Food & drink

In the building of the Bed & Breakfast Eckwirt on Turnersee-Straße in St. Primus, the Gasthaus “Eckwirt Rose” serves regional cooking: fish, meat dishes, vegetarian food and Austrian wines. Food is also available to take away. It’s best to give them a quick call before you go – or ask us, we are neighbours.

The Moskito Bar is a simple beach bar on the southern shore of the Turnersee in St. Primus, right opposite the Bike Break with its play tower and pump track. Here you can get drinks and snacks when you take a break after a swim or a bike ride. The swimming spot next to it is fairly quiet. There is no website and there are no fixed opening hours; it is open on summer days when the weather is good for swimming.

On the west shore of the Turnersee, at Camping Resort Turnersee (formerly Camping Breznik), there is a grill restaurant with its own pizzeria, children’s area and takeaway food, and a small beach bar right at the swimming area. It’s handy for an easy-going evening after a swim or for a takeaway pizza. Whether guests who aren’t staying at the campsite are served too is worth checking with a quick phone call beforehand.

The Landgasthof Piroutz in Lanzendorf is a family-run country inn with a long tradition on the eastern shore of the Turnersee, with a restaurant, a sunny conservatory and its own private beach for hotel guests. It lies peacefully between the lake and the golf park and is easy to reach by bike or on foot via the paths around the Turnersee. The kitchen serves hearty traditional Carinthian inn food; the house does not publish fixed opening hours for non-residents.

On Westuferstraße in Klopein, the Mochoritsch family, well-known southern Carinthian restaurateurs, run their “Eck” in summer. It is a small seasonal restaurant with Carinthian cooking, much of it organic, and products from partner producers in the region. It also has a small “Mocho Markt” shop where you can buy regional specialities to take away. It is a good place for a break on a walk or bike ride around the Klopeiner See, or for dinner close to the water.

The beach restaurant is in the public Strandbad Ilsenhof on the Turnersee and is open to everyone, even if you are not spending the day at the lido. In the morning there are fresh pastries and coffee; from midday until late afternoon salads, burgers, Austrian classics and stone-oven pizza; and in the afternoon homemade cakes and ice cream. The terrace, covered by a pergola, gives shade and shelter from the rain, and the view stretches across the lake to the Hochobir.

The Seegasthof Katschnig lies right on the south shore of the Klopeiner See on the Südpromenade and has been run by the family for generations. The kitchen focuses on fish from the surrounding waters and on game, cooked traditionally with modern touches – for example venison roast beef with chanterelles as a starter. The inn is a Genussland Kärnten partner restaurant. From the dining room you look out over the lake, and in the evening it is especially peaceful here. Over the winter the restaurant is being renovated and enlarged.

Right on the car-free promenade on the north shore of the Klopeiner See, next to the Seewirt apartment house, you’ll find the Restaurant Salud!. The menu features Mexican dishes such as tacos, along with cocktails, refreshing drinks and ice-cream specialities. The outdoor terrace with a view of the lake is a nice spot for a break on a walk around the lake or for an evening after swimming.

The Restaurant Seerose is right inside the Strandbad Krainz lido on the east shore of the Klopeiner See in Unterburg. From the terraces you look out over the lake and can watch the sun set in the evening. The menu changes monthly: Alpine-Adriatic dishes, local fish, pizza and pasta, salads, classics and daily set menus. There is a separate menu for children. The kitchen is open all day, every day, even outside the swimming season.

At the foot of the Georgiberg in Unterburg you’ll find the Fichtenhof, a down-to-earth inn with a terrace and a small beer garden, the Almbar. The menu features Austrian and Carinthian classics such as Wiener Schnitzel, Backhendl (breaded fried chicken) and Kärntner Kasnudeln. The Fichtenhof is also the starting point for the short climb to the Georgikirche with its wishing bell, about 40 minutes there and back. So it’s easy to combine a walk with a meal.

