Where to eat and drink in St. Anton: from Galzig to Pettneu
Generous and unfussy, with lunch high and dinner in the village or a short bus ride out. The Verwallstube on Galzig is the mountain lunch to book, Café Schneider the dinner for a mixed table, Bodega Tapas Bar the change from schnitzel and dumplings, and Restaurant Kirchplatz'l in Pettneu the bus ride down the valley worth taking. Murrmel Bar is where the evening starts.
St. Anton eats generously and without fuss, and the range is wider than the apres reputation lets on. Lunch on the mountain is part of the day, and the Verwallstube at the top of the Galzigbahn is a real Austrian dining room, not a self service stop with a view. Book on busy days, share the dumplings, and have the Moosbeerschmarren, the Kaiserschmarrn to order here, with one of the Austrian whites the list is built around.
In the centre, Café Schneider is the dinner to book for a mixed table. The beef short rib is the order, the three vegan dishes are proper ones rather than a token plate, and it is small enough to work for two. A few nights in, Bodega Tapas Bar is the change of pace: small plates ordered as you go, and a morcilla that surprises people. It opens for dinner only and keeps no queue, so arrive early or expect to stand outside.
Down the valley, a short bus ride out, Restaurant Kirchplatz'l in Pettneu is a trip regulars make on purpose. The family who run it are the reason people come back for years, the Käsespätzle is light rather than heavy, and children get their own menu and something to colour. Walk ins usually get a table, sometimes for a set time only, so ring ahead for a long evening.
Murrmel Bar is where the centre goes once the lifts stop. The singer works the early evening, so come straight off the hill, and the club downstairs takes over if the night carries on. At the end of a long one, Pizza Kebab House is quick and a short walk out; take cash. In peak weeks, book dinner ahead.
Mountain lunch
A proper Austrian dining room at the top of the Galzigbahn, with dumplings to share and a wine list built around Austrian whites.
Verwallstube
The restaurant at the top of the Galzigbahn, and it runs as a proper Austrian dining room rather than a canteen with a view. Book it, because busy days go on reservation. The salmon trout and the variation of dumplings are the two to share, the Wiener schnitzel comes in a generous portion, and the Moosbeerschmarren is the version of Kaiserschmarrn to order. Ask for the Austrian whites, which the list is built around. In the evening it turns into a candlelit sitting with live piano.
Dinner
A small room that does vegan properly, small plates for the night off schnitzel, and Käsespätzle in Pettneu that regulars take the bus for.
Café Schneider
The answer for a mixed table, because the short ribs are the best thing in the room and the kitchen also runs three proper vegan dishes rather than one grudging plate. Bimi broccoli, an Asian noodle salad and falafel are the vegan three, and the fries will be swapped for a potato salad that is vegan too if you ask. Otherwise start with the camembert, take the beef short rib, and finish with the chocolate cake. It is small and close enough to work as a dinner for two, so book. Late on, order the hot chocolate with a shot of Baileys in it.
Bodega Tapas Bar
Small plates, which after a few days of schnitzel and dumplings is the whole point of it. It opens for dinner only and there is no queue system, so arrive between five and six or expect to stand outside. Pollo ajillo, champignon al ajillo and the pincho iberico are the three to start with, and the surprise of the menu is the morcilla. Service is quick enough that you can keep ordering through the evening rather than committing at the start. Finish with the tarta de chocolate.
Restaurant Kirchplatz'l
Down the valley in Pettneu, a short ride out of St. Anton on the bus, and regulars make that trip on purpose. Käsespätzle is the dish, done light rather than heavy, with the Tiroler Gröstl behind it and portions that make a starter unnecessary. Edith and her family run it, and the welcome is why people come back for years rather than weeks. Children get their own menu and something to colour with. Walk ins are usually found a table, though it may come with a time on it, so ring ahead if you want the whole evening.
Bars
The room in the centre that fills first when the lifts stop, with a live singer early on and a club downstairs.
Murrmel Bar
The best looking room in the centre and the one that fills first once the lifts stop. The live singer works the early evening and is finished by eight, so come straight off the hill for it rather than after dinner. The cheese and bacon burger with onion rings is the order, and the Murrmel Spezial with a half litre of Stiegl Weisse is the drink to have alongside it. Around twenty five euros covers a starter, a main and a drink, which for the middle of St. Anton is fair. There is a club downstairs if the night keeps going.
Cafes and quick bites
Kebabs and pizza in seconds at the end of a long day, a short walk out of the centre. Bring cash.
Pizza Kebab House
The counter you want at the end of a long day, when nothing else is open or affordable. The kebab teller is the value order and the dürüm is the one to eat walking, with pizza if the table wants it instead. Food comes out in seconds rather than minutes. Take cash, because cards are not accepted. It is seven hundred metres out from the centre and there are a few seats outside.
These are our own picks, not paid placements. Opening times and ownership change, so it is always worth checking before you set off.