Restaurant Ikarus

Snapshot

Inside Hangar 7 at Salzburg Airport, behind a Michelin two-star rating and a concept that has not been replicated anywhere: one world-class guest chef per month, their full menu, executed at the same level as their home kitchen.

The Story

Dietrich Mateschitz opened Hangar 7 at Salzburg Airport in 2003. The building is a glass-and-steel canopy large enough to house his collection of historic aircraft and Formula 1 cars, designed by architect Volkmar Burgstaller as a wing-shaped structure with no interior columns. Inside, at the upper level, is Restaurant Ikarus.

The concept that Mateschitz built with Eckart Witzigmann, the German chef who became the first in his country to earn three Michelin stars and was named Chef of the Century by Gault Millau, was specific: one guest chef per month, executing their own signature menu, supported entirely by the Ikarus permanent team. Not a guest appearance, not a collaboration. A full replication.

Resident executive chef Martin Klein makes the concept work. Before each month begins, he travels to the visiting chef’s kitchen, learns the dishes, and trains the Ikarus team. The goal is not a version of the guest’s food but the same food, made at the same standard, in Salzburg. Over 250 chefs have cooked here since 2003. The roster covers the full range of contemporary fine dining: molecular gastronomy, Nordic minimalism, Japanese precision, French classicism, and everything adjacent. Every month is structurally different.

Michelin has awarded two stars. The Gault Millau rating has reached 19/20. Reservations open three months ahead and fill quickly for desirable months.

The setting is part of the proposition. The upper-level dining room looks over the aviation museum floor below: historic propeller aircraft, vintage fighters, Formula 1 cars. There is no comparable restaurant environment in Austria and few in Europe.

Visiting

Wilhelm-Spazier-Strasse 7a, 5020 Salzburg, at Salzburg Airport. Approximately 15 minutes by taxi from the Altstadt. Dinner Tue-Sat from 19:00; lunch Fri-Sat from 12:00. Tasting menu from approximately EUR 150-245+. Book well in advance via hangar-7.com: reservations open three months ahead. Check the current guest chef programme on the website before booking.