Right on the shore of the Wörthersee, next to Schloss Velden, you’ll find Seespitz, the restaurant of the Falkensteiner Schlosshotel. On the lakeside terrace you can enjoy regional and Alpe-Adria cuisine with fish from the lake and vegetables from the surrounding area, and non-residents are welcome too. In the evening there is live music in the Seespitz Lounge and in the Schlossbar Charly Walker, and in summer the Beach Club opens as well. A place for a special evening by the lake.

A country inn run by the Roscher family, family-owned since 1960, right by the Sablatnigmoor nature reserve between Eberndorf and the Turnersee. The menu features Lower Carinthian cooking such as Käsnudeln, trout and Wiener Schnitzel, plus changing weekly menus and children’s dishes. The meat comes from their own farm. In summer you sit in the shady beer garden. The inn is a good place to stop after a walk round the moor or a bike ride.

The Menüwirt in St. Kanzian is a large inn that has belonged to the Richler family for over 50 years. It has more than 200 seats and a sun terrace, and you don’t have to stay there to eat. The cooking is traditional Austrian and Carinthian: Käsnudeln, Wiener Schnitzel, cordon bleu and grill platters, plus vegetarian dishes such as vegetable strudel. Strudel and cakes come from their own bakery. The kitchen is open all day, so you can also have a hot meal in the afternoon.

In Seidendorf, right on the Drava, lies the Fishery Steffan angling complex with a lagoon, a stretch of the Drava and an oxbow. The restaurant by the water is also open to guests who don’t fish. It serves Carinthian cuisine, fresh fish, meat and vegetarian dishes, plus changing weekly specials. On the Drava Cycle Path there’s also a small café with coffee, homemade cake and snacks. For anglers there are day tickets, rental tackle, bait and log cabins.

A family inn in the woods north of the Klopeiner See, not far from the Völkermarkter Stausee, now run by the third generation. The menu offers Carinthian specialities and fresh fish; the house speciality is trout, caught only once you order it. On Fridays there’s also pizza from the oven. Much of the food comes from their own farm and garden. There’s a sun terrace, and the inn is only open twice a week.

In a converted old sawmill in Tainach, Michael Sicher does the cooking while his brother Wolfgang, a sommelier, runs the service. The focus is on fish from their own farm: char, trout, huchen (Danube salmon) and crayfish, plus char caviar they produce themselves. In the evening you can choose between a seasonal tasting menu with wine pairing by the glass and simpler à la carte dishes such as a whole char. In summer you sit in the garden. A place for a special evening for two.

This family-run inn sits in Ruhstatt, high above the Völkermarkter Stausee. From the beer garden you can see across the Jauntal all the way to the Karawanks. The cooking is hearty and traditional: Kärntner Nudeln and Kletzennudeln (pasta parcels with dried pear), lamb, beef, pork and turkey, plus trout and zander fillets. They use produce they grow themselves and from local producers. Meanwhile the children can play on the playground next to the shady terrace.

On Bleiburg’s main square, the 10.-Oktober-Platz, is the Breznik family’s inn with its own house brewery. The kitchen serves regional food with meat from local farmers, bread from the village baker and fish from Carinthian waters, plus pizza and burgers. Regular weekly fixtures are the Stempler menu on Monday and the spare-ribs evening on Wednesday. A good choice for an evening after a trip to the Petzen or the Werner Berg Museum.

The Mochoritsch family’s service station lies right on the A2 Südautobahn at the Griffen exit. It is open all year, every day, from early till late. Instead of typical motorway food you get Carinthian cooking here, much of it organic, with their own vegetables and grain as well as products from partners in Carinthia, Styria and Istria. In the “Mocho Markt” you can buy regional specialities, as gifts or as first supplies for your holiday apartment.

The Bierhaus “Zum Augustin” is set in an old house in the old town on Pfarrhofgasse, a few steps from the parish church of St. Egid. The kitchen serves hearty Carinthian pub food, with a set lunch on weekdays and a beer list of its own. On warm days you sit in the quiet arcaded courtyard, on rainy days in the cosy dining rooms.

