By Carl Dombek
During our first visit to Salzburg in 2009, we asked our hotelier to recommend a genuine Austrian restaurant – one that did not offer “Menus for tourists” and that prepared authentic dishes. He recommended the Bärenwirt.
Returning to Salzburg with our 11 adult children and grandchildren, we wanted them to have a similar authentic experience so we made a reservation at our old haunt, which has been in operation since 1663.
Things have changed over the last 16 years. On our first visit, the menu was only in German and our server spoke to us in German until we threw in the towel and admitted, “Ich spreche nicht sehr gut Deutsch. Englisch, bitte?”(I don’t speak German well. English, please?)
Now, 16 years later, English has become the default and today, the menu is presented in four languages. But the food is still just as authentic and delicious.
Taking grandkids who range from 10 to 15 years of age, we were bracing for a few refrains of, “I don’t LIKE that! It’s weird!” or similar rants, but we heard none of it. All the kids (and parents, too, for that matter) dove gamely into the menu and found things that were to their liking.
The menu is large and varied. Main dishes include roast pork, pasta, sausage with roasted potatoes, dumplings, goulash, schnitzel, fried chicken, boiled beef and (of course) bratwurst.
On the night we visited, we shared our dining room with several other parties of Americans. I have no way of knowing whether the place has become that popular with visitors or management simply corralled us into the same room. Regardless, it was a very pleasant evening and one I’m sure we will repeat the next time we’re in Salzburg.
Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.
Returning to Salzburg with our 11 adult children and grandchildren, we wanted them to have a similar authentic experience so we made a reservation at our old haunt, which has been in operation since 1663.
Things have changed over the last 16 years. On our first visit, the menu was only in German and our server spoke to us in German until we threw in the towel and admitted, “Ich spreche nicht sehr gut Deutsch. Englisch, bitte?”(I don’t speak German well. English, please?)
 |
| Wir trinken bier gerne! |
Now, 16 years later, English has become the default and today, the menu is presented in four languages. But the food is still just as authentic and delicious.
Taking grandkids who range from 10 to 15 years of age, we were bracing for a few refrains of, “I don’t LIKE that! It’s weird!” or similar rants, but we heard none of it. All the kids (and parents, too, for that matter) dove gamely into the menu and found things that were to their liking.
The menu is large and varied. Main dishes include roast pork, pasta, sausage with roasted potatoes, dumplings, goulash, schnitzel, fried chicken, boiled beef and (of course) bratwurst.
 |
| The whole gang |
The food was good, there was an excellent variety, and it was brought out quickly. Prices for main dishes were quite reasonable, with most under €20. Wiener Schnitzel was the most expensive, at €28,90 but it was an outlier. The only issue I had was the price of the soft drinks. Between our grandkids, they had 10 Cokes – at €5.90 EACH. That was €59 for sodas; more than we paid for all of our beers.
My wife was determined that, for dessert, the kids and grands would all taste Kaiserschmarren mit Zwetschkenröster – cut-up pancake with raisins, deep fried, then topped with powdered sugar and served with a jam for dipping. A truly Austrian experience that everyone enjoyed, though some more than others.
My wife was determined that, for dessert, the kids and grands would all taste Kaiserschmarren mit Zwetschkenröster – cut-up pancake with raisins, deep fried, then topped with powdered sugar and served with a jam for dipping. A truly Austrian experience that everyone enjoyed, though some more than others.
 |
| Grandma encouraging the grands to try Kaiserschmarren |
On the night we visited, we shared our dining room with several other parties of Americans. I have no way of knowing whether the place has become that popular with visitors or management simply corralled us into the same room. Regardless, it was a very pleasant evening and one I’m sure we will repeat the next time we’re in Salzburg.
Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.
Photos by Carl Dombek
Click on images to view larger size
Comments
Post a Comment
PLEASE NOTE:Comments on this website must pertain to the topic of the article and may be edited for content and/or clarity. Comments that include URLs WILL NOT BE POSTED. Please contact me directly if you wish to do a "link exchange."