Seeböckenhotel Zum Weißen Hirschen

It’s a nice place in a beautiful setting, and the food smelled delicious, though I didn’t end up having lunch. For me, it came down to the attitude. Smiles should be free and available at every restaurant around the world.

The lakeside setting is beautiful, and the food is very high quality, but the service was horribly rude and made us feel unwelcome. A thin, blonde, middle-aged lady with a strong accent in both German and English served us. Hopefully you don’t get her. We arrived for dinner at 20:50, and she made it clear she thought that was “late” and that our presence was a nuisance. Next time, they’d be better off not letting us in at all. We won’t be back.

The place shuts at 2100, so make sure you get there in time. The staff were courteous, though, and we didn’t feel rushed. We had some good views from a table by the lake, and there were solid Austrian food and drink choices, including a couple of good vegetarian dishes. There’s another restaurant around the corner with fewer options but perhaps better fresh seafood, and a specialty fish restaurant farther down the lane. Our bill for four, with drinks, came close to €100. That felt like a lot for an experience I’m not sure was quite premium, though everything else in the neighborhood was similarly priced.

We ate here four times during our week in St. Wolfgang, and the food was excellent every time. The staff were friendly and helpful, and eating beside the lake makes the whole experience even better. We’re looking forward to coming back in September.