Best of Austria

Juan Amador: Austria’s first three-star address is home to a truly exceptional talent. For the third time in his career, Juan Amador has achieved the highest rating in the Michelin Guide. He had already achieved this amazing feat at his restaurants in Langen and Mannheim before causing a sensation with his restaurant in Vienna. Juan Amador moved to Austria in the name of love, opening the restaurant which was named after him in March 2016. Originally run as an inn and grocery store, the rapid distinction of two Michelin stars caused a change of heart. The inn kitchen was abandoned in favor of fine dining, focusing again on its original strengths which quickly led to further success.

Juan Amador, a German of Catalan-Andalusian origin, trained in classical French cuisine. In the 2000s, he became the German proponent of molecular cuisine which was in great demand at the time. Today he still uses elaborate kitchen techniques but rather more subtly.

In Juan Amador’s kitchen, Spanish temperament meets German virtues. His colorful dishes are powerful, intense and full of flavor. Iced beurre blanc, Mieral pigeon or “Tree frog” with scallops and parsley are classics of his repertoire.

Konstantin Filippou’s dream since youth was to “create something big” with his passion for cooking. He first learned the craft in his mother’s kitchen and then at various top addresses in the international gourmet world. Inspired by his many experiences and impressions, he ventured into self-employment in March 2013 and opened his first restaurant in the heart of Vienna.

The Mediterranean influence of his childhood is omnipresent in Konstantin Filippou’s kitchen. From early on, the sea and its abundant seafood became important sources of inspiration, “I am half Greek, half Austrian and this is reflected in my dishes and in the ambience of my restaurant.” He skillfully combines his multicultural streak with Austrian tradition and creates signature dishes, such as stockfish brandade with char caviar or Croatian langostino with veal tongue, cochayuyo (Chilean seaweed) and citrus.

Gault Millau honored Konstantin Filippou as “Chef of the Year 2016” and included the restaurant in the select circle of 5-toque Austrian restaurants in 2019. The native Styrian also enjoys the prestige of two Michelin stars.

Alain Weissgerber: The Taubenkobel has been an Austrian institution for 40 years. Working jointly with Walter Eselböck from 2010 on, Alain Weissgerber has been responsible for the kitchen of the 4-toque restaurant in Schützen on Lake Neusiedl, Burgenland, alone and as owner since 2015. Born in Alsace, he developed the restaurant’s kitchen style towards the cuisine of the imperial and royal crown lands, the cuisine of Pannonia or modern-day Western Hungary. The deep attachment to the Pannonian region is a central theme running through the whole Taubenkobel experience. Even the crockery has been made locally since the beginning of 1984.

Alain Weissgerber made his career decision at an early age, as he wanted to learn the craft of cooking just as his grandmother had before him. This was followed by periods in international kitchens from Alsace to Los Angeles. Arriving in Burgenland, he perfected his skills such that Forbes named the Taubenkobel as the “Coolest Place to Eat 2016” and Rolling Pin chose the son-in-law of Eveline and Walter Eselböck as Chef of the Year 2018.

“The standard is high but the barrier is not.” With this as his motto, Alain Weissgerber plates ingenious dishes, such as liver with Backerbsen (fried batter pearls) and smoked eel, pointed white cabbage with lamb and caraway stock or iced lettuce with celery ice cream and chervil juice, and celebrates puristic regionalism. His menu is always based on ingredients that are currently growing and ripening locally. The result is the taste of the region in every dish.

Don’t miss the unique guest appearance of this best-of-Austria trio when three figureheads of the Austrian culinary arts set off a culinary firework display at the Restaurant Ikarus in October 2020.