Food news from Innsbruck: new restaurants, new tastes

With the start of autumn, the days are getting shorter and the dark evenings invite you to cook at home. Or to enjoy a meal in one of the new restaurants in Innsbruck. Quite a few of them have opened in the past few months. You shouldn't miss these foodie hotspots!

Basically, we all know that vegetables are healthy. However, with a meat consumption of 59 kilograms per person per year, Austria is unfortunately still among the European leaders. This is not only bad for our health, but also for the climate. My thesis: many people don't even know how good refined vegetables taste.

Those who do know are part of the team at the former Marta restaurant in the arches. A few months ago, they set up shop in the former Green Flamingo premises on Fürstenweg and do without industrially prepared products and meat.

Instead, the The Blum uses traditional methods such as roasting, fermenting, sous-vide, braising, deep-frying and pickling. "We boil, dry and rehydrate vegetables to present them to you in a variety of ways," they say.

At lunchtime, there are changing menus, with the vegetable burgers and ramen soups particularly eye-catching.

In the evening, you can choose between an à la carte order or the sharing menu (for two or more people). Here you get two starters, three main courses and a dessert to share. Excerpts from the menu read like this, for example:

• Salad of colorful raw beans; white wine pears, goat cheese, ginger gel and hazelnuts
• Melanzani in panko; smoked tomatoes, chimichurri and rocket salad
• Poor bread savior; sourdough bread, vanilla, peanut ice cream, salted caramel and peanut crumble

By the way, there are reusable takeaway containers here.

Conclusion: finally a place where you can look forward to what the seasonal cuisine has in store next!

To set the record straight linguistically: While in Das Blum the article is part of the name, the Brasserei has no article. Does that make it less hip? We take a look around on a sunny weekday. The beautifully shaped scented candles in the garden are unusual - but probably more hygge than hip. But now to the really important thing: a look at the menu.

"From espresso to sprizz, from sardinas to pulpo. à bientôt" - so enticingly written on the website. And yes, this is reflected on the menu. A small excerpt from three courses as an example:

• Fresh, lukewarm pulpo in a pan with potato panzanella
• Parisienne Gourmand (don't call it a burger): Croissant with fillet of beef, caramelized onions, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, Dijon honey sauce and potato chips
• Fresh churros with cinnamon, sugar and warm, thick chocolate

You will be cooked and served by the team from Kunstpause (the restaurant at the Ferdinandeum, which is currently being renovated until 2027). They are very happy about the new location on Burggraben, the quality is the same as before, only the clientele has changed a little, because the Digibon no longer applies here.

Incidentally, the centrally located restaurant opens at 8 a.m. during the week, and brunch is available on Saturdays and Sundays at the weekend!

Conclusion: perfect preparation of Mediterranean-inspired dishes in colorful splendor!

A small fast-food restaurant, Foodcorner, has opened directly opposite Westbahnhof next to Hofer on the corner of the new Zima building. Visually, the store appears to be divided into two parts: on the right like a kebab stand, on the left like a hip city café. A mixture that somehow still works, perhaps because the menu reflects it. An excerpt from three different dishes, which are available to-go or to eat on the spot:

• Tuna Pineapple Bowl: tuna in olive oil, salad, red cabbage, carrots, pointed peppers, dip/sauce of your choice
• Corner's roll: Dürüm bread, kebab meat, chicken strips, chips, salad, sauce
• Sausage Bosna: Bosna bread, grilled sausage strips, salad, sauce

I have now only withheld the five burgers from you, which are also available and always come with spiced fries. Speaking of which: WOW, those fries! Crispy and super well seasoned. Yes, you can also order them individually. It would just be nice if the ketchup and mayonnaise didn't come in individual plastic packets.

Incidentally, it's not really ideal for corners, as the restaurant is rather small and intended for quick consumption. Never mind, after such a burger a walk into the old town does you good anyway.

Conclusion: very friendly, quick and freshly prepared and a real treat for chip lovers!

No one who is active on Instagram in Innsbruck can tell me that they have never heard of Karaffu. The social media masters of the first hour have created a lot of hype and there is usually a queue outside the small restaurant in Leopoldstraße. Not infrequently with international guests who have mingled with the locals.

On my first visit, I almost want to turn around and visit one of the old cafés instead, but then I'm glad I waited. It's noticeable while I'm waiting: every corner of the café is photogenic and Instagrammable - whether it's the large bouquet of flowers, the minimalist US-style menu on the wall or the colorful cakes behind the glass. The cheeky business cards with slogans such as "Better coffee with cake than no sex at all" support the image.

The coffee tastes great, and the matcha girlies with their grass-green drinks at the small table in the dining room also look happy. Unfortunately, there aren't many seats here, but you can sit on various steps all around.

The pistachio cake with its thick pistachio cream is not only visually bombastic. But my recommendation is the cheesecake with pistachio cream.

Conclusion: queue or no queue, this is definitely what Innsbruck has been missing.