Brettljause
Wooden board of cold cuts, cheeses, pickles, horseradish, mustard, bread. The default beer garden accompaniment. What you eat at the Augustiner or Franziskischlossl while the afternoon stretches out.
Beer Garden
Stieglkeller
Snapshot
Beer garden and restaurant carved into the Festungsberg rock below Hohensalzburg Fortress. Seasonal, roughly April-October. Operated by Stiegl Brauwelt since the 19th century.
The Story
The Stieglkeller began as a practical storage problem. In the 1820s, Stiegl Brewery acquired the stone cellar at the base of the Festungsberg because the mountain rock held a constant temperature of around 5°C year-round, ideal for lager maturation. The cellar was officially licensed in 1838. It worked well enough that a beer garden grew around it, and by 1901 the venue had expanded into a proper hall complex with terracing, designed by master builder Jacob Ceconi. The current layout took shape in the 1925-26 redesign by Franz Zell, who fused Art Deco geometry with the local Heimatstil, and the result is the arcaded terrace you see today.
The rock-cut interior rooms survive from the original cellar: stone arches, cool air even in August, and a quality of space that the outdoor terrace cannot replicate. Both are worth using on the same visit.
The outdoor terrace spreads across three levels on the slope, together holding around 400 seats, with unobstructed views over the Altstadt roofscape and the fortress directly above. On a warm evening, with cold Stiegl from the tap and the city spread out below, this is one of the most satisfying places to sit in Salzburg.
The Stieglkeller is the official Stiegl Leitbetrieb: the flagship venue that represents the brewery’s standards. Stiegl has been brewing in Salzburg since 1492, making it one of the oldest continuously operating breweries in Austria. The venue serves the full Stiegl range including barrel-aged specials, alongside straightforward Austrian food.
Visiting
- Hours: seasonal, approximately April-October; check restaurant-stieglkeller.at for current hours and dates
- Price range: EUR 12-22 mains; beer from EUR 3.50 for a half-litre
- Duration: 60-90 minutes
- Getting there: walk up Festungsgasse from the Altstadt; entrance at Festungsgasse 10, just past the lower funicular station; fully barrier-free
- Book ahead: not needed for the terrace in normal conditions; advisable for large groups or indoor rooms
- Combine with: Hohensalzburg Fortress, Festungsgasse, St. Peter’s Stiftskeller
- Tips: the rock-cut interior is cooler and more atmospheric than most visitors expect; worth stepping inside even if you plan to sit outside
What to order
The dishes to come for
What Stieglkeller is a reliable address for.
Germknödel
Large steamed yeast dumpling filled with Powidl (concentrated plum jam). Melted butter, poppy seeds, icing sugar. The definitive Austrian mountain hut dessert. Best eaten immediately, in a warm room, in winter.
Gulasch
Deep, paprika-rich beef stew. Austrian adaptation of the Hungarian original. Onions, sweet paprika, beef, simmered 2-3 hours. Thicker than Hungarian Gulyás. Served with bread dumplings (Semmelknödel). A bowl on a cold afternoon is one of the most satisfying things the city's food offers.
Kaiserschmarrn
"Emperor's mess." Torn, caramelised pancake with plum jam. Reputedly named for Emperor Franz Joseph I. Enriched with whipped egg whites for lightness. On virtually every traditional Austrian menu. Best made to order. Substantial enough for a light main course.
Obatzda
Bavarian cheese spread. Overripe Camembert mashed with butter, onion, paprika, caraway, beer. Served with pretzels or dark bread. The perfect thing to eat with your first beer at the Augustiner.
Wiener Schnitzel
The most ordered dish in Austria. Thin veal escalope, flour-egg-breadcrumb coating, fried in clarified butter until golden and blistered. Lemon wedge. Potato-cucumber salad. The characteristic wellige (wavy) coating of a correctly fried schnitzel. On every traditional menu.