Where to Eat and What to Drink in St. Anton

Because St Anton is a village in the mountains, I didn’t have high expectations for the food options. We had heard of the legendary apres ski scene, so there would definitely be drink, but the food could be another story. Once we arrived in St Anton for a long weekend to ski, we found that it is much more than just a ski town, there are great options for dining and drinking whatever your budget.

Eating and Drinking in St Anton am Arlberg

Eat | Drink | Basic Tips

Eat

St. Anton has many, many restaurants considering its size. We ate very well during our stay, which was necessary after days filled with moguls! Keep in mind that during the winter months there are many hungry skiers looking to fuel up and relax after a day on the slopes, so you’ll want to make sure to either get there early to get a table or make a booking in advance.

The varying cuisines available makes eating in St. Anton a treat. My research on the food was limited to ensuring I’d have gluten-free options, but even without thorough restaurant recommendations, it was easy to eat well in St. Anton. As for eating gluten-free, Austria wasn’t as gluten-free friendly and easy as other European countries, however, they do list their allergens on most menus and “A” is the one you should look to avoid. This seemed a little inconsistent, but was definitely helpful.

Restaurant Hazienda

Our first night we stopped into Restaurant Hazienda. We were able to grab a couple seats at the bar (yes, even on a Wednesday evening it was packed!). This was the nicest meal of our trip and it was beautiful! The food was delicious and the restaurant is so relaxing. The bartender was very friendly and clearly a skier. I highly recommend this spot.

Bobo’s Mexican

Our second night, we ended up dining at Bobo’s Mexican after discovering that all of the other places we wanted to try were fully booked. We had a tradition back home where we would try out a Mexican restaurants at every new destination we visited. Admittedly, this works a little bit better in, say, Arizona than Austria.

All in all, it wasn’t terrible, and as Andrew pointed out, it is interesting to see how Mexican flavors are changed to fit the cultural palette of different parts of the world. The restaurant had a fun vibe (it turns into a club in the later evening) and there were learned that Austrians seem to love corn on the cob!

Pizzeria Pomodoro

Ah, Pizzeria Pomodoro. This was the perfect spot for hungry skiers after a full day on the slopes and also some of the best gluten-free pizza I’ve ever had! The pizza was similar in style to South Shore bar style pizza – the stuff I grew up eating and loving. I was shocked to find such delicious pizza gluten-free in Austria, and I was certainly not complaining! Andrew enjoyed his regular pizza too and we considered coming back a second time. Definitely book ahead or go straight after the ski day is finished, since this place fills up fast.

Restaurant Maximillian

On our last night in St. Anton we finally got Austrian food! We chose Restaurant Maximillian and we were not disappointed! It was great and relatively reasonably priced. The service was lackluster but cheery ambiance made up for it.

Eating while skiing St Anton

Our first day on the slopes, we stopped into a restaurant at the bottom of the lift we happened to be on at lunch time. The Arlberg is so large, you can go sit for lunch an hour and not be able to track down where you ate once you’ve arrived back home! So I am unable to share where I had a delicious pumpkin soup.

Our second day on the slopes, after our epic Valluga run, we dined at Albona Bergrestaurant. This restaurant sits at the top of one of the mountains and it really makes you wonder how on earth they get the food there! It was sunny and warm, so we sat outside and watched the off-piste skiers hiking across the neighboring peaks to their next runs. It was awesome.

On our last day I met Andrew for lunch just off the slopes at Mooserwirt. Better known for its apres scene, it was actually a lovely lunch spot, if not a bit overpriced. Sitting in the sun at the start of the spring skiing season was fabulous and my ribs were great.

Drink

St. Anton is known for its legendary apres ski scene and I can’t say it disappointed! I have truly never seen anything like it and it was a blast to experience. While we were more observers of the post-ski day debauchery, we had a great time checking out various spots on and off the mountain to see what apres ski in St. Anton is all about.

I was delighted to find that my go-to drink, the Aperol Spritz, is all the rage at apres ski in Austria. They’re on draft and even groups of middle-aged men were drinking them! I love me a good Aperol Spritz and the best one of our trip was definitely at Krazy Kanguruh. The perfect balance of Aperol and fizz (wow, look at me sounding so English, there!). Andrew opted for beer here, which I know nothing about, sorry fellas!

Mooserwirt vs Krazy Kanguruh

Almost at the bottom of the mountain but still perched up a slope of moguls, are the two bars that have put St Anton on the map for its apres ski scene: Mooserwirt and Krazy Kanguruh.

 

They really are as crazy as the rumors make them seem. The sun was still up and at both spots there were people dancing on tables. St Anton is lit, as the kids say. As for which is better, it all depends on what you’re looking for. Mooserwirt is so unique and fun and because of that it was our favorite. Krazy Kanguruh has many merits, so it is not to be missed also!

We used GoogleMaps data to help us determine which day to visit each. We found that Thursdays are the peak day at Krazy Kanguruh and Fridays and Saturdays are big at Mooserwirt.

Krazy Kanguruh

We ended our first day on the slopes at Krazy Kanguruh. It was pretty crowded and offered beautiful views over St Anton and the Alps. As I mentioned before, the best Aperol Spritz I’ve ever had was here at Krazy Kanguruh. The vibe was fun but chill, perfect for apres ski.

Mooserwirt

Mooserwirt is a whole different beast. The vibe is so much fun and they have a huge outdoor area for hanging out. It is the spot to be on St Anton.

Expect music, lots of people and very impressive service. It was the perfect place to unwind after our thrilling Valluga run earlier that day.

Skiing after Apres Ski in St Anton

Skiing down from these bars is no joke. We personally know two people who were injured skiing down drunk from these bars – one who broke his collar bone and one who bruised his brain. We don’t even many people here to begin with nor many people who have gone to St Anton. On my day spent wandering town I saw many people in slings and casts. Please be careful!

I had a strict two drink limit, so we were totally fine skiing down. The most challenging part of the slope is the fact that is one of the most used slopes on St Anton, so it gets cut up by the end of the day. It was barely snow and more like ice chips when we skied down. There are also lots of other drunk skiers on there, which makes it a little precarious. Please ski responsibly or take a cab or the bus!

If drunk skiing moguls is not your thing, the village of St Anton has many bars and there are several at the very base of the slopes, too. We stopped by Das Basecamp, which was great and had awesome music. Andrew tried their brew and enjoyed it.

Austrian Wine

A few months before we moved, my friend Sarah hosted a wine night geared toward learning more about wine. That particular night we were all asked to bring some gruner vetliner, an Austrian wine. She chose that variety based on its flavor profile in a wine book she received as a gift. We sampled it while learning more about it from the book. It was delicious and it was everywhere on menus in Austria. It was nice to feel confident in ordering it knowing I like it! Love some hints of grapefruit over here.

Schnapps

Though we didn’t have any while at St Anton, I had to share this photo. The grocery store had so many little bottles of schnapps, even schnapps wearing hats! Instead of candy at the checkout, there were more little bottles of schnapps.

Basic Tips

• Bring cash! The restaurants and lodges up in the mountain only accept cash so make sure you have it on you. Don’t be left parched in the spring sunshine without any money for water, like me, ha!
• Book ahead. Since St Anton is a ski town, it gets filled up on the weekends. Though there are many restaurant options, there are tons of people there during the ski season, so book ahead to ensure you get a seat.
• Don’t drink and ski! People get really injured doing that.

Have you been to St Anton? Where were your favorite places to eat and drink?