On the western edge of Klagenfurt, on Feldkirchner Straße, beer has been brewed for more than 400 years. On the guided tour of the Schleppe brewery you walk through the brewhouse and the fermentation and storage cellars and learn how malt, hops and water become Carinthian beer; it finishes with a beer tasting. The tour takes about an hour and a half. Individual guests can join the fixed tour times without booking; groups of ten or more book in advance.

Right next to the brewery is the Felsenkeller, Schleppe’s own brewery tavern, with Carinthian cooking, changing speciality weeks and a shady beer garden in summer. The tour and a meal afterwards combine well, for instance on a rainy day or as a detour on a trip to Klagenfurt. If you’re driving, go easy at the tasting or come by bus or train.

On the Lendkanal in Klagenfurt, right next to the Stadtverkehrs- und Kinomuseum (urban transport and cinema museum), a retired red-and-white tram car has stood since the 1970s – the Buffet zur Tramway. In the garden under the trees there is simple Carinthian fare such as fried chicken, roast pork, sausages and coleslaw. On summer weekends the museum tram runs along the canal next door, which children particularly enjoy. Cash only.

Good food is part of any holiday in Carinthia. The best-known dish is Kärntner Kasnudeln: pasta parcels filled with potato, quark (Topfen) and herbs (mint is typical), sealed by hand with an artful crimped edge (“gekrendelt”) and served with browned butter. Every inn swears by its own recipe. Things get sweet with Reindling, a yeast cake with cinnamon, sugar and raisins, baked in the “Reine” pan that gives it its name.

A Buschenschank is an experience in itself: farms serve their own home-made produce there – the Brettljause (a cold platter on a wooden board) with bacon, home-made sausages, cheese and spreads, with farmhouse bread and a glass of Most, a cider made from apples and pears. Jauntaler Salami, for example, comes from our area. Farmers’ markets and farm shops are a great way to shop locally for your holiday apartment, too.

The Gelateria Del Corso is in Klopein on the west shore of the Klopeiner See, just a few steps from the Pizzeria Primavera. Italian ice cream to take away – ideal after a swim, after a pizza next door or on an evening stroll along the lakeside promenade.

The Café Restaurant Reichmann is in the centre of Seelach, just a few steps from the northern shore of the Klopeiner See. It is best known for its home-made ice cream and the gateaux baked daily in its own pastry kitchen. At lunchtime there are changing daily menus, plus regional dishes, pizza and burgers. In the evening there are cocktails too. It’s just as good for an ice cream after a swim as for dinner.

The Caputo family has been cooking Italian food in Southern Carinthia since 1974; besides the original restaurant in Völkermarkt, in summer they run a pizzeria on Westuferstraße in Seelach. The menu has around 50 pizzas, a good 20 pasta dishes as well as fish, seafood and meat, plus home-made ice cream. The kitchen is open all day, so you can still get a hot meal in the afternoon after swimming.

Pizzeria Primavera is in Klopein right on the lakeshore, and from the terrace you look out over the water. The cooking is Italian: stone-oven pizza, home-made pasta, fresh fish, meat dishes and a few vegetarian plates too. It is handy for an easy lunch or dinner after swimming, children included.

The “Poldi” has been the place for burgers at the Klopeiner See for decades: after 45 years at its old spot it moved in 2023 to the east shore by the former “Burg” in Unterburg, but the popular Poldi burger is still on the menu. There are burgers with pork, beef or a vegetarian/vegan patty, a burger of the month and snacks. Right next door is the big amusement park with trampolines, which keeps children busy for ages after swimming. In the evening things get lively: in high season the Poldi is open until late at night.

A small Italian ice-cream parlour on the Ostuferstraße in Unterburg, at the south-eastern end of the Klopeiner See. Here you can pick up an ice cream after a swim or on an evening stroll along the lake promenade and eat it outside. In high season it stays open until late in the evening. There’s no website. Whether and when it’s open is best checked on the spot.

Italian restaurant with pizzeria in the small hotel of the same name on Klopeiner See Straße at the eastern end of the lake. The menu features wood-fired pizza, pasta, fish dishes and homemade desserts; there is a terrace and parking, and food is also available to take away. Give them a quick call before your visit to check whether and when they are open.

