Graz Restaurants

The variety of restaurants in Graz is staggering, ranging from beer halls to topflight fine dining. The prices are very reasonable, even in the nicest restaurants, ensuring you can indulge yourself free of guilt. Starting out in the Farberplatz and adjacent Mehlplatz in the heart of the Old Town, visitors will find a large number of places to eat and drink which reflect the city’s culinary diversity.

Local cuisine

Styrian cuisine is made up of hearty dishes such as wurzelfleisch, a kind of stew, and sterz, a German version of kasha, made with cracked buckwheat. The handmade sausages are also a highlight. Meat is typically accompanied by traditional side dishes of homemade noodles, dumplings and heidensterz, a local kind of polenta.

Eating on the run is not a problem in Graz. The countless sausage stands are the best place to get a quick bite to eat. The kotelett semmel (cutlet roll) is virtually a meal in itself. These stands also sell doner kebabs, mozzarella sticks and of course, plenty of grilled sausages.

The art of brewing beer reaches new levels in Graz. There are several breweries in the city which serve up truly tasty brews. You may also want to try the local Styrian wine, whose grapes are grown on the steep and sunny slopes just outside Graz.

Where to eat

For a real treat, try the traditional Styrian buschenschank wine taverns in Graz. What makes these places so special is that everything they serve, from food to drink, is locally farm-grown.

The coffee house scene in Graz is another interesting aspect of eating out in this city. The coffee house culture here is unlike other countries and has a unique and laid back atmosphere. Ever since the Turkish Wars centuries ago, coffee houses have been a big part of Austrian life. Apart from delicious Vienna coffee, these places serve some of the tastiest baked sweets on the planet. The Strehly and the Fotter are two of the best in the city.