# Travel >> Destinations >> Europe

10 Must-Try Austrian Dishes: From Wiener Schnitzel to Sachertorte

Austrian cuisine is a delicious hybrid of imperial refinement and hearty Alpine comfort, shaped by Hungarian, Bohemian, Italian, and German influences. Here are the classics you’ll find on every Gasthaus menu and café vitrine.

Wiener Schnitzel – Thin, breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet (protected by law: must be veal). Served with lemon, parsley potatoes or potato salad, lingonberry jam.
Tafelspitz – Boiled beef (top round) in broth with root vegetables, apple-horseradish sauce, chive sauce. The emperor’s favorite; a Sunday ritual.
Sachertorte – Dense chocolate cake with apricot jam, dark chocolate glaze. Invented 1832 by Franz Sacher; Hotel Sacher vs. Demel rivalry. Eat with unsweetened whipped cream.
Kaiserschmarrn – Shredded, caramelized pancake ("Emperor’s Mess") with plum compote (Zwetschkenröster). Originally a farmhouse dish, refined for Franz Joseph I.
Apfelstrudel – Paper-thin dough stretched by hand, filled with tart apples, raisins, cinnamon, sugar, breadcrumbs. Served warm with vanilla sauce or ice cream.
Germknödel – Steamed yeast dumpling filled with powidl (plum butter), doused in melted butter, poppy seeds, powdered sugar. Alpine ski-hut staple.
Käsespätzle – Soft egg noodles (Spätzle) layered with Emmental/Gruyère, fried onions. Austrian mac & cheese; often with side salad.
Schlutzkrapfen (Tyrol) – Half-moon ravioli: spinach/ricotta or potato/sauerkraut filling. Brown butter, chives, Parmesan.
Tiroler Gröstl – Pan-fried potatoes, bacon, onions, leftover meat, topped with fried egg. Peasant fuel turned comfort icon.
Einbrennsuppe – Clear broth thickened with roux (Einbrenn), garnished with pancake strips (Frittaten), liver dumplings, or semolina balls.