Since 1962 the Richler family has been selling soft-serve ice cream in Unterburg on the south shore of the Klopeiner See: back then Johann Richler set up the region’s first soft-serve machine, and today Theresia and Klaus Richler carry on the business. There’s soft-serve from the machine, sundaes such as the “Coupe Dänemark”, iced coffee, affogato and a yoghurt cup with berries, plus a different flavour every week. A good stop after swimming or on a walk around the lake.

An Italian restaurant in the middle of Kühnsdorf, also known as “da Salvatore”. The menu features stone-oven pizza, classic pasta and fresh seafood and fish dishes. From Tuesday to Friday there is a set lunch menu. An easy-going place for families, and handy if you’d like to pick up a pizza to take away.

Café Reinhart is a pastry café in Eberndorf, a few minutes’ walk from the abbey. There is coffee, gateaux and pastries, plus light meals and ice cream. In fine weather you sit on the terrace. The café goes well with a visit to Stift Eberndorf or a trip to the nearby Sablatnigmoor. It’s best to check the opening hours with a quick phone call.

On Herzog-Bernhard-Platz in the centre of Völkermarkt, the Calabró family’s Italian restaurant serves stone-oven pizza, pasta, salads and desserts. In summer there is a terrace, and you can also order pizza to take away. It makes a good stop on a stroll through the old town or for dinner after a day at the Völkermarkter Stausee.

On the Steinerberg, between the Turnersee and the Klopeiner See, landlord Ernst Kummer runs a Heuriger (wine tavern) in the Viennese style. The menu features a Carinthian Jause (cold platter) and hot dishes. You sit on a heated garden terrace, so the Heuriger is pleasant on cooler evenings too. From the holiday apartment it is an easy ride by bike. For the ride back you will need lights, as the route follows quiet back roads.

The Srienz family’s Nusshof is in St. Veit im Jauntal, a small village in the municipality of St. Kanzian between the Klopeiner See and the Drava. The Buschenschenke (farm tavern) serves a farmhouse platter, much of it from the farm itself and the rest from the region. On Komoot, cyclists praise the farm as a stop on rides to the Kleinsee and the Turnersee. It’s a good place for a relaxed afternoon break or an evening in the countryside.

In Hof (Dvor), a small village west of Eberndorf in the Jauntal, Sieglinde Kordesch runs a Buschenschank (farm tavern). The farm is one of the Jauntal salami farmers (Jauntaler Salamibauern), so the menu is mainly a cold platter with salami and Speck from the farm itself, plus cider and juices. For cyclists riding between the Turnersee, the Sablatnigmoor and Eberndorf, it’s a quiet stop away from the lakes. Fixed opening hours are not published.

On the Weinberg near Sittersdorf, an old southern Carinthian wine-growing area with small cellar houses, Andrej Hren makes organic wine. It is a small family winery without regular opening hours for tastings. Tastings and sales at the winery are by phone appointment – a way to get to know wine from southern Carinthia directly from the winemaker. It combines well with a bike ride through the vineyards and the Kellergasse (lane of wine cellars).

The Bauernimbiss is run by the Jamnig farming family from the Trixnertal. It sits on the Packer Bundesstraße by the Völkermarkt West motorway exit and serves down-to-earth Carinthian food made from its own produce. On weekdays there is a changing lunch menu, on Sundays Backhendl (fried chicken) and in summer a spare-ribs evening on Thursdays. You can also take home Speck (cured bacon) from Mangalitza pigs, smoked meats and herb products from their own garden.

At the Weitzerhof in Rückersdorf, the Brenner family has been growing gourmet mushrooms in a converted barn since autumn 2024 – they make the substrate and spawn themselves. All year round there are oyster and king oyster mushrooms, shiitake and lion’s mane, and in summer also pink and golden oyster mushrooms. They also sell mushroom spreads, pasta sauce (sugo), dried mushrooms and mushroom salt. There are no fixed opening hours: you order by phone or WhatsApp and collect directly at the farm.

