Food in Alpbach isn't fancy or fussy, but it's the kind of good you earn after a full day walking the mountains. Every plate uses ingredients from the surrounding farms and valleys — cheese, milk, fresh butter, smoked pork and Tyrolean potatoes. The flavours are heavy and warming in a way you won't find in big European cities. Most of the restaurants in this small village are family businesses, where the owners cook and serve themselves, with a homey feel and no need to book ahead.
#1 Tiroler Gröstl
The national dish of Tyrol, made from pork left over from an earlier meal, roughly chopped potatoes and onions fried together in a cast-iron skillet until golden and crisp, then topped with a fresh fried egg. It tastes rich, savory with fat, and very filling — a classic hikers' meal that every Alm hut up the mountain can make. There are versions with cheese and without. The ingredients are simple, but with a good hand and quality pork it's good enough that you won't forget it.
- Order it with Preiselbeeren (wild lingonberry jam) on the side — the sweet-sour cuts through the richness of the skillet beautifully.
- Alm huts up the mountain often make better Gröstl than the village restaurants, because they use fresh farm pork and potatoes.
- Around 12-18 euros a plate, which is reasonable for a dish this filling that works for both lunch and dinner.
#2 Käsespätzle
The best vegetarian meal in Tyrol. Soft, chewy egg-dough Spätzle noodles are tossed together with melted Tyrolean cheese until every strand is coated, then topped with crisp golden-brown fried onions. It tastes salty and cheesy with a sweetness from the onion — the dish that kids and people who don't eat meat love most. The cheese is usually Bergkäse or a local cheese from the surrounding valleys, and the better the cheese, the deeper the flavour.
- If you're really hungry, order the grosse Portion (large) Käsespätzle — it's better value, and the price difference isn't much.
- Eat it with a fresh green salad or Krautsalat (cabbage salad) to cut through the richness of the cheese.
- Some restaurants let you choose the cheese — try Emmentaler if you like a milder taste, or Bergkäse if you like a strong cheese flavour.
#3 Speck
Tyrol's signature smoked bacon, made from the hind leg of pork cured with salt, black pepper, rosemary and juniper berries for several months, then smoked and hung to dry in the cool mountain air. It tastes salty and smoky, with soft marbled fat running through it, completely different from ordinary bacon. Eat Speck as a starter before the main course with cheese and dark bread, or buy it vacuum-packed to take home as a gift.
- Buy Speck from the local cheese and meat shops in the village, not the supermarket — the price is similar but the quality is very different.
- You can always ask for a taste before buying at a local shop — choose one with a balance between salt and smoke, not so salty it stands out too much.
- Südtirol-style Speck (South Tyrol, in Italy) carries an IGP, is good quality, and is easier to find than in northern Austria.
#4 Kaiserschmarrn
Austria's king of desserts, which legend says was created for Emperor Franz Joseph I. Fluffy, soft egg-dough pancake is torn into pieces, fried in butter until golden, then dusted with powdered sugar and served hot with plum or apple compote on the side — sweet and buttery at the same time. It's a hearty dessert you can have after a meal or as a snack on a mountain peak. In Alpbach, many restaurants make high-quality Kaiserschmarrn from fresh farm eggs.
- Kaiserschmarrn takes 15-20 minutes because it's made fresh for every order — order ahead if you're planning to have it, or tell the staff to start it before your main course.
- Around 8-12 euros, great value for the amount you get — one plate can feed 2 people if you're not too hungry.
- The Alm-hut version up the mountain is often especially good, because it uses eggs fresh from the farm that day.
#5 Apfelstrudel
Austria's signature pastry, which Alpbach does surprisingly well. Thin, translucent strudel pastry wraps a baked sweet-sour apple filling tossed with raisins, cinnamon and sugar, baked hot until the smell fills the whole shop, and served with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream. It isn't cloyingly sweet or too rich, so it suits everyone. The good shops make the pastry by hand, not from a ready-made dough, and some offer fillings to choose from, such as cherry or poppy seed.
- Ask for Apfelstrudel warm if you can — it tastes much better than at room temperature.
- The strudel size in Austria is much bigger than you'd think — order one slice to share between two and that's plenty.
- Good Alpbach cafés make their strudel fresh every morning — have it in the morning after breakfast or mid-morning. Kaffee und Strudel is an Austrian tradition you have to try.
#6 Knödel
Round dumplings the size of a tennis ball that have been a staple of Tyrol for centuries, made from stale bread kneaded with egg and milk. There are many kinds: Speckknödel with smoked Speck, Käseknödel with cheese, Spinatknödel with spinach. They're served in clear broth or drizzled with fresh butter, eaten as a main or a starter. They keep you full for a long time, perfect for a day of hard hiking, and they're cheap and easy to find at every restaurant in the Alpbachtal.
- Try Speckknödel in clear broth as your first choice — it's the flavour that says Tyrol the most.
- Käseknödel drizzled with fresh butter is a vegetarian option that's just as tasty and filling, great for a light dinner.
- Alm-hut Knödel are often made from the farm's own day-old bread, with a flavour clearly different from the village restaurants.
Where to stay in Alpbach for this trip
A well-located hotel means less commuting and more sightseeing. Here are real, top-rated stays in Alpbach — compare Agoda · Booking · Trip.com in one click.
Aparthaus Sonnenhof
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Details
Alpbacherhof Mountain & Spa Resort
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Details
Hotel Zur Post
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Details
Gasthaus Jakober
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Details
Tours, tickets & activities in Alpbach
Day tours, attraction tickets and travel essentials for Alpbach — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Before You Pack
Tyrolean food is at its best in the village's old family-run restaurants. If you see that a place uses local farm ingredients and has a seasonal menu, that's the one to go into. And don't skip the desserts under any circumstances — the Kaiserschmarrn and Apfelstrudel at Alpbach's restaurants are far better than in Innsbruck.