This year Falstaff once again presents the best restaurants in Austria. Salzburg catapults itself to the top of the country with three 100-point businesses.
Connoisseurs have known one rule for decades. If you want to eat particularly well in Austria, there's no getting around Salzburg. What is new, however, is the fact that the freshly printed Falstaff Restaurant & Gasthaus Guide 2026 lists three restaurants in the state with the highest rating of 100 points. At the same time, two veterans of fine dining joined the recently overhauled "Ikarus " in the Olympus. "Döllerers Restaurant" in Golling and "Obauer" in Werfen.
Upper Austria also has a restaurant in the very top league - thanks to Lukas Nagl and his team, who have hit top form at the "Bootshaus" in Traunkirchen. Together with the three newcomers, there is now a sextet that can look forward to 100 points – the "Steirereck" in Vienna and the "Landhaus Bacher" defended their position.
Döllerers Restaurant, Golling, 100 Falstaff points
The Salzburg winner's podium has never been so well attended. But the votes of the Falstaff community were clear: the last service point was the deciding factor - 100 points and thus the maximum rating for Döllerer's restaurant in Golling. Andreas Döllerer's interpretation of "Alpine Cuisine" has been inspiring for a long time anyway. His idea: to invite guests on a journey "over high mountains, through deep valleys, over rivers, lakes and alpine pastures". In other words, the chef sources the basic produce from the Alpine world. But this should not be confused with down-to-earth regional cuisine. Andreas Döllerer is a well-traveled man. This can be seen in the details of the menu: the freshwater prawns come with a "southern marinade", the Rauris venison is served with kumquats in Gyokuro green tea. And one dessert has the poetic name "Memories of Kobe". It is fitting that Alexander Koblinger, who is one of only 291 people in the world to hold the title of Master Sommelier, has also trained as a "Sake Samurai". He is part of the excellent service team that has now taken the final (and well-deserved!) step towards the top rating.
"Ikarus", Salzburg, 100 Falstaff points
How will it turn out? Last year's winning text about the Ikarus began with this question, because nobody knew exactly what would happen after the temporary closure – secrecy is a corporate rule, after all. Now it's clear: the Ikarus is more beautiful than ever after the major renovation of Hangar-7. With fewer tables, a new Icarus sculpture in the middle, walk-in wine cabinets and a smart cheese drawer. But fortunately the most important thing was never up for discussion: the unique guest chef concept that Dietrich Mateschitz developed together with Eckart Witzigmann and Roland Trettl and which still exists today under head chef Martin Klein. As a reminder, the dishes and menu sequences of prominent chefs from all over the world are not just partially recreated here; they are reproduced down to the smallest detail and with almost absurd precision in a way that commands the utmost respect from the respective guest chefs. No effort is too great to source fish, shellfish, meat, spice mixes or rare local plants to make the experience authentic. The clear conclusion: Icarus is flying – as ever.
"Obauer", Werfen, 100 Falstaff points
Some felt it was long overdue. This year the time has come: 100 points for this traditional restaurant in Werfen, which has been one of Austria's very best establishments for what feels like an eternity. A lot has recently been invested in the ambience – the Falstaff community now likes the Obauer better than ever before. In any case, there has long been nothing to discuss about the kitchen and cellar in this family business. Rudi Obauer leads the kitchen team with remarkable stylistic confidence, while brother Karl is the perfect host. And Rudi's son Berthold is constantly providing new ideas. Most recently, for example, further smart rooms were built in the neighboring building and the tasteful Obauer market store was installed as a low-threshold gateway to the Obauer world. The brothers' deliberately cultivated dialect should never obscure what the family defines as philosophy – or explanation: "Stay down to earth. Be open to the world." East meets West is part of the fabric. And subtle humor has always been at home here. Written down: "We also cook with water ... but with the purest mountain spring water."
The best restaurants in Salzburg
Steirereck, 1030 100 Falstaff points
A research contract would have to be awarded to compile a list of all those who have been trained here in recent decades and then succeeded elsewhere or even opened their own restaurant. The young ladies and gentlemen, armed with an enormous amount of knowledge about food, producers, cooking techniques, skills, cheeses, citrus varieties, breads of all kinds and much more, went out into the world with their comprehensive Steirereck know-how – like a doctorate in gastronomy. Something of an elite university in the industry, the restaurant in Vienna's Stadtpark stands for the very highest level of culinary excellence. Thanks to the clever room layout in the futuristic metal and glass structure, you won't even notice that you are having lunch or dinner with almost a hundred people at the same time. A highly professional performance by Birgit Reitbauer and her husband Heinz that is second to none. Others may call it a luxury restaurant. The Reitbauers call it quite simply: "An Austrian inn at heart – passionately striving to give its guests a wonderful time."
