There are many, many places where you can stop to eat
and drink at any time of the day whilst skiing around St.Anton. There are big
self-service restaurants on Rendl; Gampen & Galzig all of which
do reasonably priced food. There is nothing wrong with these places but
they do cater for the mass market. I will detail below some of the
places that I think are a cut above the rest, places where I think you
get great food at excellent value for money, and somewhere you can stop
for lunch that you otherwise may never have thought of.... I will also
give you information about the après ski bars and just what
you should expect to find in them - forewarned is forearmed!
Taps
(Lunch & Apres Ski)
Of
all the great après ski hangouts in St.Anton this is my
favourite. For the 2009/10 Ski season Taps has undergone a
transformation. A new lounge bar and sun terrace have been built above
the main bar area and a chill out room has been added downstairs. Of
course when the
weather
is good you can still sit on the deckchairs outside and make use of the waitress
service. Run by Egon & Ursela it is frequented by locals, ski
instructors and tourists of all nationalities. The music is great and
normally played very loud which can be a problem if you are sitting
inside the main bar - if you want to talk head upstairs! The food here is also very good, popular opinion has it that
they do the best ribs on the mountain, for me though the Taps Burger is
tops. When it really kicks off in Taps it can go totally wild...dancing
on the tables....climbing up into the rafters and all the time Egon
handing out free trays of his home made schnapps..... So where is this place ?? It is actually
attached to the Krazy Kanguruh apres ski bar and can be reached by
coming down red run no.21 from Gampen or if you are coming from Galzig
it is down blue run no.1 that
starts just below the Zammermoos chairlift- although you have to cut
off to the left after passing Heustadl (just follow the big sign to Taps & the Krazy Kanguruh) and you will find it.
The Arlberghohe (Lunch)
This
one is an absolute must.... In my humble opinion the Arlberghohe is by
far and away the best place to eat on the mountain!! Run by Christof
Klimmer and his family, the Arlberghohe will guarantee you a very warm
welcome and excellent food from an extensive menu. The style is very
much that of the old "Tyrolean Stub'n" with tables for both large and
small groups. The hospitality here is such that many times
our lunch has extended throughout the afternoon until making a quick
dash to get the last lift back up the mountain to St.Anton. The schi wasser
here is the best you will find anywhere in the resort - we normally pop
in here about 10.30 for a hot chocolate with rum or a schi wasser
break. Unless you arrive early I would suggest that you ski by and book
your table in the morning. When the weather is hot you will need to get
there early if you want to guarantee a seat on the large sun terrace
(see pic below). To
find the Arlberghohe you ski down to St.Chrstoph from the Galzig and
head for the return chairlift, you will see the Arlberghohe just before
the chairlift on the left. Many people who lunch in St.Christoph go to
the Hospiz Alm, I probably should not tell you this but although the
food is good, it is expensive and the service leaves a great deal to be
desired - Stick with the Arlberghohe.
http://www.arlberghoehe.at/
The Underground on the Piste
(Apres Ski)
For
anybody who has skied in St.Anton over the last few decades I am sure
that you will know of "The Underground" bar - you may not know however
that it closed it doors a couple of seasons ago when the lease on the
premises ran out. Joan then opened a newer version of this old après ski spot in the ground
floor rooms of her own house (no lease problems here!) right at the bottom
of the piste. Old regulars will be pleased to know
that Joan is the
same as ever (in joke) and that live music is normally on the agenda.
The bar is totally different to the old one, much more homely and
cosy, and Joan always provides some nachos and dips for you to nibble
whilst you party on. The food is pretty good in here too if you are
feeling like more than a few nachos but you will most likely
need to reserve a table when you arrive if you want to eat. A note to newcomers to this little place - Joan can be
a little touchy as to where you sit so expect to be moved around
occasionally - all part of her eccentric charm! To
find the "Underground on the Piste" ski down towards the village under
the new gondola and just before you reach the gondola station itself
peel off to the right and you will spot a neon après ski sign. If you intend
to come by foot from the village head up the hill from the roundabout
beneath the gondola station (Alte Arlbergstrasse) and after about 100m
turn right into Rudi Matt Weg and you will soon spot it on your left.
