Patauner

The story

Patauner Restaurant in Bolzano | South Tyrolean-Mediterranean Cuisine

Patauner: A Century of South Tyrolean Hospitality in Bolzano

In the heart of Siebeneich, just outside Bolzano, the Patauner family has been welcoming guests for over a hundred years. The restaurant occupies the historic Vogelmeierhof, a house built in 1664 that has been carefully preserved through the generations. Now run by the third and fourth generations—Heinz and his son Florian in the kitchen, with Vroni and Magdalena at the tables—Patauner is a place where tradition feels alive, not preserved in amber.

The kitchen is grounded in South Tyrolean home-style cooking, lifted by a clear Mediterranean influence. The Patauners rely almost entirely on what grows around them. Much of the fruit, vegetables, and herbs come from their own garden or a neighbouring farmer. In autumn, the menu turns to porcini mushrooms, pumpkins, chestnuts, and local game. Even old-fashioned vegetables like turnips find their way onto the plates in November and December. Jams, mostardas, chutneys, and all desserts are made in-house.

The most celebrated season is spring, when the Terlaner Spargel Margarete arrives. For decades, the restaurant has been a fixture of the Terlaner Spargelzeit, serving the prized white asparagus in traditional style—with house-cured ham, boiled potatoes, and creamy horseradish sauce—as well as in inventive variations that change with the season. The wine list, too, is a local affair, focused on the best bottles from Terlan and across South Tyrol.

This dedication to quality and regional identity has not gone unnoticed. Patauner has earned a Michelin recommendation, a recognition that speaks to the consistency and care of the kitchen. It is also a founding member of the Südtiroler Gasthaus association, a group of family-run inns that commit to high standards of local sourcing and authentic hospitality, regularly audited by an independent jury.

The atmosphere is straightforward and warm. The old house, with its garden for outdoor seating, offers a setting that is both rustic and refined. Here, the focus is on the produce, the people, and the kind of genuine welcome that has kept locals and visitors returning for over a century.