Food of Austria

Austrian cuisine blends influences from across Central Europe: breaded cutlets, boiled beef, dumplings, goulash and an astonishing range of cakes and pastries. Alpine regions favor cheese and potato dishes, while Vienna is famous for its coffeehouses. Meals are hearty, and afternoons often include coffee and cake.

Wiener schnitzel
National dish

Wiener schnitzel

Breaded veal cutlet fried golden.

How to make Wiener schnitzel

Staples

  • pork
  • veal
  • potatoes
  • flour
  • dumplings
  • cabbage
  • dairy
  • apples

Signature flavors

  • caraway
  • paprika
  • marjoram
  • parsley
  • vanilla
  • poppy seed
  • horseradish

Main dishes

Wiener schnitzel
Wiener schnitzel

Breaded veal cutlet fried golden.

Key ingredients: veal, breadcrumbs, butterFull guide →
Tafelspitz
Tafelspitz

Boiled beef with apple horseradish and chive sauce.

Key ingredients: beef, root vegetables, horseradish
Kaiserschmarrn
Kaiserschmarrn

Torn fluffy pancake with raisins and plum compote.

Key ingredients: flour, eggs, milk, raisins
Kasespatzle
Kasespatzle

Egg noodle dumplings with melted mountain cheese and crispy onions.

Key ingredients: spaetzle, cheese, onions
Backhendl
Backhendl

Austrian fried chicken in a crisp crumb coating.

Key ingredients: chicken, breadcrumbs, egg
Gulasch
Gulasch

Viennese beef stew with paprika.

Key ingredients: beef, onions, paprikaFull guide →
Knodel
Knodel

Bread or semolina dumplings.

Key ingredients: bread, milk, eggs, parsley
Schweinsbraten

Roast pork with crackling and caraway.

Key ingredients: pork, caraway, garlic
Erdapfelsalat
Erdapfelsalat

Warm Austrian potato salad with vinegar and stock.

Key ingredients: potatoes, onion, vinegar, stock
Rostbraten

Pan-fried beef with fried onions and gravy.

Key ingredients: beef, onions, stock

Breakfast

Semmel with butter and jam
Semmel with butter and jam

Crisp rolls with butter, jam or cold cuts.

Key ingredients: rolls, butter, jam
Fruhstucksei

Soft-boiled egg with bread.

Key ingredients: eggs, bread
Mohnbrot

Bread with poppy seeds.

Key ingredients: flour, poppy seeds

Street food

Wurstel
Wurstel

Sausage stands serve Burenwurst, Käsekrainer and Bratwurst in rolls.

Key ingredients: sausage, mustard, bread
Leberkassemmel
Leberkassemmel

Meatloaf slice in a roll.

Key ingredients: meatloaf, roll, mustard
Langos
Langos

Fried dough with garlic and cheese.

Key ingredients: dough, garlic, cheeseFull guide →
Brezel
Brezel

Soft salted pretzel.

Key ingredients: dough, saltFull guide →

Soups

Frittatensuppe

Beef broth with pancake strips.

Key ingredients: broth, crepes, chives
Griessnockerlsuppe

Broth with semolina dumplings.

Key ingredients: broth, semolina, egg
Erdapfelsuppe

Creamy potato soup.

Key ingredients: potatoes, onion, cream
Leberknodelsuppe

Broth with liver dumplings.

Key ingredients: broth, liver, bread

Salads

Gurkensalat
Gurkensalat

Sliced cucumber with sour cream.

Key ingredients: cucumber, sour cream, dill
Krautsalat
Krautsalat

Cabbage salad with caraway.

Key ingredients: cabbage, vinegar, caraway
Kurbiskernol salat

Salad with pumpkin seed oil.

Key ingredients: greens, pumpkin seed oil

Breads

Brezel
Brezel

Salted pretzel.

Key ingredients: dough, salt
Semmel
Semmel

Crusty white roll.

Key ingredients: flour, yeast
Vollkornbrot

Whole grain bread.

Key ingredients: whole grain flour

Desserts and sweets

Apfelstrudel
Apfelstrudel

Apple strudel with raisins.