The best restaurants in Vienna
Restaurant Hubert Wallner, Dellach 99 Falstaff points
In 2025, the Wörthersee Platzhirsch reduced and expanded its territory at the same time. The charming Bistro Südsee is history, but the Bistro Seensucht remains. Hubert Wallner has now conquered the provincial capital twice; in the Klagenfurt headquarters of Kärntner Sparkasse, the relaxed daytime café George attracts diners during the day and the Sky-Bar Marie in the evening, where you can now enjoy casual fine dining with a view of the Lindwurm – also as a kind of teaser for a visit to the heart of Wallner's empire. There in Dellach, with a view over the deep blue glittering waters of Lake Wörthersee, he celebrates the cuisine for which he has received countless awards - and was once again voted one of the two winners in Carinthia by the Falstaff community this year. Most guests opt for Wallner's tasting menu, where the chef mixes local and international ingredients when it comes to aquatic creatures; hamachi is followed by lake trout from Greifenburg, for example. When it comes to meat, organic quality from local farms is the order of the day anyway. When it comes to wine, you are in good hands with sommelier Magdalena Lechner. Let the Wörthersee season begin!
Die Forelle, Weissensee 99 Falstaff points
Something has happened at the idyllic Weißensee. Hannes Müller's "Die Forelle" with its "Berg.See.Küche" has been on the cusp of the top ranks for some time and has now caught up with Hubert Wallner. Müller's guiding principles differ from those of many of his colleagues: By regional, he primarily means the alpine high valley around "his" lake. For him, nothing is "always in season" here. He considers nose-to-tail to be the most normal thing in the world, while going without includes so-called international luxury products. And almost nothing is thrown away here. Müller calls this "rescued cuisine", which used to be called "leftover cuisine". You can find out and taste how all this is implemented during the "Berg.See.Degustation.Menu". The cellar, which is primarily stocked with Austrian bouteilles and a few from the neighborhood, has always been characterized by a passion for wine. Now high-quality and complex non-alcoholic menu accompaniments have been added. Reason enough for the Falstaff community to give an extra point here too. Which means that Die Forelle is now the Carinthian winner ex aequo. Congratulations!
The best restaurants in Carinthia
Bootshaus, Traunkirchen, 100 Falstaff points
Let's talk about breakfast first, for a change. Anyone who has worked up an appetite here at Seehotel Das Traunsee after an evening meal in the boathouse and a night with the soothing sound of the lake will only really realize in the morning how deeply the hotel has dedicated itself to freshwater fish in all its facets. In a chilled drawer, fish salads, rolled fish and marinated or pickled fillets can be found in a variety and delicacy that is possibly unique in the world. All of this is the result of a passion that visionary chef Lukas Nagl has developed over the years. No wonder Nagl is in high demand as a consultant and lecturer on aquatic wildlife. Several of his books show how to approach the subject of fish in a similar way. Unfortunately, the amateur cook lacks the professional fishermen who personally deliver their catch of the day to the chef. However, it would be wrong to qualify him as a pure fish cook. His menus - there is no à la carte at the Bootshaus - reflect the culinary diversity of the Salzkammergut in all its facets.
The best restaurants in Upper Austria
Stüva, Ischgl 99 Falstaff points
One can only wish that the son of the house – after stagiaires with some of the best chefs in Europe – would come back and make his own hotel restaurant one of the best in the nation. Unfortunately you can't count on that. But that's exactly what happened at the Parth family's Yscla in Ischgl: Benjamin joined in 2008 after not just watching Heinz Winkler, Marc Haeberlin and Sven Elverfeld, but literally soaking up how the great masters did things. A rise began that no one could have imagined. Today, the list of all the awards with points, forks, stars etc. for the still young man is so extensive that it takes up its own page on the house website. What everyone agrees on: Parth is a sauce master. And he loves seafood of all kinds – the main thing is top quality. Refreshingly, Parth dispenses with wordy food poetry, his menu is remarkably concise and precise. This should not obscure the fact that what is presented is characterized by the highest level of product understanding and clear taste. Which, according to the Falstaff community, no one in Tyrol has yet managed to imitate.
