The Top 34 Places to Eat Near RAU nature based cuisine
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Rank 1. RAU nature based cuisine
Modern Cuisine, Seasonal Cuisine
Tucked into the Austrian forest with floor-to-ceiling windows and nothing but trees for miles, RAU is a Michelin-starred tasting menu spot where the chef forages, ferments, and gardens his way through the seasons. The room is calm and earthy, the kind of place where couples sit quietly and mean it. The wine pairings are genuinely thoughtful, not just the expensive option.
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Rank 2. Lukas Kapeller
Modern Cuisine, Seasonal Cuisine
A Michelin-starred restaurant tucked above a handful of guestrooms on a quiet hill in central Steyr, which sounds made-up until you're actually sitting there. The room upstairs is intimate and modern, the kitchen is open, and the seven-course set menu keeps things clean and regional without turning every plate into a statement. The crowd tends toward couples and serious locals who pre-booked weeks ago. Staying the night makes the whole thing feel like a very good idea.
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Rank 3. Jade Dragon
Cantonese Chinese
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Rank 4. Sushi Kissho by Miyakawa
Edomae Sushi
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Rank 5. Zur Palme
Regional Cuisine, Seasonal Cuisine
A proper sit-down restaurant in a beautifully kept old building on the market square, where the chef came home after training at serious places and has been quietly doing things right ever since. The seasonal menu is short and focused, leaning into regional Austrian flavors with just enough modern thinking to keep it interesting. The terrace is lovely, and the wine list leans Austrian but travels well.
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Rank 6. Kastner
Farm to table
A neighborhood restaurant next to the church in a small Austrian town, Kastner is the kind of place that's always full because locals actually love it, not because anyone put it on a list. The seasonal cooking leans into good regional ingredients, the service is genuinely warm, and the wine list gives Austrian bottles a well-deserved spotlight. In summer, grab a spot on the little terrace out front.
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Rank 7. Teppanyaki Shou
Japanese
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Rank 8. Tanglberg
French
A Michelin-starred restaurant tucked inside a listed historic building in the Austrian countryside, where contemporary art shares wall space with seriously good French cooking. The set menus are tight and focused, the kind where the chef clearly knows when to stop adding things. Guests tend to be the quietly-dressed, mid-week-anniversary crowd, and the hostess runs the room like she genuinely loves it, which she apparently does.
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Rank 9. Rossbarth
Modern Cuisine, Seasonal Cuisine
A Michelin-starred tasting menu spot in a vaulted room inside a listed townhouse, Rossbarth is the kind of place where the minimalist room and the cooking are clearly talking to each other. The two chefs obsess over local and organic ingredients, and the kitchen team will happily walk you through where everything came from. The crowd leans date night and serious eater, everyone quietly impressed but trying to play it cool.
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Rank 10. Kliemstein Vino Vitis
Classic Cuisine, International
Tucked inside a building with vaulted ceilings along the Danube, this Michelin-starred fine dining spot is easy to walk past, which would be a shame. The team runs surprise tasting menus at a few different lengths, so you're basically trusting the kitchen, and the kitchen earns that trust. The wine cellar is genuinely serious, and the owner loves talking you through it. Dress like you mean it.
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Rank 11. ROSSO di Acqua e Sole
Italian, Seasonal Cuisine
A cozy Italian in a quiet corner near the main train station, where the kitchen walks a nice line between home cooking and something a bit more considered. The focus is on fish and seafood, kept seasonal and taken seriously, and the team will come to your table and talk you through what's new. Around 400 wines on the list, and someone who actually knows them. The crowd skews local and low-key, people who come back regularly and let the room decide dinner.
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Rank 12. GansFein
Seasonal Cuisine, Contemporary
GansFein is a contemporary restaurant tucked into an old building on Wels's main square, where the ceiling beams and the sleek modern room have clearly agreed to disagree, and it works. The chef blends Mediterranean and Japanese instincts into clean, considered plates that feel neither showy nor timid. Book the chef's table in the kitchen if you want a proper show. The crowd leans date-night and special-occasion, and the service actually matches the ambition.
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Rank 13. Landgasthof Hinterleithner
Asian and Western, Farm to table
A cozy country inn out in the Austrian countryside that somehow pulls off Wiener schnitzel and Thai curry on the same menu without it feeling like an identity crisis. The wood-paneled dining room draws locals who've been coming for years, and the terrace is the place to be in summer. Michelin gave it a Bib Gourmand, which tracks: honest cooking, good ingredients, no pretension. Rooms available if you want to make a weekend of it.