The
Krazy Kanguruh (Apres Ski)
The Krazy Kanguruh is
one of the oldest après ski bars on the mountain and most
likely the wildest. As of the 2009/10 ski season it has been taken over
by local hero and ski racer Mario Matt but I am tld the plan is to
leave it exactly as it has always been. I don't frequent it too much
myself as it does
tend
to be for the "younger crowd" and snowboarders but if you go there you
can pretty much guarantee a great time, most seasons the bar staff seem
to hail from Sweden and are not unattractive to say the least. There
are also a couple of tequila slammer girls plying their trade
throughout the bar - a speciality being slammers out of the belly
button. To
find the KK follow the same directions as for
Taps as described above. Be careful as to where you leave your skis
here - it is very easy to lose them or worse, have them stolen. Best to
try and get in there early if you want a seat as it does get very
business as the slopes close.
www.krazykanguruh.com
Heustadl (Lunch &
Apres Ski)
The Heustadl (Hay Store) has always been a
very friendly place to drop into for a few beers after a good day out
on the piste and this year it is even better as Rudi has extended it
over the summer to almost double the original size..... There is a good
sound system which blasts music out onto the slopes (a good number of
which are German!!) and they also have live music inside at certain
times......There is seating upstairs and downstairs and it is all in the ashion
of an old hay loft - I like it a lot. There is also an extensive
terrace area for those hot sunny afternoons. The Heustadl is the first
après ski bar that you will come to as you head down Blue
run 1 from below the Zammermoos chairlift and is on the left hand side of
the slope. Since it is the first bar you will come to there is good
scope to have a few in there before moving further down towards the
village and the other après ski bars.....Hey it could be the
start of a great bar crawl.....!!
The Mooserwirt (Lunch & Apres Ski) 
Well
what can we say about the Mooserwirt? It is probably one of the most
famous après ski spots in Europe and
my mate Nigel's second home when he is in St.Anton, it sells more beer
per square metre than anywhere else in Austria and it has the worst
euro trash music on the mountain unless you are German! BUT when you are in the
mood the place really does kick, you have to experience it at least
once during your trip - it does have atmosphere a-plenty. The food is very good and the
portions very large so it is a good bet for lunch but be warned in peak
season it will be very busy. But from 3pm onwards the crowds really
start to arrive and by 4pm you have no chance of finding a seat as the
music booms out across the piste. To truly enjoy the Mooserwirt
experience I would suggest that you get there early (ideally book a
table) and watch what happens at 3.30 when they start the "Final
Countdown", the electronic shutters all close, the
amazing light show starts and the crowds pour in.....very soon the
place is packed, literally to bursting point with very loud, beer
drinking skiers all singing along to the mostly naff German dance music
- it is great!!
To get to The Mooserwirt just come down Blue run No1 which starts just
past the Zammermoos chairlift and it is the last après ski
bar on the mountain - so stay to the right and just follow the
noise.
http://www.mooserwirt.at/
The Hotel Post Stuben (Lunch)
Stuben
is such a lovely little village that pretty much anyone who has
mastered the snowplough can ski to from St.Anton
(see where to ski link). The village has several very nice places to
have lunch, but in my opinion the very best is the Hotel Post. The Post has a tradition going back
over 500 years and is a nice mix of the modern and the old. On
a sunny day there is a large sun terrace but if the weather is not too
warm then there is plenty of room inside. Try and eat in the old wood
paneled dining room if you can. The food is good, as is the service. To
find the Hotel Post you just leave your skis in the racks next to the
little church just above the bottom of the Albona I chairlift and walk
round to the left, then follow the path to the main village street.
Stuben is so small that there is only one main street and if you turn
left (downhill) onto it you will see the Post on your right. There
should be no need to book.
Senn Hutte (Lunch & Apres Ski)
The
Senn Hutte is one that you should experience but maybe only once unless
you are a German speaker! This is the home of DD Diesel - who you ask
is DD Diesel? Well he
is an Austrian singer/comic / impressionist who seems to operate on
overdrive. Even though his whole show is in German it is still highly
amusing and once you have had plenty of beer you will actually start to get the German jokes and worse still, find
yourself swaying arm in arm to the music with all the Germans sitting
on your table. It is great if there is a large group of you and you all
like to drink large glasses of beer that are delivered to you as soon
as your glass is empty... Plan to get there early for après
ski if you want a good table. There is also a good sun terrace, which
is great for lunch on a sunny day. To find Senn Hutte you ski down Blue
1 from the Zammermoosbahn and it is the first après ski bar
on the right just after Heustadl on the left.
