The story
Wirtshaus Steirereck in Hafendorf anchors its contemporary Austrian cooking in the quiet hills of Styria. Birgit and Heinz Reitbauer built the property around a straightforward premise. Under chef Verena Seiler, the kitchen maintains a steady balance between honoring regional farming and applying precise modern techniques. A recent Gault&Millau score of 15.5 recognizes how seamlessly they merge careful agriculture with everyday luxury.
The menu shifts according to the week. Some days highlight steirische Milchkalb while others feature regional freshwater fish. Bitter salads brighten with citrus segments, asparagus arrives alongside a dense Topfenknödel, and forest mushrooms carry a tangy fermented apple reduction. These preparations show how deeply the Austrian kitchen respects whole ingredients rather than masking them.
Guests settle into a dining room that captures the relaxed spirit of Styrian cuisine. A dedicated walk-in wine climate room replaces a standard list, allowing staff to guide pairings directly from storage shelves. Overnight accommodations extend the experience well past dinner. Morning tables then serve handcrafted breakfast items that match the evening standards.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Here, sustainability uniquely meets luxury, meticulous farming meets excellent cuisine, and tradition meets the future. Everything is perfectly harmonious. The tavern menu celebrates – depending on the day of the week – specific highlights, such as Styrian milk-fed veal or regional freshwater fish. Bitter salads with citrus notes, asparagus with savory quark dumplings, and mushrooms with fermented apple demonstrate that alongside whole-animal utilization, they also master high-level vegetarian cuisine. Instead of a wine list, there is a well-stocked, walk-in wine climate room. An overnight stay is highly recommended, not only because of the distinctive rooms. Breakfast also impresses with handcrafted dishes of the highest quality. Address: Pogusch 21, 8625 Sankt Lorenzen / Turnau, Austria Contact: 03863 20 00, 03863 5151 pogusch@steirereck.at https://www.steirereck.at/ Opening Hours: Wed 17:00–22:00, Thu–Sat 11:30–22:00 Team: Heinz Reitbauer & Jürgen Schneider | Chef: Verena Seiler | Maître d'
Location
