing a mood.
Guided Tours & Activities
- Stiegl Brewery Tour with Beer Tasting: A 1.5-hour guided walk through the museum, the 270-degree cinema, and the production halls, with three Stiegl tastings along the way.
Salzburg Food You Have to Try
Salzburger Nockerl
What it is
A warm soufflé of whipped egg white and sugar, baked into three tall peaks and dusted with icing sugar. It's made to order and usually comes with a fruit sauce, often raspberry.
Why we love it
It's the one dessert in town that arrives as a small piece of theater. The peaks are tall and airy, they sink slowly as you eat, and it's a dish for the whole table rather than for one plate.
Did You Know?
The three peaks are said to stand for the three hills around the city: the Mönchsberg, the Kapuzinerberg and the Gaisberg. According to legend, Salome Alt, the companion of Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, created the dessert in the 17th century as a sweet temptation for him.
Where to eat: our favorites
Salzburger Nockerl in a house that has been serving guests since 803, a fitting room for the city’s signature dessert.
The Nockerl sit on the menu next to Wiener Schnitzel and Bier-Bratl, and the terrace below the fortress looks out over the rooftops of the old town.
Here the Nockerl are served on request, so ask for them. The Augustiner beer is brewed a few meters away.
Alternative Places to Try
For more Salzburger Nockerl, Café Sacher on the right bank of the Salzach serves them with freshly whipped raspberry cream from a serving trolley, and Gasthof Goldgasse, Café Mozart and Sternbräu in the old town keep them on classic Austrian menus.
Mozartkugel
What it is
A ball of pistachio marzipan wrapped in nougat and dipped in dark chocolate. The original comes in silver foil with a blue portrait of Mozart and is made by the Fürst family's confectionery.
Why we love it
It's still made the old way. Each ball goes onto a small stick, is dipped in dark chocolate, and the hole the stick leaves behind is closed with a dot of chocolate. That little dot on top is how you recognize the original.
Did You Know?
Paul Fürst opened his confectionery on the Alter Markt in 1884 and created the praline around 1890; for years he advertised it as both "Mozart-Bonbon" and "Mozart-Kugel". The house was first recorded as a court bakery in 1391. Today Martin Fürst runs the business in the 5th generation, still following his great-great-grandfather's recipe.
Where to eat: our favorites
The original house, where Paul Fürst opened in 1884. Buy a few Mozartkugeln at the counter, then sit down for coffee and cake.
The second Fürst café, on the Mirabellplatz, with the same Mozartkugeln and the same cake counter. Easy to combine with the Mirabell Gardens.
Alternative Places to Try
Fürst also sells its pralines in its own shops on the Getreidegasse, at the Ritzerbogen and on the Residenzplatz, so the silver-and-blue foil is never far away in the old town.
Bosna
What it is
Two long, thin grilled pork bratwurst in a lightly toasted white bread roll, with onions, fresh parsley and a secret spice blend. It's Salzburg's own take on a hot dog.
Why we love it
It's one of the quickest proper lunches in the old town, and the queue is part of it. You order by number, and it comes half wrapped in white paper.
Did You Know?
The Bosna goes back to 1949, when Zanko Todoroff, who came from Bulgaria, first made his spiced bratwurst at the Müllner Bräustübl and called it the "Nadanizer". When he opened his own stand in the Stockhamer Durchhaus, a signwriter came up with "Bosna", a mix of the Bulgarian word "bosa" for a snack and "Bosnia". A Salzburg butcher named Walter has run the Balkan Grill since the 1980s, and the sausages are still made to the 1950 recipe.
Where to eat: our favorites
Kasnocken
What it is
Small flour dumplings tossed with strong regional cheese, browned in the pan and topped with fried onions. It's a vegetarian main you'll find on Salzburg's inn menus.
Why we love it
It's rich, salty and filling in the best way, and it tastes of the Alpine half of Salzburg's kitchen. Order a beer with it; the cheese needs one.
Did You Know?
