Writer: Helena Bergström
Updated: May 2026 | What do you eat in Austria? We list 15 Austrian specialties and tell you about our experiences with Austrian food. In Austria you will find everything from schnitzel and dumplings to kaiserschmarrn and apple strudel. Come and taste Austria!
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What to eat in Austria? - a quick overview
We have previously written about German food and Swiss food, and now it's time for Austrian cuisine! Austrian food is hearty, a little bit stodgy and full of classic flavours. Here are some typical examples of what to eat in Austria:
- Meat and main courses: Wiener schnitzel, Tafelspitz and various sausages
- Accessories: Potatoes, dumplings, sauerkraut and spaetzle
- Simpler dishes: Goulash, dumplings and soups like Frittatensuppe
- Pastries: Apple strudel
- Drinks: Wine and beer are popular drinks
We have visited Austria several times, both by plane and motorhome, and both in summer and winter. Here we list a number of classic Austrian dishes, while offering our personal reflections.
Typical Austrian food - 15 classic dishes
Here we list Austrian dishes that are interesting to try, including appetizers, side dishes, desserts and pastries.
1st Wienerschnitzel
Schnitzel is a typical dish on Austrian menus. A ”real Wiener schnitzel” should be made from veal, while schnitzel can also be made from pork or chicken.
In Austria, schnitzel is traditionally served with a kind of warm potato salad, almost always accompanied by lingonberry jam. French fries are a common option, at least in tourist places.
2. goulash
A spicy and savoury meat soup or stew, often described as the national dish of Hungary. However, goulash is also popular in many other Central European countries, such as Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
3. dumplings
This isn't our favourite actually, but it's almost universally popular in Austria, and comes in many different varieties. Often served as a side dish to meat or sausages, or perhaps as a filling ingredient in a soup. In addition, there are variants that contain meat, and further variants that are eaten as a dessert.
- Barley dumplings is a type of dessert dumpling filled with plum jam.
- Cassia dumplings is a traditional Tyrolean dumpling, made with day-old bread and cheese.
- Liver dumplings usually contains beef liver.
- bread dumplings are made from bread, milk and eggs, among other things.
- bacon dumplings are made from bread and pork, among other things.
- Spinach dumplings contains spinach.
4. cheese spaetzle
Käsespätzle, or käsknöpfle as the dish may be called in Vorarlberg, is a traditional dish that you can find in Austria, but also in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and some German regions. It is simply a kind of pasta with cheese, usually topped with roasted onions. Delicious in all its simplicity!
5. boiled beef
A dish of boiled veal or beef in broth, which originated in Vienna. The dish is served with potatoes and other root vegetables, as well as with a mixture of minced apples and horseradish.
6th Tyrolean Gröstl
It can best be described as a Tyrolean version of pan-fried puddings. This dish can contain, for example, potatoes, bacon, beef and onions, and is often topped with a fried egg. We've only tried a vegetarian, slightly more modern version, and it was really good!
7. soup
What do you eat in Austria? Well, it's very common to eat soup, and restaurants often serve soup as a starter. Common soups include potato soup, pumpkin soup, beef soup and various broth soups with dumplings.
8. pancake soup
One soup that we must mention separately is frittata soup. This soup is a bit special because it is served with a kind of shredded pancake in it. Not too shabby!
9. charcuterie products
If you like cold cuts, with ham and sausages, you can find a lot of goodies in Austria. Charktallrik is a popular concept, and very tasty!
10. Austrian cheese
Austrian cheese is not wrong either, especially if you find a cosy little cheese or delicatessen shop in a small Alpine village. You will find, for example, various cheeses with names like "bergkäse" or "almkäse".
11. apple strudel
When it comes to Austrian food, you can't miss the apple strudel. A truly classic pastry! Sometimes it happens that the apple strudel is served with ice cream, cream or custard. It may be less classic, but it's delicious!
12. curd cheese strudel
Another kind of strudel you can try in Austria is the one called topfenstrudel. Instead of apples, it is filled with cream cheese, and it is also very tasty.
13th Kaiserschmarrn
A truly classic Austrian dish. This is actually a sweet dessert, but given that the dish is so filling, it can also work as a smaller and simpler dish. Kaiserschmarrn is a sweet thick pancake that is cut into pieces, fried in butter and served with jam or fruit compote.
14. Sacher cake
Another classic of Austrian cuisine is the Sacher cake. This is a chocolate cake with apricot marmalade, often served with whipped cream.
15. gingerbread
A type of slightly thicker gingerbread that is eaten in Germany and Austria, among other countries. In Austria, they are particularly associated with Christmas.
Austrian food in a restaurant
It's quite easy to find traditional Austrian food in restaurants in Austria, while there is of course everything from fine dining to fast food and food from other countries in the world. Read more about restaurants and dining experiences in Austria here:
Beer, wine and other beverages in Austria
So, how do you combine Austrian food with drink? Both beer and wine are popular in Austria, as are various liqueurs and hot drinks.
Oil is a popular drink in Austria and there are many breweries around the country. Some beers that can be mentioned are Gösser, Stiegl, Augustiner Bräu and Edelweiss.
Wine are also produced in Austria, in 16 different wine regions. The country is best known for dry white wines made from the Grüner Veltliner grape. We like these wines a lot!
Liqueurs and schnapps are available in many different flavours, for example made from different fruits and herbs.
