In Part I of 4 Days in Salzburg in November, I talked about all the winter sights we visited, or wanted to visit while we were in town. This post is our little Salzburg guide on where to eat, drink, and of course spend that $$.
What I loved about Salzburg is how small the city is, making it very accessible to head from cocktails, to dinner, and then a night cap before ending the night. The city has a low crime rate, and my friend and I never felt unsafe walking back to the hotel late at night. And by late, I mean midnight, because things close way earlier here. Not something I could ever get used to!

Wining, dining and tasting are highly fashionable in Salzburg: a profusion of trendy eateries, fine gourmet restaurants and in-places are instrumental in turning the city of Salzburg into Austria’s gourmet capital.

4 DAY CITY GUIDE: SALZBURG RESTAURANT GUIDE

BARS/ RESTAURANTS

• Cafe Tomaselli

  This famous cafe was Mozart’s favorite hangout – he apparently had coffee there every day. Stepping in to Cafe Tomaselli feels like you’ve stepped back into the old world…as if time stood still. A lovely way to spend a rainy day, or any day for that matter. I tried the Mozart cake, which was a light, but rich chocolate cake with a cafe melange to wash it down.

• Spuntino Pizzeria

  We stumbled upon this tiny pizzeria on our way to find a vegetarian restaurant (few and far between in Austria, let me tell you!). We were the only tourists in the spot, but it was the best pizza I’ve had outside of Italy. The owner, a lovely man from Naples has lived in Salzburg for the past 15 years. We spent our last night in Salzburg there, drinking a lovely bottle of white wine, and eating the best hand-tossed mushroom & cheese thin crust pizza.

• Balthazar Cafe & Bar

  This was right by our hotel, and we stumbled into it hungry one night. It’s a pizza and thai place, which would immediately sketch me out, BUT the margherita pizza we ordered was surprisingly good. Also, drinks are cheap and it seems to be popular with the Salzburg University students – we kept getting mistaken for them all night. If you haven’t realized, we ended up eating a lot of Italian food in Austria – the most veg friendly cuisine we could find!

• Little Grain

  

  Stumbled upon this speakeasy-like bar as we were walking through old Town. Not sure how to describe the location, but ask for Sternbräu and it’s in the little courtyard. Drinks are priced like NYC, but Andreas, the head-bartender knows how to make a cocktail. All I told him was I love anything fresh, with gin and he the resulting cocktail exceeded expectations! You will not be disappointed.

• Augustiner Bräu
  

  While they say this is a local tourist attraction, we were the only tourists there! It is an old monastery that was converted to a huge beer garten centuries ago. Of course we had to have a pretzel, mustard and sauerkraut to go with our blond, local beers. People go hard at this spot, you’ll see them walking around with jugs (the only way I can think to describe it) of beer…gets considerably noisier as the evening progresses. We had a blast!

• Carpe Diem

  If you’re looking for classy in Salzburg, this is the spot. We stumbled upon it while walking through Old Town, and had to stop in for a drink (or two, or three), and absolutely loved it. Our server interned in Florida, and was seriously the best. She recommended a white wine spritzer, which apparently is a common drink in Austria, and has officially become one of my favorite ways to drink white wine!

• Cafe Stein

  We never made it to Cafe Stein, but it was recommended to us as having one of the best views in Salzburg. A reason to come back!

• Cafe Wernbacher

  We wouldn’t miss a vintage Viennese coffee shop! The decor has survived from the 50’s, so you really have stepped back in time as you enter. It’s truly a cult coffee house that is loved by artists, intellectuals, and lovers of this particular retro atmosphere. Stop by for a coffee, and watch the world go by, or as we loved to do, people watch.

• Trattoria La Stella

  I’m telling you, I didn’t think being a vegetarian (even pescetarian ) in Austria would be this difficult, but it was! I’ve never appreciated Italian more in my life, but was bummed that we couldn’t find veg-replications of traditional Austrian dishes. If you’re looking for great Italian, in a rustic setting, head to La Stella. The service was great (for European standards), and the gnocchi I had hit the spot on a cold, winter night.

OTHER RECOMMENDED CULINARY TOURS IN SALZBURG

SHOPPING

• Höllrigl Book Store

  The oldest bookstore in AUSTRIA (let that settle for a second), and the second oldest bookstore in the German-speaking region, Höllrigl is well-kept. The Archbishop Wolf Dietrich, who helped redesign the city we see today, is featured in a portrait with his coat of arms, and his image is on all price tags. Even if you’re not buying a book, head up to the first floor via the spiral staircase and check out the frescoes on the ceiling…stunning…especially for a bookstore!

• Fürst

  

  

  Home of the world famous Salzburg Mozartkugel! The Mozartkugel is a praline created by master confectioner, Paul Fürst in 1890. He named it such in honor of the Salzburg composer who had not reached the height of popularity at the time. The praline’s novel features were its round shape and technically difficult concentric composition: green pistachio marzipan surrounded by a layer of nougat, and dipped into dark melted chocolate. HEAVEN!
  It was an instant hit and was “copy-catted” all over Europe. But only the chocolate truffles made here in this original shop can be called the “Original Salzburg Mozartkugel”. They are still made by hand, and do not contain any artificial ingredients or preservatives.

• The Prince-Archbishoprical ‘Alte Hofapotheke’

  This apothecary has been around since 1591, and is known for their special teas, marigold balms, and tinctures. We got a box of their original Spanish herbal digestive tea, which is great for, you guessed it, digestion! Tastes like utter crap, but when has anything good for you actually tasted good?

• Pharmacy “Zum Goldenen Biber”

  This is one of Austria’s oldest chemist’s shops, and has been located in the Salzburg shopping lane of Getreidegasse since 1608! We came for the highly sought after Lip cream – a god-send during the harsh winter months. The owner had originally made it as a wedding favor during his wedding, which proved to be so popular, that guests started requesting them for their weddings. Also, we sampled some incredible facial and hand cream with hylauronic acid – the pharmacist said it was perfect for keeping our young skins, youthful.

• R. F. Azwanger

  It’s easy to hit one traditional store after another while you’re in the Old City, so be sure to! We stopped in R. F. Azwanger, which of course, is the oldest delicatessen store in the city, set up over 350 years ago. So much history, in such a small space, especially of things we like: alcohol. If you’re into your liquors, this is THE store. We didn’t get too fancy, but did pick up two bottles of Schlumberger sparkling wine to try back at the hotel. Verdict: worth the 16,00 euros!

• NAGY Gingerbread & Candle Manufacturer

  While we didn’t make it to the original store, we were able to try some of the delicious honey gingerbread – there are over 40 kinds, and all produced from the original, old recipes. If you are a candle lover, or are looking for the perfect gift, definitely stop in, the store is a candle-lovers dream. It’s family-owned, has been around since 1879 and specializes in the in-house manufacture of candles for all occasions, honey gingerbread, candlestick accessories, and frankincense.

• Salzburg Outlets

  Funny story, how we got to the outlets. We hopped on a bus in town thinking we were heading to the Carla thrift store, only to miss our stop. We figured it out at the right moment – it was an express bus, and the driver was getting ready to head to who knows where?! You won’t believe where he let us out…
  …Yup, right in front of the outlets! We took it as a sign that instead of saving being thrifty, we needed to hit up the outlets. A great afternoon to say the least, I walked out with La Perla lingerie and a Wolford bodysuit. When in Salzburg, right?!

Thanks to the Salzburg Tourism Office for all their assistance, and for providing us with Salzburg cards for the duration of our stay. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.