Enjoying the mountains and the slopes

Skiers and winter hikers can easily identify where warmth and delicacies beckon. When the subtle aromas of food make themselves known, the next ski hut or mountain restaurant is just around the corner. Incidentally, you don’t have to look around Vorarlberg for loud music as a sign of orientation. During the day as well as during après ski, you will mainly hear soft sounds. 

Refreshment stops from down-to-earth to contemporary 

Classic or modern ambience is the question in most ski areas. In addition to rustic “Knusperhäuschen” with cozy parlors, typical mountain inns and huts with alpine flair, skiers and winter hikers can warm up in surprisingly modern buildings. Wood, which is typical of Vorarlberg, plays the leading role in the newly built refreshment stops. Clear lines, large windows and high rooms characterize the ambience. Whether rustic or modern: The menus feature down-to-earth regional cuisine as well as vegetarian dishes. Kässpätzle, hearty soups and Kaiserschmarren are just as popular as fresh salads and vegetable dishes. 

Really rustic 

Wood outside, wood inside and low rooms: the atmosphere in the mostly small, traditional ski huts is wonderfully cozy. One of these classics is located in Lech Zürs am Arlberg directly in the ski area, the 250-year-old Rud-Alpe. The kitchen spoils you with snacks, soups, Gröstl, dumplings and strudels. In the Silvretta-Montafon ski area, the Valisera Hüsli is a popular meeting place. Food includes barley soup, Montafoner Keesknöpfli, hearty bacon dumplings and a small selection of vegan dishes. For a refreshment stop in the Warth-Schröcken ski area in the Bregenzerwald, the Auenfeldhütte is ideal. In addition to soups and salads, dumplings and Kaiserschmarren are among the specialties from the hut’s kitchen.  

Comfortably modern 

When new huts or restaurants are built on Vorarlberg’s mountains, they are usually designed in the style of contemporary Vorarlberg timber architecture. One of these masterpieces is the “Wolf” in the Lech Zürs am Arlberg ski area. The multi-award-winning Vorarlberg architect Bernardo Bader designed the straight-lined timber building. The culinary concept focuses on contrasts. Riebel and lentil stew are served alongside curry and burgers. Completely modernized, with a wooden façade and large terrace, the Kapellrestaurant at Hochjoch in the Silvretta Montafon has been presenting itself since the start of the 2025/26 winter season.  The spacious restaurant is a regular venue for culinary events such as Montafoner stone sheep, steak and freshwater fish weeks. The range at the Panoramarestaurant Grüneck at the Golm adventure mountain in Montafon extends from Montafoner Keesknöpfli to bowls to homemade apple strudel. The newly built restaurant, designed by well-known Vorarlberg architect Carlo Baumschlager, opened in December 2025. Guests can choose from the à la carte and self-order areas. In the modern timber building “Tafel & Zunder” at the mountain station of the Ifenbahn in Kleinwalsertal, guests can enjoy fine regional cuisine and a fantastic view. “Frööd“, namely joy, is what a visit to the energy self-sufficient mountain restaurant Frööd in the Brand ski area in Brandnertal brings. In the spacious restaurant or on the beautiful terrace, you can dine on lovingly prepared dishes, from venison ragout to vegan mountain lentil stew. Skiers and winter hikers dine with a beautiful view at the Panoramarestaurant Baumgarten above Bezau in the Bregenzerwald. There are seats on the terrace and in the light-flooded restaurant.  

Further recommendations for a refreshment stop in modern mountain restaurants and ski huts can be found at www.vorarlberg.travel/moderne-bergrestaurants 
Information about the traditional ski huts for a heart-warming stop in Vorarlberg can be found at www.vorarlberg.travel/traditionelle-skihuetten 

Move and enjoy 

Various offers combine skiing or winter hiking with culinary breaks.  

• On the culinary gourmet tour in the Brandnertal, skiers swing to three different huts, from soup to main course and on to dessert.  
• From breakfast to lunch and to a sweet finish, hiking enthusiasts are on the move during “Culinary Winter Hiking” in the Bregenzerwald. There are three different routes to choose from.  
• A Montafoner nettle soup and Kaiserschmarren strengthen all those who take part in the fire bowl hike in the Montafon.  
• Zum Fürchta schö (frighteningly beautiful) is the motto of the storytelling gourmet evening with a 3-course menu at Kristberg in the Montafon.