Gault&Millau 2024: 14 toques for Saalfelden Leogang

Saalfelden Leogang can therefore rightly call itself a ‘toque region’ once again. 
The toques, or chef's hats, awarded by Gault&Millau are roughly equivalent in Austria to the Michelin Guide stars in Germany. 

Innovative award-winning cuisine - gourmet restaurant ‘dahoam’ at the Genießerhotel Riederalm in Leogang receives fourth toque

Chef and Jeunes Restaurateur (JRE) Andreas Herbst has been awarded a fourth toque and 17 points for the ‘dahoam’ restaurant. The name ‘dahoam’ says it all, as Herbst uses almost exclusively regional products of the highest quality from local producers and herbs from his own garden for his cuisine. The restaurant also boasts a fantastic view of the Leoganger Steinberge mountains and an urban design: a curtain of delicate brass chains runs around the large round tables, enclosing each of the small dining areas. A specially developed acoustic ceiling emphasises the very personal, quiet atmosphere. Gault&Millau is enthusiastic: ‘Patron and chef Andreas Herbst composes small-scale masterpieces of flavours, textures and temperatures from foodstuffs from his immediate surroundings. His menus are proof of the finesse and power of Alpine cuisine. Milk-fed veal confit and braised in mountain pine butter takes on an alpine flavour like rarely before. The celeriac cooked in the oven, the fermented pepperoni and the cabbage sprout cream and leaves do not let the meat down with their perfect consistency and flavour. The drinks menu offers a remarkable non-alcoholic section. The wine list rivals the best in the country in terms of variety and depth of vintage.’.

Andreas Herbst on the rating: ‘The best cuisine is only possible with the best ingredients! We are very proud that we source the majority of the products we use from Saalfelden Leogang and our region and are a pioneer in this respect.’

The Kirchenwirt in Leogang: four-toque cuisine in a listed ambience and wine list of the year 2024

The 700-year-old gourmet inn is one of the oldest in Salzburgerland, dating back to 1326. Siblings Barbara Kottke and Hans-Jörg Unterrainer have succeeded in transforming this venerable monument into a charming boutique hotel with great sensitivity. The K1326 team with head chef Stefan Birnbacher was once again able to emphasise four toques for the historic Kirchenwirt in Leogang. The creative alpine cuisine names its outstanding products with original names such as ‘Alpenhauptkamm’ or ‘Gipfelglück’. ‘The menu, which the Kirchenwirt calls the ‘K1326 Menu’ (after the first documented mention of the Kirchenwirt), starts with a course called ‘Alpenglow’. Chamois sausage (from the family's own hunt), truffle buttermilk (as a candle that melts on the table), poacher's root and Steckerlbrot. The actual greeting from the kitchen, a small tart with tartar and char caviar, is served on an empty Rochelt bottle. Very creative. But then comes the first real course - and it already tells a very exciting story. Marinated Alpine salmon. One with lardo, kohlrabi and monk's beard, the other with hemp nut. The stock in which the Alpine salmon swims is exceptional. It is a saffron broth and the extraordinary thing is that the saffron comes from Leogang. Small projects that the hosts are always up for. The dish itself is also exceptional in flavour.... Before ordering the menu, be sure to take a look at the pub menu. You can also add dishes from this menu to the menu and should do so. Here, for example, you will find sour kidney noodles from milk-fed veal with wild herbs and curd cheese dumplings. The wine expertise at the Kirchenwirt is a chapter in itself anyway. Hard to beat,’ writes Gault&Millau about the four toques and 17-point cuisine at the Kirchenwirt.

The wine cellar, which is stocked with rarities by host, sommelier and Jeunes Restaurateur (JRE) Hans-Jörg Unterrainer, is also outstanding. The ex-professional snowboarder passionately curates one of the best wine lists in Austria, which is why Gault&Millau has honoured the Kirchenwirt with the ‘Austrian Wine List of the Year 2024’. ‘The line is classic, the depth of vintage is breathtaking and the number of local rarities is staggering,’ says the review. 

Three toques for Michael Helfrich's restaurant at the Forsthofgut in Leogang

Really good food. What sounds so simple is, according to Gault&Millau, the restaurant with the third highest honour in the Saalfelden Leogang region: the ‘echt. gut essen.’ at the Naturhotel Forsthofgut. Toque-awarded chef Michael Helfrich was able to impress in his small à la carte restaurant, where he serves a maximum of ten guests, and was awarded 3 toques and 16 out of 20 possible points. Gault&Millau writes about his cuisine: ‘The dining room is surrounded by glass-fronted wine cabinets, the hotel kitchen and the open-plan fine dining kitchen: Three small chef's tables are placed here, which are exclusively cooked for by a chef and served by a maître - a unique setting! There is a choice of an eight-course menu or a ‘surprise menu’ reduced to five courses. Children can also order dishes from the hotel restaurant. The lake trout ceviche plays a spicy-fresh starring role in an ensemble of wafer-thin Granny Smith slices, cucumber emulsion and iced horseradish foam. The sea bass with portobello strips and a deep porcini mushroom broth makes us cheer.... The wine and drinks list is great cinema. The non-alcoholic accompaniments to the menus are among the best in the country.’

Front cooking for high culinary standards in the two-toque restaurant Ess:enz

In the Ess:enz restaurant in the new Heaven Spa at the 4****S Naturresort Puradies in Leogang, dishes are created using local produce and the hotel's own organic farm. The kitchen team has once again been awarded 2 toques and 13 points for Ess:enz. The pure and innovative concept is called ‘Garden of Eating’ and fulfils the highest culinary demands, which culminate in the front cooking. Gault&Millau writes: ‘With an attractively priced three-course menu, we start with an excellently seasoned wild garlic soup: creamy, delicately piquant, well-balanced garlic flavours. The veal fillet with two different sauces and wild broccoli is a signature dish of the house - a safe bet. The homemade pasta (‘Trottole’) is the surprise of the dinner: the ensemble with celery cream and freshly sliced truffle is outstanding....!’

The organic Hotel Rupertus receives a toque

The Hotel Rupertus in Leogang has been offering organic-certified enjoyment and relaxation since 1977. ‘100% organic ingredients creatively interpreted Alpine cuisine and vegan plant power’ is the motto with which the kitchen team at the Rupertus was awarded a toque and 12.5 points. ‘At the Biohotel Rupertus, à la carte guests can also choose any individual course they like from the two three- and five-course menus (meat/fish or vegan/plant-based). In keeping with the hotel's standards, everything is certified organic. All suppliers (also called partners by Rupertus) are presented. A very good start with boiled beef aspic, sour cream and bread crisps. The fried char Mullerin style with parsley potatoes, almonds and lemon sauce is excellently prepared and nicely served. The dessert is delicious: banana tart with curd ice cream. Friendly service and a good selection of drinks with an impressive - and rather unique - organic bar,’ reads the Gault&Millau review.