Landhaus Bacher, Mautern an der Donau, 100 Falstaff points
Cooking a single menu is standard in this type of gastronomy. Not too many people are interested in two menus. Even three menus? No. There are four menus to choose from at Landhaus Bacher. While wife Susanne – she only says it very quietly – thinks this is excessive, husband Thomas Dorfer does not miss the opportunity to offer his guests this variety. Thus completely enumerated: Seasonal menu, country house menu, vegetarian menu and classic menu. The fact that there is also a lunchtime menu is discreetly left under the country house table. Many a dish from the green era of mother-in-law Lisl will – fortunately – remain on the menu here for all eternity. Or can anyone imagine not being allowed to order the almost 36-year-old classic "caviar egg" here? Sour cream pancakes or Wachau apricot pancakes are also what we call standards and should never be left out of the repertoire. But Thomas Dorfer is also held in such high esteem up and down the country because, building on the foundations of the house, he is constantly breaking new ground to ensure that here in Mautern there is never a feeling that the culinary clock is standing still. Thank you for that.
The best restaurants in Lower Austria
Taubenkobel, Schützen 98 Falstaff points
"Our home is Europe". This culinary and political statement is prominently displayed in capital letters on the Taubenkobel homepage. The family, which has always been cosmopolitan, has always thought outside the box without losing sight of its Burgenland roots. When chef and patron Alain Weissgerber decided to install an open fireplace some time ago, he was one of the first in Austria to anticipate a trend. Dishes from the wood-fired oven play a central role in the restaurant: whether Ötscherblick pork or wild-caught turbot - the power of the fire creates different flavors and consistencies to those of an electric stove. Butt and sole from other countries are the exception; Marchfeld artichokes, zander (here it really comes from Lake Neusiedl) or pigeons from southern Burgenland dominate the menu. Speaking of pigeons: once a year – a few weeks before Christmas – they fly out of their cage. Every year, Barbara Eselböck and her Alain look for a different location to pay their respects to the Viennese public as part of a pop-up.
The best restaurants in Burgenland
Die Weinbank Restaurant, Ehrenhausen 99 Falstaff points
Many people have probably already thought of this pun, but it's still worth saying and writing once again: The Weinbank is a bank in every respect. This refers to Gerhard Fuchs' grandiose cuisine. In particular this refers to the eponymous wine, which is always slumbering in the cellars of the restaurant in astonishing complexity and vintage depth. Which inevitably leads us to the second part of the duo - Christian Zach, who once worked as a sommelier at the Vienna Korso until he found a congenial partner in Fuchs. Fuchs and Zach have been compared to Tintin and Snowy, Laurel and Hardy or – probably more aptly – Lennon and McCartney. However, what is happening here is unique far and wide. In any case, you won't waste any time studying the menu here – the kitchen decides. In fact, you have to be very tightly knit if (almost) everything doesn't fit. Or as they put it in their philosophy: "You've already made the right choice anyway. You are sitting in the wine bench. What needs to be done now? Switch off your brain and follow your gut. Listen to your feelings and trust us."
The best restaurants in Styria
Griggeler Stuba, Lech 98 Falstaff points
In the world of sport, the intensive and repeated occurrence of awards is so beautifully named: A shower of medals. In the culinary world, too, the highest value is placed on points, forks, stars and all sorts of other things. And chef Sebastian Jakob, who comes from Bad Driburg in North Rhine-Westphalia, has recently won them all. He therefore proves to be a great stroke of luck for the Lucian family. And also because Jakob became familiar with pretty much every style of international cooking during his time in the eight restaurants of his previous establishment – the legendary Bavarian hotel Schloss Elmau. In the intimate Griggeler Stuba, you can therefore feel the cosmopolitan nature of the cuisine with every course. Influences from China, Japan and South America are subtly interspersed without any of the dishes slipping into the ethnic category. The "Griggeler Experience" is the name of the culinary spectacle, always formidably accompanied by the gems from Burg Vital's legendary wine cellar, where wine director Maximilian Lucian has compiled a list of more than 4000 items. In winter, the fireplace blazes in the Stuba. No wonder that bookings are a sought-after currency here.
Rote Wand Chef's Table, Lech 98 Falstaff points
While a new kitchen team has started over in the main building of the Rote Wand, there is continuity in the dependance - the small Schualhus. Julian Stieger's performance at the Chef's Table is characterized by routine, calm and a remarkable feel for the product. The ritual has been practiced for years. Guests gather at the hotel reception and are led through an underground corridor – wind and weather are always to be expected in the Zug Valley - to the first floor of the former mini-school, where they get in the mood for the evening with an aperitif and first snacks as an overture. The action then begins one floor up. The number of courses is large, but their size is small. What host Joschi Walch once modeled on New York's Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare is entering its eleventh season this year and yet remains a unique project in Austria in this form. Julian Stieger, with a past at Steirereck or Geranium, is the third boss at the "Table" since it opened. And this time it looks as if someone has made the "management" of this small school part of their long-term life plan.