Coffee plays an important role in Austria, not least in connection with the café culture in Vienna. There are also some speciality coffees such as Wiener Melange.
Mulled wine and hunters' tea are two hot drinks that are popular during the cold season. Jägertee is simply a drink containing tea, sugar and rum, among other ingredients.
More about food in other countries
Here you can find more stories about food in different countries:
- French cuisine - 25 French dishes
- Italian food - 25 Italian dishes
- Slovak food – 25 Slovak dishes
- Swiss food - 15 Swiss specialities
- German food - 25 German dishes
Frequently asked questions about Austrian food
What is typical Austrian food?
Austrian food is often rustic and filling, with a focus on meat, potatoes, bread and creamy sauces. Classic dishes such as wienerschnitzel, goulash and various types of dumplings are common features.
Is Austrian food similar to German food?
Yes, there are many similarities between the cuisines, especially when it comes to sausages, schnitzel and rustic dishes. However, Austrian cuisine also has clear influences from the old Habsburg Empire, which can be seen in dishes like goulash and various pastries.
Are there vegetarian options in Austria?
Yes, although the cuisine is traditionally meat-based, there are vegetarian dishes such as kasnocken (cheese pasta), dumplings and various soups. In larger cities, vegetarian and vegan options are now common.
Is it expensive to eat out in Austria?
It varies, but generally there is something for all budgets. Traditional inns (Gasthaus) often offer affordable and authentic food, while fancier restaurants can be significantly more expensive.
English (UK) 
Svenska
Monnah says:
It's a shame I feel so bad about wheat flour, because Bavarian cuisine is incredibly delicious. My husband's family comes from the Munich area, so they eat a lot of food like this. Great photos and descriptions!
14 December 2024 - 7:16
Helena says:
Yes, the food is quite sticky (and a lot of flour in some cases) but agree, good!
14 December 2024 - 8:10
JoY says:
Fun to see all those dishes, some favourites others less appealing. When I worked up on Grossglockner and cooked and baked Sachertorte mums. And we had besides apricot jam, the bottoms were also "soaked" with Stroh rum, very good with the rum.
Schnitzel with boiled parsley potatoes with lemon, without lingonberry jam was the most popular. Goulash was also popular and the two dishes are my absolute favourites.
Kaiserschmarren and Pancake Soup, we can make that if we have pancakes left over from the day before. Spätzle is also a dish, which Jakob makes sometimes and which is eaten a lot in Switzerland but there it is called Knöpfli.
I say no thanks to the dumplings, don't really know why but they don't appeal to me, probably depends on the look.
When you next visit Austria, be sure to order the Pinzgauer Kasnocken. Then you get a frying pan with strongly flavoured melted cheese and fried onions. You like to eat from the same frying pan. Can be compared to spätzle and lots of cheese. Recommend a schnapps after all the fat, usually included in that dish.
The Augustinerbräu brewery in Saltzburg is certainly a nice place to visit. Especially when you can sit outside under the big trees and enjoy a cold beer.
Happy 3rd Advent
14 December 2024 - 9:48
Helena says:
Thanks for the comment and input! Interesting to hear about your experiences with the different dishes! Thanks also for the tip about the Pinzgauer Kasnocken, it sounds good!!! Wish you also a nice advent and continued nice December!
14 December 2024 - 11:30
Jossu says:
I realise now that I ate far too little Austrian food when I was in Vienna. But at least I got to try some Austrian wine, in an area called Grinzing which is in Vienna but feels like another world. With its charming houses it felt more like a small village.
The post made me start dreaming about visiting an Austrian Christmas market and trying different soups to warm me up. And of course trying lebkuchen and glühwein.
14 December 2024 - 13:34
Helena says:
Glad you tried Austrian wine! We haven't visited Vienna yet, but it's on our "list"!
14 December 2024 - 19:05
BP says:
I've lived in Munich for almost seven years and Bavarian food is very similar to Austrian food. And all these different dumplings. You should probably not live in either Bavaria or Austria if you have problems keeping weight; -)
I got to know the frittata soup when Jamie Oliver of all people introduced it in one of his food programmes. That soup is actually good.
"Bergkäse" or "almkäse" is available at my local ICA.
I can't comment on the sweets, because they are different from Bavarian desserts, except for the apple strudel.
Then there is also Strohrum with 80 per cent alcohol, which the Austrians are responsible for;-)
14 December 2024 - 18:39
Helena says:
Yes, I understand that the food in Munich is similar! And yes, I can probably agree there, it's not exactly a diet food, but good! 😉 Have not looked for the cheeses here, but will do so!
14 December 2024 - 19:07
Tanten I stan says:
I remember in the 80s when we were in Austria that I ate a lot of Gulachen. Schnitzel is probably what I ate most in Germany.
I recently baked apple strudel, recipe can be found inside my house. Fantastically good dessert!
Love Kajsa
https://tantenistan.wordpress.com
15 December 2024 - 12:23
Helena says:
Goulash is always good! And yes, there is plenty of schnitzel in Germany! 🙂
16 December 2024 - 12:51
Backe says:
I have always had cranberry jam with my schnitzels, never lingonberry jam. I have drunk many different rosé wines from Austria and they are very good
16 December 2024 - 7:13
Helena says:
Interesting, thanks for sharing! We have understood what we got as lingonberry jam. I googled a bit and there seems to be both with lingonberry jam and cranberry jam.
16 December 2024 - 12:52