Where to eat and drink in Sölden: lunch on the summit, book the rest
Lunch at altitude and dinner along the village. Restaurant ice Q at the top of the Gaislachkogl is the lunch to plan for, Restaurant GUSTO is the dinner to book days ahead, Miyako is the change from schnitzel and Salino the value table people go back to. Schirmbar Sölden is the loud Austrian après between the last run and dinner.
In Sölden, lunch is on the mountain and dinner is somewhere along a long village. The lunch to plan for is ice Q, the glass box at the top of the Gaislachkogl gondola, with the Ötztal peaks straight through the windows. Book, and order the three course menu rather than grazing the card. Somebody not skiing can ride up and join you, and if all you want is a drink and the view, the bar on its own is worth the ride.
In the village, book Restaurant GUSTO first. Its kitchen is the most ambitious in Sölden and its tables go days ahead, so take whichever sitting comes up. For the night nobody can face another schnitzel, Japanisches Restaurant Miyako does sushi with Thai and Chinese plates, and it is quiet enough to talk, which in a village this lively is worth a lot.
Salino is the value pick, a small room people go back to more than once in a week, for the lasagne and a local Sölsch beer. Book a day ahead, or take it back to the apartment. Before dinner, Schirmbar is après the Austrian way rather than the international one: packed, loud, dancing, and under cover whatever the weather. Ötztal Bäck in the centre does coffee and apfelstrudel, and it is a morning place, so go before the lift.
Book almost everything, because the rooms worth eating in fill. Sölden is also a long village with a road through it, so check how far dinner is from where you are staying before you set off.
Mountain lunch
The glass box at the top of the Gaislachkogl, with the peaks through the windows, and somebody not skiing can ride up and join you.
Restaurant ice Q
The glass box at the top of the Gaislachkoglbahn, and at just over three thousand metres it is the highest point a walker can reach here in winter. Take the cable car up, book, and give it the three course menu rather than picking at the card. Full height windows put the Ötztal peaks straight in front of you, and the bar alone justifies the ride if you only want a drink and the view. The Spectre unit filmed at this summit and the 007 installation sits alongside at the same station. Early morning is quiet and the light is best then.
Dinner
The most ambitious kitchen in the village, sushi and Thai for a quieter night, and the small room people book again for a second and third night.
Restaurant GUSTO
The most ambitious kitchen in the village and the hardest table to get, so book several days out and take whatever sitting they offer. Fish, the mixed grill plate and the steaks are what the kitchen does best, and the starters are worth ordering rather than skipping past. There is a crispy tofu main for anyone eating vegan. Finish with the Heisse Liebe ice cream. The terrace works on a mild evening and the room is dressed for an occasion.
Japanisches Restaurant Miyako
Sushi, plus Thai and Chinese plates, and the answer for anybody who has had a week of schnitzel. The rolls are made properly and taste fresh, the duck with curry vegetables is the standout hot dish, and the Thai curry can be built vegan with tofu on request. Portions are large enough that three courses each is ambitious. It stays quiet enough for a proper conversation, which makes it the calm option in a loud village. Reserve, because it is small.
Salino
The value pick of the village and the one people come back to on a second and a third night. Lasagne and the aglio e olio are the two orders, with a local Sölsch beer alongside. Vegetarian choices run right through the card and the desserts are worth leaving room for. Book a day ahead, because the room is small and popular, and it does takeaway if you would rather eat at the apartment.
Bars
Austrian après with the music loud and a roof over it, best between the last run and dinner.
Schirmbar
The Austrian après experience rather than the international one, which is the whole reason to come. Expect it packed, expect the music loud and expect dancing, and arrive early in the afternoon if you want floor space. It is a covered umbrella bar, so the weather does not decide anything. Best treated as the stop between the last run and dinner rather than the whole evening.
Cafes and quick bites
The village bakery for coffee and strudel on the way to the lift, with the outside seats facing the mountains.
Ötztal Bäck
The village bakery, and by a distance the cheapest thing on this list. Coffee, apfelstrudel and a slice of cake, or a mozzarella and pesto sandwich if you want lunch to carry with you. The outside seats face the mountains. It is a breakfast and morning business rather than an afternoon one, so go before you get on the lift, and the whipped cream is made fresh.
These are our own picks, not paid placements. Opening times and ownership change, so it is always worth checking before you set off.