Restaurant in Altaussee, Austria
Book early. Alpine set menu, no fuss.
A Michelin-starred tasting menu in a genuine Alpine farmhouse outside Altaussee, Geiger Alm is the strongest case for a deliberate dinner in the Salzkammergut. Chef Dominik Utassy serves four to eight courses of regionally grounded, seasonally driven food; Eva-Maria Utassy runs service with real warmth and wine knowledge. Seats are limited and the kitchen only opens Tuesday to Saturday evenings — book well ahead.
Getting a table at Geiger Alm requires planning. This small timber farmhouse in the Salzkammergut highlands operates only Tuesday through Saturday from 6 PM, closes Sunday and Monday entirely, and holds a limited number of seats that Michelin has been quietly directing diners toward since awarding it a star in 2024. If you're reading this while planning a trip to Altaussee, open the booking page before you finish this paragraph. The combination of a short operating week, genuinely small capacity, and growing recognition from serious food travellers means availability disappears well ahead of peak Alpine season.
The effort is worth making. Geiger Alm is a one-star restaurant that doesn't perform like one — and that's its primary advantage. Where many restaurants at this recognition level signal their ambition through minimal plating, cool service, and hushed dining rooms, Geiger Alm occupies an old Alpine timber building with the kind of interior that reads as genuinely warm rather than strategically rustic. The setting is visual from the moment you arrive: dark wood, the proportions of a building that predates the restaurant industry, and in summer a terrace that opens onto the surrounding hills. You are not eating in a designed experience; you are eating in a place.
Chef Dominik Utassy runs a four- to eight-course set menu, with a vegetarian version available. The kitchen draws on regional culinary tradition and seasonal produce — a description that applies to dozens of Alpine restaurants, but which at Geiger Alm translates into food that Michelin has judged worthy of its first star. The range in course count matters practically: the menu length can vary by season and availability, so the price commitment and time investment are not fixed quantities. Come expecting an evening, not a quick dinner.
The front of house is equally considered. Eva-Maria Utassy manages service with what the Michelin entry describes as "unaffected charm" and brings genuine knowledge to wine recommendations. At €€€€ pricing in a rural Austrian setting, that service quality is part of what justifies the spend. You are not getting a city restaurant's sommelier bench, but you are getting attentive, informed guidance from someone who clearly knows the list. For food and wine travellers who care as much about how a meal is hosted as what's on the plate, that matters.
Summer is the strongest case for booking Geiger Alm. The terrace changes the character of the meal entirely, and the surrounding range of Altaussee , a glacial lake region in the Austrian Alps , is at its clearest in July and August. That's also when competition for tables is sharpest, so advance booking of several weeks is the minimum sensible approach in high season. For a slightly less pressured experience with the same kitchen quality, early autumn (September into October) offers the chance to catch late-season produce, cooler evening air, and somewhat more available tables before the restaurant's winter closure pattern sets in. Avoid arriving without a reservation on any night , the seat count makes walk-in dining a poor bet regardless of the day.
The Tuesday-to-Saturday dinner-only format shapes your trip planning directly. If you're building an itinerary around Geiger Alm, anchor your Altaussee nights to a weekday evening and build the rest of the visit around hiking, the lake, and the region's other food options. Our full Altaussee restaurants guide covers the broader dining picture, and if you need a strong lunch option or something more casual on the nights Geiger Alm is closed, Stefan Haas Fine Dine and Strandcafé are worth considering locally.
What Geiger Alm offers that city restaurants at this price tier rarely manage is the absence of self-consciousness. The Michelin star arrived at a restaurant that was already doing exactly what it intended to do: cook carefully sourced regional food in a timber house in the mountains, serve it with warmth, and let the Alpine surroundings do some of the work. That's a formula that exists in theory across Austria, but Geiger Alm executes it with enough precision that the result earned formal recognition. The star adds a trust signal without changing the restaurant's identity , which is the leading possible version of that outcome.
At €€€€, this is not a cheap meal. But it is priced proportionately for what it delivers: a tasting menu format, one-star cooking, a terrace with a view in summer, and service that includes real wine guidance. For food-focused travellers making a deliberate trip to the Salzkammergut, it's the clearest answer to where to spend your leading evening. For anyone already in the region and weighing whether the drive to Ramsau and the advance booking effort are worth it: yes, they are.
If you're planning broader travel in the Austrian Alpine food corridor, comparable destinations worth knowing include Döllerer in Golling an der Salzach, Obauer in Werfen, Senns in Salzburg, and Griggeler Stuba in Lech. For the broader Altaussee picture beyond dining, our guides to hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences in the region cover the full visit.