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Rank 14. muto
Creative, Seasonal Cuisine
Tucked down a few steps off a pedestrian street in Linz's old town, muto is a creative restaurant where the whole point is that the menu keeps shifting, the name literally means "to change" in Latin. The vaulted room is bright and minimal, and the team keeps things relaxed and genuinely warm. It draws a curious, unhurried crowd who appreciate cooking that plays with texture and flavor without taking itself too seriously.
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Rank 15. Göttfried
Regional Cuisine, Seasonal Cuisine
A proper sit-down restaurant tucked into Linz's old town, steps from the Danube, where the vaulted ceilings and wood panelling make everything feel a little more civilized than your life actually is. The cooking is seasonal and regional with a Mediterranean lean, the wine list runs deep on Austrian labels, and there's a courtyard out back that earns its keep on a warm evening. The crowd looks like people who still know how to have a long lunch.
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Rank 16. Verdi
International, Creative
Perched above Linz on the edge of a forest, Verdi is a Michelin-starred fine dining room that somehow manages to feel genuinely welcoming rather than stiff. The cooking is modern and rooted in the classics, with quiet Asian notes woven in wherever they make sense. On a warm evening, grab a terrace table with a view over the city and let the wine team guide you. The crowd is dressed up but relaxed, which is exactly the right energy.
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Rank 17. Verdi-Einkehr
Modern Cuisine, Seasonal Cuisine
A proper sit-down restaurant on a leafy estate at the edge of a forest, with a terrace that looks out over Linz when the weather cooperates. The cooking is modern and seasonal with a regional backbone, though the kitchen isn't shy about pulling in ideas from further afield. Inside, the room feels warm and looked-after, the kind of place where the front-of-house team actually seems happy to be there.
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Rank 18. Hueber der Wirt in Bründl
Country cooking, Seasonal Cuisine
A Bib Gourmand-winning country inn tucked into the Austrian countryside, where the cooking punches well above what you'd expect from a place surrounded by meadows. Lunch leans hearty and traditional, while dinner quietly shifts into something more considered and refined. The crowd tends to be locals who've known about it for years and visitors who can't quite believe the bill. Grab a table in the back garden if it's warm.
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Rank 19. Bootshaus
Creative, Regional Cuisine
Perched on a lakeside peninsula in the Austrian Alps, Bootshaus earns its Michelin star through a set menu that lets the Salzkammergut region do the talking. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a terrace make the lake feel like a co-conspirator, which helps when the food gets quietly ambitious. The chef weaves in fermented touches and Japanese technique without flying anything in. Couples and curious food travelers, jackets optional but a reservation very much not.
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Rank 20. Der Holzpoldl
Regional Cuisine, Seasonal Cuisine
A country inn that secretly has fine dining ambitions, and pulls off both without being weird about it. The setup lets you build your own menu, picking starters and mains in whatever order you feel like, which sounds gimmicky until you realize it's just a nice way to eat. The crowd is a mix of locals who come for the schnitzel and people who came for something more interesting, all sharing the same room without any fuss.
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Rank 21. Zum Goldenen Hirschen - Hirschenstube
Contemporary, Traditional Cuisine
A boutique hotel restaurant in the middle of Gmunden where the bones of the building do a lot of the heavy lifting, think tiled ovens, timber ceilings, and vaulted brick that have been around forever. The chef balances regional Austrian cooking with modern international ideas, and the wine list leans hard into Austrian bottles. A courtyard terrace rounds things out nicely for anyone who shows up dressed like they're trying.
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Rank 22. Restaurant Waldschänke
Contemporary, Traditional Cuisine
A Michelin-starred family restaurant tucked at the edge of the forest in rural Austria, where the same family runs the floor and the kitchen, which sounds like a recipe for chaos but somehow produces the opposite. Two tasting menus are where the kitchen really shows off, while the à la carte leans more traditional if you just want something classic and comforting. In summer, the terrace comes with a free soundtrack courtesy of the local wildlife.
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Rank 23. Geiger Alm
Creative, Seasonal Cuisine
A Michelin-starred mountain inn tucked into the Austrian Alps, where the timber walls, the smell of good food, and the general coziness make you feel like you stumbled into someone's very talented aunt's house. The chef runs a tight set menu rooted in the seasons and the region, and the front-of-house charm is genuine rather than performed. Book well ahead, grab a terrace seat in summer, and clear your afternoon.
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Rank 24. Lurgbauer
Seasonal Cuisine
A mountain farmhouse restaurant perched at 900 meters, reached by a gravel road through forests and meadows, with the restaurant's own Black Angus cattle grazing just outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. It's as farm-to-table as it physically gets. Bare wood, cowhide, and a view that earns its keep. Come for seasonal set menus in the evening, or keep it casual with à la carte at lunch. Wear something you'd actually hike in.
