Restaurant in Mules, Italy
Five tables, one menu, book early.
A Michelin-starred, five-table tasting menu inside a 13th-century Stube in the South Tyrol: Gourmetstube Einhorn is the kind of intimate, serious kitchen that justifies a detour and rewards more than one visit. Chef Peter Girtler offers four, five, or six creative courses; the room is historic and unhurried; and the on-site Stafler hotel makes an overnight stay the logical way to do it properly. Book well in advance.
Yes — if you are serious about creative tasting menus in alpine Italy, Gourmetstube Einhorn is one of the most compelling arguments for the detour. Five tables, a 13th-century post house, Michelin-starred cooking from Chef Peter Girtler, and a La Liste score that has sat in the mid-80s across consecutive years: this is a restaurant that has earned its reputation without courting it. The question is not whether the cooking is good. It is whether the format, the location, and the booking challenge suit your particular trip.
Gourmetstube Einhorn occupies a dining room inside the Stafler hotel — a medieval Stube lined with centuries-old wood, set in a building that has been a waypoint in the South Tyrol since the 1200s. The room holds five tables. There are no à la carte options. Chef Girtler runs a single tasting menu with a course-count choice: four, five, or six courses, built around creative combinations of meat, fish, and vegetables with visible attention to colour and composition. That format tells you almost everything you need to know before you book.
If you are the kind of diner who wants flexibility, the ability to order one dish, or a quick dinner before catching a late train, this is the wrong room. If you want a structured, unhurried progression through a chef's current thinking , in a setting that is genuinely atmospheric rather than decoratively themed , Einhorn is the right call.
The hotel connection is practically useful: the Stafler property means you can book a room and skip the drive home, which is relevant given the restaurant's evening-only hours and the limited transport options in this corner of South Tyrol. See also our full Mules hotels guide for accommodation context, and Gasthofstube Stafler next door if you want the same address with a more casual register.
Gourmetstube Einhorn rewards return visits in a way that many restaurants at this price point do not , partly because the course-count structure lets you calibrate the experience differently each time, and partly because tasting menus at this level tend to evolve with the seasons and the chef's current focus.
On a first visit, the five-course option is the right entry point: enough range to read Girtler's cooking across meat, fish, and vegetable registers without the commitment of a full six-course progression. It also gives you a reference point for comparison later.
A second visit is where the six-course menu makes sense. You are not discovering the kitchen's logic from scratch; you are seeing how it extends. The additional course typically adds depth rather than simply more food, which is the mark of a menu designed to be experienced in full rather than sampled.
For a third visit , or if you have an anniversary or milestone occasion to anchor , consider booking one of the Stafler hotel rooms and treating the evening as a dedicated stay rather than a dinner with a drive bookending it. The medieval room, the intimate table count, and the unhurried service pace all reward the mindset shift that comes with not watching the clock. Given that Michelin recognition tends to increase booking difficulty over time, locking in a future date before you leave the first visit is worth considering.
Gourmetstube Einhorn holds a Michelin 1 Star (2024) and has appeared in La Liste's Leading Restaurants ranking in both 2025 (86 points) and 2026 (84 points). A Google rating of 4.9 across 68 reviews is a signal worth taking seriously at this table count: at five tables, every guest interaction is consequential, and a sustained 4.9 suggests consistent execution rather than a few good nights. For reference on what the La Liste and Michelin designations mean in the context of Italian creative cooking, compare the recognition profiles of Osteria Francescana in Modena or Piazza Duomo in Alba , both operating at higher star counts but in more accessible urban settings.
Booking difficulty here is high. Five tables, evening-only service, and a Michelin star in a small alpine village mean that availability compresses fast , particularly on weekends. Book as far in advance as you can. The restaurant is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Friday hours run 6:45 PM to 6:45 PM, which appears to indicate a single seating rather than a service window; confirm directly when booking. All other open evenings run 6:45 PM to 7:45 PM, again suggesting a tight, single-seating format rather than a rolling service.
The price range is €€€€. No specific per-head figures are available in the verified record, but at this recognition level and format in South Tyrol, expect tasting menu pricing consistent with other Michelin-starred tasting rooms in the region. Budget accordingly and treat wine pairing as a separate consideration when you enquire.
Mules is a small settlement in the Val di Vizze area of South Tyrol, north of Vipiteno. If you are driving from Innsbruck or Bolzano, the address at Via Mules 10, 39040 Vipiteno BZ is your reference point. Public transport options to Mules are limited; a car or pre-arranged transfer is the practical choice. See our Mules experiences guide for wider context on making the most of a stay in the area.
For further dining options in the region, our full Mules restaurants guide covers the broader picture. If you are also exploring the area's wine culture, our Mules wineries guide is worth consulting before your visit. Bars are covered in our Mules bars guide.
Quick reference: Michelin 1 Star, La Liste Leading Restaurants (84–86pts), five tables, single tasting menu (4/5/6 courses), €€€€, dinner only, closed Tuesday and Wednesday, hotel rooms available on-site, booking difficulty: high.