Key ingredients: apples, pastry, cinnamonFull guide →
Sachertorte
Sachertorte

Chocolate cake with apricot jam.

Key ingredients: chocolate, apricot jamFull guide →
Salzburger Nockerl
Salzburger Nockerl

Sweet baked soufflé from Salzburg.

Key ingredients: eggs, sugar, flour
Linzer torte
Linzer torte

Almond-jam tart with a lattice.

Key ingredients: almonds, jam, flour
Palatschinken
Palatschinken

Thin crepes with jam.

Key ingredients: flour, eggs, milk, jam
Marillenknodel
Marillenknodel

Apricot dumplings.

Key ingredients: apricots, potato dough, sugar

Drinks

Melange
Melange

Viennese milky coffee.

Key ingredients: coffee, milk
Einspanner
Einspanner

Strong coffee with whipped cream.

Key ingredients: coffee, whipped cream
Apfelsaft gespritzt

Apple juice with sparkling water.

Key ingredients: apple juice, sparkling water
Almdudler
Almdudler

Herbal Austrian soda.

Key ingredients: herbs, sugar, water
Heisse Schokolade
Heisse Schokolade

Rich hot chocolate with whipped cream.

Key ingredients: chocolate, milk

Fruits and produce

Apricots (Wachau)
Apricots (Wachau)

Sweet Wachau apricots, used in dumplings and jam.

Key ingredients: jam, dumplings
Apples
Apples

Styrian apples.

Key ingredients: strudel, juice
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds

Styrian oil pumpkin.

Key ingredients: oil, salad
Elderflower
Elderflower

Syrup drink.

Key ingredients: syrup, water
Plums
Plums

Zwetschken for cakes.

Key ingredients: cakes, dumplings

Dish guides from Austria

Apple strudel
Apple strudelDesserts and sweets
Goulash
GoulashSoups
Langos
LangosStreet food
Pretzel
PretzelBreads
Sachertorte
SachertorteDesserts and sweets
Wiener schnitzel
Wiener schnitzelMain dishes
Explore Austria on Geographical EffectMaps, capital and cities, population, climate, landscapes and landmarks.

More cuisines of Central Europe

About this page

Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.

Photo credits
  • Wiener-Schnitzel02: Kobako, CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Tafelspitz: RobertK, CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 2015 0731 Kaiserschmarrn Apfelsoße Edelweisshütte Sölden: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Berggasthof Haldenhof - Käsknöpfle (1): © 1971markus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Backhendl Cuisine of Austria IMG 0061: Politikaner, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Gulyas080: Lily15, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • HK SYP 西營盤 Sai Ying Pun Kwan Yick Building 名星海鮮酒家 Star Seafood Restaurant food 吞麵 Wonton dim sum October 2020 SS2 01: Honmustak Chooica, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Potato salad (1): SajjadF, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Kaisersemmel-: Kobako, CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Wurstplatte: Alice Wiegand, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Leberkäse-1: Rainer Z ..., CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Langos Eger Hungary: sikeri, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • BrezelnSalz02 (cropped): Sundar1, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cucumber Salad (30974695127): Jose Nicdao from San Jose, United States, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 2015-12-20 Spitzkohlsalat mit Möhren anagoria: Anagoria, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Strudel: che, CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Sachertorte DSC03027: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Salzburger Nockerln 04 gastronomie 001: Tourismus Salzburg - original uploader was Salzburg at de.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Foto.Linzertorte: Leo Jindrak (Originally uploaded by: Uwe berger), CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Pfannkuchen mit Zucker: Jan Homann, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • FW Marillenknödl1: de:Freedom_Wizard, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Wiener Melange 0363wien img 9691: Rüdiger Wölk, CC BY-SA 2.0 de (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Hofzuckerbäcker Demel Frühstück 04: Geolina163, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Almdudlerflaschen: Loimo, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Chocolate cup Chantilly porcelain 18th century: World Imaging, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Apricot jam: Rita, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 95apple: Agricultural Research Service (Research agent of United States Department of Agriculture), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Pepita de calabaza: Dmitry Makeev, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Sambucus-berries: Edal Anton Lefterov, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Plums African Rose - whole, halved and slice: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)