As the new year is still young, we asked wine and food journalist Aleks Zečević to share his favourite places in Austria for 2025. The list spans from east to west and reflects a broad range of tastes, all connected by high-quality cuisine, inviting ambience, and a shared passion for organic farming. Enjoy — and thank him later!
1. Gasthaus Restaurant Thaller
I don’t like to play favorites, but this might just be the best restaurant in Austria right now. Run by Norbert and Manuela Thaller in the rolling Styrian hills, Gasthaus Thaller radiates a quiet honesty that’s hard to fake. The first time I visited, I kicked off my shoes and wandered barefoot through their garden, brushing against herbs and watching fish circle lazily in the pond that feeds the kitchen. That small, grounding moment said everything about the place — rooted, calm, self-sufficient.
The kitchen follows the same rhythm. Vegetables from the garden, trout from the pond, and a strong showing of Austrian natural wines, especially from Styria, including older vintages. I’ve had some of the best wines of my life here: a magnum of Werlitsch Ex Vero II 2013 and Schnabel’s Blaufränkisch Hochegg 2014. Lunch is comforting; dinner, elevated. Both utterly delicious.
The setting seals it: Cozy indoors, and in warm weather, the garden becomes pure magic. Before you leave, stop by the shop, it’s stocked with preserves, ferments, goulash, and prepared dishes to take home, so a bit of Thaller lingers even after you’ve gone.
Food and garden of Wirtshaus Thaler2. Mocking – Das Wirtshaus
Tucked at the foot of the Streif, Mocking – Das Wirtshaus is a restaurant that lingers with you long after you leave. Chef-owner Martin Huber, son of Kitzbühel’s legendary butcher, cooks with a rare mix of confidence and humility, turning Alpine staples into something quietly transcendent.
The smoked trout topped with crispy garlic is the perfect start here: simple, and full of smoke and salt. The fried chicken and schnitzel, golden and unapologetically crisp, beg for a high-acid white like the Vino Gross Colles I drank there. But the dish that stopped me cold was the Beuschel — veal lungs and innards slow-cooked into a dark and savory, winter comfort. And to finish, the Buchteln: soft, pillowy, filled with jam, and drowned in warm vanilla sauce until the whole room smelled like a memory of grandma’s kitchen.
Mocking makes Kitzbühel feel honest again with real food and wine, and no gloss, or someone’s pretentious idea of quality. Just the Alps as they are, and not a facelift in sight.
Food and garden of Wirtshaus Thaler