Book well in advance , this is a small-capacity restaurant with a Michelin star and a five-night operating week. Arrive expecting a set menu of four to eight courses (vegetarian version available), a relaxed but attentive service style, and a genuine Alpine farmhouse setting rather than a formal dining room. Pricing sits at €€€€, so factor in the full tasting menu cost when budgeting. The address is Lichtersberg 85 in Ramsau, not central Altaussee , account for the drive.
Yes, at €€€€ for a Michelin-starred tasting menu in a rural Alpine setting, the value holds. You're getting carefully sourced regional cooking at a level the Michelin guide judged worthy of a star in 2024, paired with wine recommendations from Eva-Maria Utassy, who manages the room with genuine knowledge. The vegetarian menu is available if the standard format doesn't suit. If you're comparing spend, this delivers more culinary ambition than most Austrian restaurants at the same price point outside Vienna or Salzburg.
It's a strong choice for a couple or small group marking an occasion in a genuinely distinctive setting. The intimate room, quality of service, and the terrace in summer create a meal that feels considered rather than transactional. It is not the right venue for large celebratory groups , the seat count is limited and the format is a set menu. For a birthday dinner, anniversary, or a milestone meal built around a deliberate trip to the Salzkammergut, it works well.
Dinner only , Geiger Alm does not serve lunch. The kitchen opens at 6 PM Tuesday through Saturday and closes Sunday and Monday. There is no daytime service option, so any visit requires an evening reservation. Plan accordingly if you're building a day itinerary around the region.
The restaurant operates a set menu format in a small timber farmhouse , this is not a bar dining or walk-in counter situation. Seating is reservation-driven and the format is a structured tasting menu. There is no confirmed bar counter dining option in the available data. If you're looking for a more casual drop-in experience in Altaussee, Strandcafé is a more suitable option.
The restaurant has a limited seat count, which constrains group bookings. Small groups of two to four are the format this restaurant suits leading. Larger parties should contact the restaurant directly to confirm whether the capacity allows it , no phone number is publicly listed in our data, so reach out via the restaurant's own booking channel. Given the limited seats and high demand, group reservations need significantly more lead time than individual bookings.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geiger Alm | This place is the epitome of cosy rusticity! Housed in a quaint old timber building, the restaurant has a delightful Alpine-style interior and serves flavoursome dishes that draw on regional culinary tradition and seasonal produce. It's clear that your hosts are passionate about what they do. In the kitchen, Dominik Utassy prepares a four- to eight-course set menu (vegetarian version available), using carefully selected ingredients. Eva-Maria Utassy expertly manages the service with unaffected charm, offering astute wine recommendations. Given the limited number of seats, you would be wise to book early. In summer, dine out on the terrace and take in the surrounding natural beauty.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | €€€€ | — |
| Steirereck im Stadtpark | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Mraz & Sohn | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Döllerer | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Landhaus Bacher | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Obauer | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Geiger Alm and alternatives.
Groups are possible but the venue's limited seat count makes this harder than at a city restaurant. Book as far in advance as you can — the Michelin listing describes the number of seats as a direct reason to book early. If you're planning a group of six or more, check the venue's official channels to confirm availability before locking in travel plans.
No bar dining is documented for Geiger Alm. The format is a set menu in a timber farmhouse with limited seats, managed personally by Eva-Maria Utassy. This is a sit-down tasting menu operation, not a drop-in bar or à la carte setup.
At €€€€ pricing with a Michelin star (2024) and a four- to eight-course format, Geiger Alm delivers genuine value relative to comparably priced Alpine fine dining. The vegetarian version is available, which broadens the case for mixed groups. If you want flexibility or à la carte options, this is not the right format — but if a set menu works for you, the kitchen's focus on regional produce and seasonal ingredients makes the price defensible.
Geiger Alm is only open Tuesday through Saturday from 6 PM, with Sunday and Monday closed — plan your trip around that. It's a small timber farmhouse at Lichtersberg 85, Ramsau, in the Altaussee highlands, so getting there requires a car or pre-arranged transport. The format is a fixed set menu, four to eight courses, so come knowing you're committing to the full experience. Book well in advance; seats are limited and the Michelin recognition means demand outpaces capacity.
Yes, with conditions. The combination of a Michelin star, a personal front-of-house run by Eva-Maria Utassy, and a rural Alpine setting makes it a strong choice for a birthday or anniversary dinner where the destination itself is part of the occasion. It works best for parties of two or small groups who want an intimate, unhurried evening — the limited seats mean it never feels like a production-line special occasion venue.
Dinner is your only option — Geiger Alm operates exclusively from 6 PM on its open nights, Tuesday through Saturday. There is no lunch service. In summer, arriving at 6 PM with daylight remaining gives you the terrace at its best before the evening sets in, which is as close to a lunch atmosphere as this restaurant offers.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