No bar seating is documented for Gourmetstube Einhorn. With only five tables in a formal Stube setting, the room is not configured for casual bar dining. If you want a more relaxed option at the same address, Gasthofstube Stafler is the adjacent option within the Stafler hotel.
No published dietary policy is available in the verified record. Given the single tasting menu format and five-table capacity, it is worth contacting the restaurant directly when booking to discuss requirements , a kitchen this small typically has room to accommodate restrictions if given advance notice, but confirmation is essential before you arrive.
No formal dress code is specified, but the combination of Michelin recognition, €€€€ pricing, and a historic Stube setting in a hotel property points clearly toward smart-casual at minimum. In practice, other La Liste-ranked restaurants in Italy at this level expect guests to dress accordingly. Err toward smart rather than casual if you are uncertain.
It is well-suited to it. Five tables, a medieval wood-panelled room, a Michelin-starred tasting menu, and the option to stay overnight at the Stafler hotel add up to a self-contained special occasion rather than just a dinner. Anniversary dinners and milestone celebrations work particularly well here given the intimate scale , at five tables, the room never feels like a function. For comparison, Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone or Uliassi in Senigallia offer similar occasion-appropriate credentials in coastal settings if you are weighing alternatives elsewhere in Italy.
Mules is a small village, so the realistic comparison set extends to the wider South Tyrol and northern Italian creative dining circuit. Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico is the most direct regional peer: a multi-starred creative kitchen in the same alpine corridor, with greater international recognition but a harder booking challenge. Within the Mules address itself, Gasthofstube Stafler offers a lower-commitment regional option at the same hotel. See our full Mules restaurants guide for the complete picture.
At €€€€ with a Michelin star, La Liste recognition in the 84–86 point range, and a 4.9 Google rating across 68 reviews, the tasting menu is priced in line with its recognition. The single-menu format means you are trusting the kitchen entirely, which is appropriate here given the consistency signals. The four-course option gives you a lower-cost entry point if you want to test the kitchen before committing to the full six-course experience on a return visit. For context on what €€€€ creative tasting menus deliver at higher star counts, compare Le Calandre in Rubano or Reale in Castel di Sangro.
Dinner only , the restaurant does not serve lunch. All seatings begin at 6:45 PM. The single evening seating format, combined with the option to stay at the Stafler hotel, makes an overnight stay the logical way to fully extract value from the experience without time pressure.
Technically yes, but it is not the most natural fit. At five tables in a formal Stube, solo covers are possible but the room reads as designed for couples and small groups. The tasting menu format works for solo diners who want a structured, unhurried progression without needing a companion to share dishes. If you are travelling solo and want a livelier single-diner experience, a counter-seat restaurant in Bolzano or Innsbruck would give you more interaction. That said, the quality of cooking here makes it worth booking solo if the format appeals to you.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Gourmetstube Einhorn | €€€€ | — |
| Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler | €€€€ | — |
| Dal Pescatore | €€€€ | — |
| Enoteca Pinchiorri | €€€€ | — |
| Enrico Bartolini | €€€€ | — |
| Le Calandre | €€€€ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Gourmetstube Einhorn and alternatives.
No. Gourmetstube Einhorn is a five-table tasting menu restaurant with a single seating format — there is no bar or counter dining. If you want a seat, you need a reservation. Walk-ins are not a realistic option at a Michelin-starred venue with this few covers.
The kitchen offers a single tasting menu with a choice of four, five, or six courses — a format that typically requires advance communication about dietary needs. check the venue's official channels when booking to confirm what is possible. At €€€€ pricing with this level of kitchen craft, most tasting-menu restaurants at this standard accommodate restrictions with notice.
The setting is a medieval Stube inside a hotel in a small alpine village, and the format is a Michelin-starred tasting menu. Dress accordingly: no jeans or trainers. The atmosphere is intimate rather than formal grand-dining, so a polished smart look fits without needing black tie.
Yes — it is one of the more convincing special-occasion options in alpine Italy. Five tables, centuries-old wood interiors, a Michelin star (2024), and a focused tasting menu make it a strong choice for a dinner that feels considered rather than performative. The Stafler hotel also offers rooms, which removes the pressure of driving back after a long dinner.
There are no direct competitors in Mules itself. For creative tasting menus in the broader South Tyrol and northern Italian region, Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler offers a higher-profile comparison. For a destination-level alternative further south, Le Calandre near Padua or Dal Pescatore in Lombardy operate at a comparable price point with more international recognition.
Yes, if the format suits you. Chef Peter Girtler's menu runs four to six courses, drawing on meat, fish, and vegetables with a creative, colour-forward approach. The Michelin star (2024) and La Liste placements in both 2025 (86 pts) and 2026 (84 pts) support the pricing. If you prefer à la carte flexibility, this is not your restaurant.
Dinner only. The restaurant opens at 6:45 PM on its operating days — Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday — with no lunch service listed. Tuesday and Wednesday are closed entirely. Plan around this schedule, and book the Stafler hotel if you want to avoid a late-night drive from this part of the Alto Adige.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