The self-service shop in Pogerschitzen is run by the Jäger farm (Wrienzhof) from Nageltschach. Here you can buy meat and sausages from the farm itself, bread and baked goods, products made from Had’n (Carinthian buckwheat), filled pasta and eggs. Raw milk, quark, yoghurt, goat’s cheese, pumpkin seed oil, honey and potatoes come from neighbouring farms. You pay on the spot. Just right if you’d like to cook or barbecue yourself in the holiday apartment.

Right in front of the See & GenussHotel Silvia on the west shore of the Klopeiner See stands the GenussKastale, a small self-service shop run by the hotel team. It mainly offers products from small producers in the region that you would hardly find in the shops otherwise: bread and pastries, eggs, pasta, cheese, honey, cured meats and fish, oils, vinegar, syrups and chilled drinks. Everything is labelled – you help yourself and pay on trust.

On summer evenings, local producers set up their stalls on the north-shore promenade of the Klopeiner See. They sell smoked meats, bread and pastries, cheese, honey, fish, cider (Most), fruit brandies, liqueurs, and fruit and vegetables, some of them organic. You can taste, put together a picnic supper and then stroll along the promenade. The market starts in the afternoon and goes on into the evening.

In the village of St. Kanzian, the Greif family sell meat and sausages from their own animals direct from the farm, including house salami, Speck (cured bacon), dry sausage, spreadable sausage, Grammeln (pork cracklings) and cooked ham. The animals are fed on the farm’s own maize and grain and slaughtered on the farm. The Speck and salami are smoked over beechwood and dried slowly. Ideal as a picnic snack on a hike or as a gift to take home.

Once a week, on Thursday afternoon, farmers from the surrounding area sell their produce on the village square in Gallizien. It’s a small market for the villagers, not a tourist market: you can shop fresh for your holiday apartment and get chatting with the locals. It’s best combined with a bike ride through the Jauntal or a trip to the Wildensteiner Wasserfall. The dates are not officially confirmed, so check with the municipality beforehand.

The Partl butcher’s on Bleiburger Straße in Eberndorf is a family business with a long butchering tradition. At the counter you can buy sausages, bacon, fresh and barbecue meat and delicatessen – handy for a picnic or a barbecue evening at the holiday apartment. At lunchtime Partl cooks three set menus to choose from every day; you will find the current weekly menu on the website. The business also offers catering for celebrations.

Every Friday morning the market stalls go up on the Mittlerer Hauptplatz in Völkermarkt: seasonal fruit and vegetables, bacon, sausages and smoked meats, fish and poultry, bread and pastries, honey, wine and schnapps, plus flowers, herbs and berries. This is the place to stock up for the weekend in your holiday apartment. Afterwards, have a coffee on the Hauptplatz or take a short walk through the old town with its old town hall.

On the main square of Bad Eisenkappel, farmers from the Vellachtal and the surrounding area sell their produce on Thursdays from 8:00. The market is small and easy to take in: bread, cheese, Speck, eggs, vegetables and home-distilled spirits, depending on the season. You can easily combine your shopping with a trip to the Trögerner Klamm gorge, the Obir-Tropfsteinhöhlen or a coffee on the main square.

On the Waisenberg north of Völkermarkt, below the castle ruin, the family known locally by their farm name Hafner (vulgo Hafner) makes cheese and yoghurt from organic raw sheep’s milk. The season follows the animals: the lambs are born in winter, so the products are only available from the end of February to the beginning of November. The farm shop sells straight from the farm – for example fresh and matured raw-milk cheese or sheep’s yoghurt.

The Benediktinermarkt in Klagenfurt’s city centre is the largest market in Carinthia. Alongside Carinthian farmers, traders from Friuli and Slovenia sell cheese, Speck, wine, dried fruit, vegetables and fresh fish from the Adriatic. Around the square and in the market halls there are small eateries and snack bars where you can get home-style cooking or a glass of wine. The market is at its liveliest on the big market days, in the morning.