The Anton Bar (Apres Ski)
The
Anton bar is your first stop as you remove your skis at the bottom of
the slopes by the Galzig Bahn and blasts out loud music - so if you
can't find it you might consider that you have already had too much to
drink. This is a bar that shows ski / snowboarding films, plays good
music and serves plenty of alcohol.
It is always very busy in here and
plenty of the ski instructors also hang out here as it is just around
the corner from the ski school. If you fancy something to eat then pop
into the Anton cafe (a great place for breakfast) next door, they have
sheep skin rugs on all the chairs outside which is very nice...
Griabli (Lunch & Apres Ski)
The Griabli is actually a very good place to go for
lunch and is sadly quite often overlooked when the lunch decision is
made. The food is very good and the service also excellent. There is a
nice log fire in the centre of the main area. For those sunny days
there is also a terrace (sadly overlooking the Mooserwirt !!) If
you choose to apres ski here you will find that there is a great sound
system installed with great music flowing from it....and on Monday and
Wednesday there is live music during apres ski. Griabli is very
popular with my orange clad friends from below sea level.
After 7.30pm they also open for dinner with
a very good A la Carte menu ( and all the apres skiers have been sent
home by this time !) I have never tried this but I am assured that it
is very good.
You will find Griable right next to the
Mooserwirt on the run down to the village under the new Gondola.
Fang
House (Lunch & Apres Ski)
Not a lair for Count Dracula but an
après ski bar at the bottom of the slopes in Nasserein
that
takes it’s name from the slope that you ski down to get
there. This is about the only lively place to après ski at
this end of town. I always think of it as being very much like Taps - a
small bar with a great atmosphere that is always crowded. The advantage
here is that the Fanghouse is actually in the village and not on the
slopes - so when you have drunk too much and decide it is time to
leave, you
only have to remember your skis, not use them... They also have a nice
simple menu for lunch and this makes it a good place to take the kids
for a cheap bite. It is situated right next to the Nasserein gondalo
station - you will not have to walk far after lunch to get back up the
slopes.
The
Roddl Hutte
The Roddl
Hutte is set off to the left just before you pass the top of the
Fangbahn as you ski down towards the Nasserein gondola. It has a very
large sun terrace and a traditional Tyrolean atmosphere. The food is
good value and comes in generous portions - I would suggest that if you
are hungry you try one of the soups and go for the large version -
there is enough for several people! If the sun is not shining and
you decide to sit inside, try and get into the original hutte as it is
very cosy and has a nice fire. There is also live tyrolean
music and food at the Roddl Hutte some evenings in the week .
The Piccadilly
The Piccadilly bar is open
from 4pm for après ski and live music, it then becomes a late night bar after
9pm at which point nobody can come in with ski gear on... There is live
music
here each afternoon with resident musician "Gunar" and the occasional
guest player turning up to join in the fun... This is a very
lively apres ski bar with a great atmosphere. You can find the
Piccadilly underneath the Post Hotel with the entrance next to Alber
Sports. Get
there early if you want to find a seat as it does get very busy
in here as the time passes and more people find their way into it. If
you are planning on staying in the piccadilly for a while it is probably
a good idea to store your skis safely away first - many a pair go
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The Verwallstube
The Verwallstube is
situated in the lift station at the top of the galzigbahn and is a
gourmet restaurant for those of you wanting to part with large amounts
of Euro in return for extremely good food! There is a great sun terrace
that looks out towards the Verwall and Rendl from where you can enjoy a
glass of champagne or vintage wine. I have never eaten here as I
prefer to ski rather than spend shedloads of money on food but I am
told by my rich mates who have been here that it is very good.
The Verwallstube is also open every Friday evening - to get there you
have to take the galzigbahn. You may need to book in advance. Tel
0043 5446 2352