Kräuterreich by Vitus Winkler
Sankt Veit im Pongau, Austria
2 StarsGreen Star
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The Experience
From Michelin Guide
Avant-garde Alpine would be a good label for Vitus Winkler's cuisine, which is creative, firmly rooted in the local region and always very flavourful despite its complexity. The owner expresses his strong connection to his homeland and his love for nature and the mountains in his surprise menu, featuring plenty of herbs, berries, roots etc, as seen in dishes like the Pinzgau Angus beef with parsley root, black currant and larch. An intriguing touch: The menu is structured as a hike through the different altitude zones – from the village, through fields, river & lake, forest & meadow, up to the tree line, and to the alpine pasture, culminating at the summit. This fine dining restaurant is housed in Hotel Sonnhof, which dates back to 1928 – both are run by Vitus and Eva-Maria Winkler, who represent the fourth generation of their family to be at the helm. You sit in a clearly modern designed ambience and are cared for friendly and attentively. If you want something really exclusive, book at the ‘kitchen table’ - here up to 14 people can be seated directly in the kitchen.
From Visitor Experiences
- Surprise menu structured as a hike through altitude zones, from valley to summit
- Green Star approach, tightly regional sourcing and whole-animal, whole-ingredient use
- Kitchen table seating up to 14, inside the action
From Visitor Experiences
- Foraged herbs and mountain botanicals
- Berries and roots
- Regional fish
- Tauern lamb
- Local pork
From Visitor Reviews
A two-star, Green Star restaurant inside the 1928 Sonnhof hotel, where Vitus Winkler cooks an avant-garde alpine surprise menu anchored in the Pongau, its herbs, berries and roots, and a strict local supply chain. The experience is built like a hike through altitude zones, moving from village and field to forest, alpine pasture and summit, with dishes that stay complex yet resolutely pleasurable. Ingredients are sourced within roughly 50 km, with foraged herbs, regional fish, and local Tauern lamb and pork. For an especially close-up evening, a kitchen table seats up to 14.