In Salzburg's traditional inns, Kasnocken share the menu with the other regional classics: Salzburger Nockerl, beef goulash and crispy roast pork. Many of these houses cook from family recipes handed down over generations, and several look back on centuries of history.
Where to eat: our favorites
Salzburger Kasnocken with fried onions, served in an old-town inn on the Papagenoplatz that was founded in 1647.
Kasnocken are part of the house repertoire next to the Backhendl and the beef goulash, with Augustiner beer from the brewery next door.
Other Hearty Salzburg Classics
Beyond Kasnocken, Salzburg's savory kitchen is built for beer and for cold days: roasts, dumplings and fried chicken, in portions that assume you've been walking all morning. Here's what to look for on a Wirtshaus menu, and which of the best restaurants in Salzburg we'd order it at.
What to eat:
- Backhendl - Breaded, fried chicken, a Wirtshaus classic and the dish the Bärenwirt stakes its name on.
- Stiegl Brat'l - A typical Austrian pork roast, finished with a sauce made from Stiegl beer.
- Schweinsbraten - Oven-roasted pork in gravy, with speck sauerkraut and bread dumplings.
- Kaspressknödel - Flattened cheese dumplings, served in a clear beef broth or with salad.
- Rindsgulasch - Beef goulash, usually with a bread dumpling alongside.
- Forelle "Müllerin" - Pan-fried trout fillet with parsley potatoes.
Where to eat: our favorites
The house set itself the goal of serving the best Backhendl in Austria and tested chicken, breading, oils and cooking times for weeks to get there. The bread dumplings are enormous.
The house tip in the Bräustüberl is the Stiegl Brat’l, a pork roast with Stiegl beer sauce, served in a renovated fermentation cellar from 1863.
Oven-fresh Schweinsbraten with speck sauerkraut and homemade bread dumplings, and Kaspressknödel in clear beef broth to start.
Wiener Schnitzel and Bier-Bratl with most of the Stiegl range on tap, on the slope just below the fortress.
Other Sweet Salzburg Classics
Nockerl and Mozartkugel get the attention, but Salzburg's cake counters and its oldest bakery matter just as much. This is what to order with your coffee, or to finish a Wirtshaus dinner.
What to eat:
- Apfelstrudel - Thin pastry around apples, served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
- Kaiserschmarrn - A torn, sugared pancake with apple sauce alongside.
- Sachertorte and Esterházy-Torte - Two cake-counter classics, chocolate and nut.
- Cremeschnitte - A cream slice, one of the cakes Café Tomaselli makes in its own patisserie.
- Holzofenbrot - Not sweet at all: sourdough rye from a wood-fired oven, the loaf worth carrying home.
Where to eat: our favorites
The cakes and pastries come from the café’s own patisserie. Take a window table and let the afternoon slow down.
Sachertorte, Esterházy-Torte, Dobos torte and Cremeschnitte at the counter of Salzburg’s oldest confectionery.
Kaiserschmarren with apple sauce, or apple strudel with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream, to close a proper Wirtshaus meal.
Not a cake shop, but the bakery to know: sourdough rye from the wood-fired oven, plus mini brioches and Vintschgerl rolls.
The Best Restaurants in Salzburg by Type of Place
Beer Halls and Brewery Taverns
What it is
Taverns run by or tied to a brewery, where the beer is made on site or close by and the food is built around it: roasts, sausages from the grill, bread and cheese.
Why we love it
This is where Salzburg feels most like itself, and for a first evening in town, these are the best restaurants in Salzburg we'd send you to. The rooms are big, and you can come in for one beer or stay for the whole evening.
Did You Know?
Salzburg's first commercial breweries opened at the end of the 14th century, and two of the oldest still work today: Stiegl, founded in 1492 and now Austria's largest private brewery, and the Augustiner Bräu in Mülln, brewing since 1621. At the Augustiner, the beer still goes from the wooden barrel into stone mugs, and the food comes from separate stalls along the Schmankerlgang, laid out like a traditional market hall.
