Carinthian food isn't just a sub-branch of Austrian cooking — it has a character of its own, shaped by three cultures: Austrian, Slovenian and Italian. Kasnudeln, cheese dumplings filled with fresh quark, are the single dish you have to try in Klagenfurt. Carinthian cheese from cows grazing the Alpine pastures, fresh lake fish, and Baroque desserts that once graced the Habsburg royal table all wait for you to discover in the restaurants along the old-town streets.
#1 Kärntner Kasnudeln
The signature dish of the Carinthia region, granted protected geographical indication status by the European Union. A thin, light dumpling dough wraps a filling of fresh Carinthian cheese (Topfen) mixed with mashed potato and fresh herbs, the edges crimped into a pretty pleat by hand before boiling in simmering water. It's served drizzled with clarified butter and a scattering of fresh chives — smooth, soft and gentle in flavour. What sets it apart from ordinary dumplings is the very thin dough and the fragrant, mellow cheese filling. Some places offer a minced-meat version for anyone who wants a stronger flavour.
- Order the traditional cheese filling (Kasnudeln) rather than the meat one — it's the version Carinthia is proudest of.
- Places that make the dumplings fresh daily note 'hausgemacht' (homemade) on the menu; avoid spots that use frozen dough.
- Around 10-14 euros a plate. It's a hearty main course, served with a green salad and sourdough bread.
#2 Reindling
A traditional sweet baked bread of Carinthia with a history going back more than 500 years. It's made from a yeast dough kneaded with butter, eggs and milk, then rolled with a cinnamon-and-sugar filling into a beautiful spiral and baked in a round mould until it's soft and the whole house smells of it. Traditionally made to celebrate Easter, it can now be found year-round in Klagenfurt's bakeries. The flavour is lightly fragrant with cinnamon, soft and fluffy, good plain or with fresh butter and jam — a favourite souvenir for travelers.
- A local bakery beats the supermarket by a long way; pick a place that baked fresh that morning — the smell of cinnamon will tell you.
- Eat it warm with an Austrian coffee or a herbal tea in the morning for the best local-style breakfast.
- If you want to carry one home, the vacuum-packed Reindling keeps for a long time and travels easily — but the fresh-baked one tastes much better.
#3 Wörthersee Fish
Freshwater fish from Lake Wörthersee is one of Klagenfurt's signature dishes — especially trout (Forelle), carp (Karpfen) and pike-perch (Zander), which you'll find at the lakeside restaurants. The popular preparations are baking in the oven with fresh butter, fresh herbs and white wine, or grilling over charcoal with a sprinkle of rock salt and pepper, served with boiled potatoes and boiled vegetables from local kitchen gardens. The flavour is clean and naturally fragrant — completely different from fish bought at the supermarket.
- The lakeside restaurants on the Maria Loretto side have the freshest fish, since they sit right next to the local fishing harbour.
- Order the Zander, fried crisp, if you want a fish without many bones — good for travelers who aren't yet used to freshwater fish.
- A whole fish starts at 18-25 euros, a little higher than in town, but worth it for the freshness and the lakeside setting.
#4 Kaiserschmarrn
A legendary dessert tied to Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Habsburg dynasty. It's made from a pancake batter with the egg whites beaten separately until very fluffy before folding together, then cooked in a buttered pan until soft, crisp and light as a cloud, before being torn into pieces, dusted with powdered sugar and served with plum or apple sauce. The flavour is lightly sweet and buttery, melting soft in the mouth, not too heavy for a dessert. It's a dish Klagenfurt takes pride in, because Carinthia sat within Habsburg imperial lands for a very long time.
- Have it as lunch or an afternoon snack rather than waiting for it as a dessert after a heavy meal, since the portion is fairly large.
- Plum sauce (Zwetschkenröster) is more classic than apple sauce — choose it if it's on the menu.
- Café Museum and the old cafés in the old town do it best; avoid the tourist spots by the lake that often use ready-made batter.
#5 Apfelstrudel
Austria's most famous baked pastry, with roots in Ottoman influence by way of Hungary. A thin, clear dough is stretched like paper to wrap a filling of sliced apple, cinnamon, sugar and sometimes raisins, then baked in the oven until golden and crisp. The flavour is sweet-and-tart from local Austrian apple varieties, served warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. In Klagenfurt, a genuine café makes its strudel fresh each morning by stretching the thin dough by hand, rather than using a ready-made pastry sheet.
- Ask whether the place makes its own dough — a genuine one stretches the dough so thin you can read a book through it before wrapping the filling.
- Eat it warm right after it's served, when the pastry is crisp and the apple filling is freshest; after that the pastry softens.
- 4-7 euros a slice at a local café. Much pricier than that, and it may be a tourist spot adding a markup for its location.
#6 Schilcher Rosé Wine
A rosé wine distinctive to Styria and Carinthia, made from the Blauer Wildbacher grape grown only in western Austria. It's a bright pinkish-orange, with a crisp, tart edge, fresh fruit and low tannins — a wine that's very easy to drink in hot weather, better suited to an afternoon by the lake than a heavy red. Carinthians treat Schilcher as their summer wine, sipped alongside Kasnudeln or grilled fish for the most fitting pairing. It's reasonably priced and easy to find locally.
- Ask to taste before you order — Schilcher ranges from very tart to mildly tart, depending on the vintage and the producer.
- The young wine (Junger Schilcher) comes out around November-December, freshest in flavour and best in price.
- You can buy a bottle to take home at the local wine shops (Vinothek) in the old town, 8-15 euros a bottle — cheaper than the airport shops.
Where to stay in Klagenfurt for this trip
A well-located hotel means less commuting and more sightseeing. Here are real, top-rated stays in Klagenfurt — compare Agoda · Booking · Trip.com in one click.
Das Seepark Wörthersee Resort
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Hotel Plattenwirt
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Garner Hotel Klagenfurt Moser Verdino by IHG
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Hotel Dermuth Klagenfurt
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Tours, tickets & activities in Klagenfurt
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Before You Pack
Carinthian food tastes best in the traditional Gasthaus restaurants tucked away in the old-town alleys and along the lake. If you spot a menu written by hand on a blackboard with locals sitting and drinking beer over conversation, that's the sign you've come to the right place. And don't forget to try the Welschriesling white wine from the Carinthia region alongside your meal.