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Rank 25. Ois
Modern Cuisine, Austrian
Tucked into the Austrian countryside, Ois holds two Michelin stars and earns every bit of the fuss. It's a tiny fine dining room, just five tables, inside a country hotel called Mühltalhof, so yes, you can sleep off the tasting menu. The chef runs a long, inventive set menu that leans into bold, precise flavors rooted in the region. The sommelier is genuinely great, the kind who makes you try something unexpected and turns out to be right.
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Rank 26. Wirtshaus im Dorfhotel Mayer
Seasonal Cuisine
A proper country inn tucked into the Austrian Alps where the cooking actually earns its setting. The menu shifts every few weeks and runs from classic beef soup to more creative territory, with a surprise tasting menu for anyone feeling adventurous. Lisa runs the front of house with a sommelier's eye for wine, while her husband handles the kitchen. Locals and weekend hikers fill the room, and there are guestrooms upstairs if you want to stay.
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Rank 27. WASSERMANN
Modern Cuisine
Tucked into a hotel on a hillside above Lake Grundlsee, this small fine dining room earns its keep with a menu built almost entirely around what's growing, swimming, or grazing nearby, think local trout, catfish, and lamb done with real finesse. The terrace view alone makes the trip worthwhile, but the inside is warm and polished enough that you won't feel cheated if it rains. Hikers who cleaned up nicely and couples on a quiet weekend away fill most of the tables.
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Rank 28. Charles' & Frank's
Modern Cuisine, Seasonal Cuisine
A sleek tasting-menu restaurant inside a corporate building that somehow pulls it off, with exposed concrete, warm wood, and panoramic windows that make the countryside feel like part of the room. The chef runs a five-or six-course seasonal menu, with a vegetarian version ready if you need it. Couples on a date and serious food people fill the room. There's also a terrace when the weather plays along.
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Rank 29. Stefan Haas Fine Dine
Creative, Seasonal Cuisine
Fine dining in the Austrian Alps where the menu arrives as illustrated cards you assemble yourself, which sounds like a gimmick until you're actually doing it and realize it's kind of brilliant. The open kitchen means you watch the chef turn local seasonal ingredients into something genuinely creative. It's intimate, minimalist, and short on tables, so booking early is the move. Juliane Haas runs the floor and the wine, and the whole thing feels personal in a way that big tasting-menu rooms rarely do.
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Rank 30. Wirtshaus Steirereck am POGUSCH
Regional Cuisine, Country cooking
A rustic country restaurant tucked into the Austrian hills, this place runs almost entirely on its own farm and local forage, which you can taste in every bowl. The crowd tends toward outdoorsy couples and city folk who needed a reason to drive somewhere beautiful. The terrace view alone justifies the trip, and if you stay over, the treehouse and converted stables make for a genuinely weird and wonderful sleep.
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Rank 31. Kalteis
Farm to table
A family-run inn tucked into the Pielach Valley, Kalteis is the kind of place where the menu changes with what the season actually offers, not what sounds good on a chalkboard. The cooking leans into local tradition, game, curd dumplings, foraged things, but done with real care. Cosy rustic rooms inside, a terrace when the weather cooperates, and rooms upstairs if you don't want to drive home after one more glass of wine.
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Rank 32. Kolm
Modern Cuisine, Seasonal Cuisine
Tucked into the forested Waldviertel countryside next to an actual bear sanctuary, Kolm is a relaxed modern restaurant where the chef turns local ingredients into something genuinely clever, with the kind of cosmopolitan touches that make you wonder how this ended up out here. Choose from set menus or à la carte, warm up by the fireplace in winter, and consider booking one of the lodges nearby so you don't have to leave in a hurry.
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Rank 33. Keplingerwirt
Regional Cuisine, Seasonal Cuisine
This cozy inn tucked into the Austrian countryside is the kind of place where the food is taken seriously but nobody makes you feel underdressed for it. The kitchen turns out seasonal regional cooking that walks a nice line between comfort and refinement, and the service is genuinely warm rather than performatively so. Locals and weekend visitors fill the room, and the set menu at dinner is the move if you want the full picture.
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Rank 34. Schankkuchl Pogusch
Grills, Regional Cuisine
Fire is the whole point here. This open-flame grill and steam kitchen in rural Steiermark seats you at a long counter facing the open kitchen, so you're watching every char and curl of smoke while dinner happens. The glass-walled room is genuinely beautiful, the wine cellar is self-serve, and the menu names are delightfully unhinged. Show up before seven if you want to order freely; after that, the chef decides. There's a farm shop worth a browse on your way out.