Where to eat: our favorites
Austria’s largest beer hall, at the foot of the Mönchsberg. Walk the Schmankerlgang stalls for food first, then get your beer, poured from the wooden barrel into a stone mug.
The Bräustüberl sits in a renovated fermentation cellar from 1863, with a beer fountain in the middle of the chestnut-shaded garden outside.
Austria’s oldest wheat beer brewery, founded in 1901 by Adelbert Behr in Schallmoos. The house Weissbier is still brewed to his original recipe.
It’s called a cellar, but it spreads over several floors and an outdoor terrace on the slope below the fortress, with the old town right below.
Alternative Places to Try
Sternbräu in the old town pours its naturally cloudy house Sternbier across three beer gardens, and the Urbankeller in Schallmoos serves a Demeter-certified stone beer, brewed with hot stones from the Kapuzinerberg. The Trumerei on the Strubergasse is the city outpost of the Trumer brewery, half craft beer pub, half beer shop.
Coffeehouses and Konditoreien
What it is
Traditional cafés with chandeliers, mirrors, newspapers on the stand and a cake counter, where one coffee buys you time to sit, read and watch the square.
Why we love it
Between meals, they're where the old town slows down. Order a coffee and a piece of Sachertorte, and let the Alter Markt go by outside the window.
Did You Know?
Café Tomaselli dates its story to 1700, when Johann Fontaine, who came from France, was licensed to serve chocolate, tea and coffee in the Goldgasse. Anton Staiger bought the house on today's Alter Markt in 1764, and Carl Tomaselli took it over in 1852. The house tells a nice story, too: the idea for the Salzburg Festival is said to have come up at one of its tables, between Hermann Bahr, Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Max Reinhardt.
Where to eat: our favorites
Austria’s oldest café, on the Alter Markt, with walnut paneling, crystal chandeliers and a well-stocked newspaper stand. In summer, the Kiosk opposite serves coffee under old chestnut trees.
Salzburg’s oldest confectionery doubles as a café, with the Mozartkugel counter and a full cake selection a few steps from the Tomaselli.
The second Fürst café, on the Mirabellplatz across the river, for coffee and cake on the other side of town.
A modern breakfast café in the old town with a relaxed beach-bar look. Granola and hummus are made in-house, and the menu has smoothie bowls, porridge and a vegan platter.
Alternative Places to Try
Café Bazar on the right bank has a terrace looking across the Salzach to the Mönchsberg and the fortress; the classic breakfast order is two eggs in a glass with a Salzstangerl. For specialty coffee, Kaffee Alchemie on the Rudolfskai and Ratio Coffee on the Linzergasse are the modern counterpoint.
Classic Salzburg Wirtshäuser
What it is
The everyday Salzburg restaurant: cozy parlors, a menu of regional classics, beer on tap, and a kitchen that cooks the same dishes well year after year.
Why we love it
These are the rooms for a proper Salzburg dinner without ceremony. When friends ask us for the best restaurants in Salzburg for a classic meal, our answers usually come from this list. Portions are generous, the menus hold few surprises, and the dishes taste the way they're supposed to.
Did You Know?
The Zirkelwirt on the Papagenoplatz was founded in 1647. Its wrought-iron sign with a gilded compass points to the Freemasons, who already met at the inn in Mozart's day. Mozart, who was close to the Freemasons, may well have eaten here, but there's no record that he did.
Where to eat: our favorites
An old inn on the Müllner Hügel near the Salzach, known for its Backhendl and pouring Augustiner beer brewed a few meters away. Book ahead; it fills up.
A historic old-town inn with cozy dining rooms and a quiet garden of more than 100 seats, cooking Austrian classics.
Austrian classics and the full Stiegl and Wildshut beer range, run by the Gassner family since 2012.
Alternative Places to Try
Augustiner Braugasthof Krimpelstätter on the Müllner Hauptstraße, first mentioned in 1548, is one of the last rustic inns of its kind in Salzburg, with thick walls, a stone floor and a garden under old chestnut trees. The Augustiner beer comes from the brewery next door.
Unique Restaurants in Salzburg
What it is
Three places you'll only find in Salzburg: a restaurant inside walls that have hosted guests for more than 1,200 years, a beer hall founded by Augustinian hermits and a restaurant in a glass hangar full of aircraft.
Why we love it
Each one is a meal and a sight in one evening. You come for the setting as much as for the food, and these are the best restaurants in Salzburg to plan a night around when you want something you can't have anywhere else.
Did You Know?
St. Peter Stiftskulinarium has been serving guests since 803. At Red Bull Hangar-7, Restaurant Ikarus works the other way round: in most months, a different top chef from the international fine dining scene writes the menu, under the patronage of Eckart Witzigmann. Executive chef Martin Klein visits each guest chef in their own kitchen ahead of time to learn the dishes.
Where to eat: our favorites
Austrian and Mediterranean cooking with a strong wine list, inside walls that have hosted guests for more than 1,200 years.
Founded by Augustinian hermits and brewing since 1621. The beer still goes from the wooden barrel into stone mugs, and the food comes from the stalls of the Schmankerlgang.
Restaurant Ikarus hands its kitchen to a new guest chef almost every month, and the menu reinvents itself 12 times a year.
Street Food, Bakeries and Markets
What it is
The eating you do between sights: a Bosna from a window, a loaf from the abbey bakery, cheese and fruit from a market stall.
Why we love it
Salzburg's old town is compact, so a lunch of three small stops is easy to put together, and it leaves room for a proper dinner at one of the best restaurants in Salzburg.
Did You Know?
The Stiftsbäckerei St. Peter on the Kapitelplatz is Salzburg's oldest bakery, first recorded in the 12th century. The abbey built a grain mill and a bakery where the Almkanal comes out of the Mönchsberg, and the sourdough bread is still baked in the original wood-fired oven. By the entrance, a water wheel on the Almkanal drives a stone mill.
Where to eat: our favorites
One window, less than 4 square meters, one dish in several versions. There’s often a queue, and the Bosna comes half wrapped in white paper.
Sourdough rye from the wood-fired oven, sold straight from the bakehouse. Come early and you can still watch the bakers at work.
Alternative Places to Try
The Grünmarkt sets up its stalls in front of the University Church, a few steps from the Bosna window, with fruit, vegetables, cheese and pastries. The Schranne, a weekly market, sets up in front of St. Andrew’s Church.
Salzburg Restaurants with a View
The old town lies between the Mönchsberg and the Salzach, with the fortress above it, so any table with a little height takes in the rooftops, the domes and the river at once. These are the Salzburg restaurants with a view we'd book for the setting first, from a hotel rooftop to a terrace on the fortress slope.
Where to eat: our favorites
The rooftop terrace on the 7th floor of Hotel Stein looks across to the old town and Hohensalzburg. Breakfast up here is the calmest way to have it.
A terrace on the fortress slope, right above the rooftops of the old town, with a Stiegl from the tap.
Alternative Places to Try
Café Bazar and Café Sacher on the right bank look across the Salzach to the Mönchsberg and the fortress from the riverside.
Gastgärten: Eating Outdoors in Salzburg
When the weather turns warm, a good part of Salzburg's eating moves outside, including at several of the places on this list. The best gardens here sit in courtyards and under chestnut trees rather than on the pavement, which means shade and no traffic.
Where to eat: our favorites
Austria’s largest beer garden, under chestnut trees in Mülln, with beer from the wooden barrel.
A garden under shady chestnut trees, with a beer fountain in the middle that pours Stiegl on request.
A quiet garden with more than 100 seats, right in the middle of the old town.
The Weisse beer garden in Schallmoos, for a glass of the house wheat beer where it’s brewed.
Three garden levels looking out over the old town. It began in the 19th century, when Stiegl served beer here in summer from the rock cellars below.
