19 Mar 2026
Tags: Austria, Holidays In Austria, Gourmet, gourmet dining, Michelin, Michelin star dining, Dining, Fine Dining, Food, food and drink, food and wine, food travel
22 newcomers are awarded their first MICHELIN Star. Austria now has more than 13 MICHELIN Stars per million inhabitants – placing it among the international frontrunners.
With the publication of the MICHELIN Guide Selection 2026, Austria once again underlines its strong position on the international culinary scene. In total, 101 restaurants in Austria have been awarded one or more MICHELIN Stars.
This brings Austria to a total of 124 Stars – up by 20 on the previous year. The number of MICHELIN Green Stars has also increased: 8 new awards, the total has risen to 41. This year, particular attention is on the many newcomers.
With the current awards, Austria has also improved its position in international comparison: the number of MICHELIN Stars per inhabitant has increased once again and now stands at around 13 per million inhabitants. Austria therefore continues to rank among the countries with the highest density of award-winning restaurants worldwide.
The new awards highlight the creativity and innovation shaping Austria's gastronomy. Young talents, contemporary culinary concepts and the consistent use of high-quality regional ingredients are shaping the scene and strengthening Austria's profile as an internationally sought-after culinary destination.
“The new MICHELIN Guide Selection 2026 underlines that Austria is also among the frontrunners in international culinary competition. This recognition is not only a success for the awarded-winning establishments, but also an important contribution to positioning Austria as a high-quality tourism and culinary destination. I am proud of these achievements and warmly congratulate all the top chefs,” emphasises Elisabeth Zehetner, State Secretary for Energy, Start-ups and Tourism.
“Many countries have beautiful landscapes. We have landscapes that also taste exceptional. The new Austrian selection of the MICHELIN Guide shows the international appeal of Austria's culinary scene. My warmest congratulations go to all the award-winning chefs,” says Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger, CEO of Austria Tourism. Since 2025, Austria Tourism has been Destination Partner of the MICHELIN Guide in Austria.
The awards above all reflect the culinary strength of the federal states. Karin Seiler, CEO of Tyrol Tourism and spokesperson for the provincial tourism organisations in 2026, says: “The new Stars show the culinary strength found in the federal states. From the cities to the alpine regions, outstanding kitchens are emerging everywhere – driven by predominantly regional products, culinary craftsmanship at the highest level and great personal passion.”
“MICHELIN Stars recognise exceptional achievements in gastronomy. We warmly congratulate all the award-winning restaurant teams and all outstanding chefs on this success. As a partner of the gastronomy sector, it is very important to us at METRO to support businesses that stand for quality, precision and creativity every day,” says Thierry Guillon-Verne, CEO of METRO Austria, the MICHELIN Guide Plaques Distributor in Austria. METRO Austria will present the awards to the new Star establishments and promoted restaurants from the eight co-organising federal states at the culinary event The Heart of Food on 23 March 2026 in Schladming-Dachstein.
OVERVIEW OF ALL AWARDS
Stars by federal state
Burgenland – 3 Stars (2 restaurants)
Carinthia – 5 Stars (5 restaurants)
Lower Austria – 8 Stars (7 restaurants)
Upper Austria – 13 Stars (12 restaurants)
Salzburg – 18 Stars (13 restaurants)
Styria –17 Stars (16 restaurants)
Tyrol – 26 Stars (22 restaurants)
Vorarlberg – 8 Stars (6 restaurants)
Vienna – 26 Stars (18 restaurants)
New MICHELIN Stars 2026 (newcomers)
22 restaurants receive a MICHELIN Star for the first time
- Burgenland – 1 restaurant
- Carinthia – 1 restaurant
- Lower Austria – 4 restaurants
- Upper Austria – 2 restaurants
- Salzburg – 1 restaurant
- Styria – 4 restaurants
- Tyrol – 4 restaurants
- Vorarlberg – 1 restaurant
- Vienna – 4 restaurants
Promoted restaurants 2026
One restaurant was able to improve their MICHELIN Guide rating and was awarded an additional Star.
Promotion to two MICHELIN Stars
- Steiermark – Die Weinbank – Restaurant, Ehrenhausen
Category overview
- Three MICHELIN Stars: 2 restaurants
- Two MICHELIN Stars: 19 restaurants
- One MICHELIN Star: 80 restaurants
- Green MICHELIN Stars for sustainability: 41 restaurants (8 of them new)
- Bib Gourmand:61 restaurants (26 of them new)
- MICHELIN Young Chef Award: Sebastian Stock – Bergried - Chef's Table
- MICHELIN Service Award: Monika Müller – Die Forelle
- MICHELIN Sommelier Award: Christian Zach – Die Weinbank
- Opening of the year: Genießerei am Markt – Steiermark(t)dinner by Alexander Posch
The MICHELIN Guide evaluates restaurants according to five globally standardised criteria: the quality of the products, the technical skill of the chefs, the originality of the dishes and the consistency of performance – both over the long term and across the entire menu. The evaluations are carried out by full-time inspectors working anonymously, who conduct their assessments according to clearly defined and objective standards. In Austria, evaluations are carried out once a year. The assessment process is fully independent and based on the globally standardised criteria of the MICHELIN Guide.
The cooperation with the MICHELIN Guide, and thus the return of the world-renowned culinary guide across Austria as a whole, is the result of cooperation between Austria Tourism, the provincial tourism organisations Burgenland Tourismus, Niederösterreich-Werbung, Oberösterreich Tourismus, Steirische Tourismusmarketing GmbH, Kärnten Werbung, SalzburgerLand Tourismus, Tirol Werbung, Vorarlberg Tourismus and the sector representation within the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. METRO Austria has also supported the reintroduction of the MICHELIN Guide in Austria.
The new Star restaurants will also be celebrated at the event The Heart of Food: from 21 to 23 March, the international culinary scene will gather in the Schladming-Dachstein region to experience Austria's gastronomic diversity. On this occasion, the new Star restaurants and promoted establishments from the eight federal states co-organising the event will be celebrated.
The full restaurant selection is available via the MICHELIN Guide app and the MICHELIN Guide website. It complements the global offering of more than 16,000 restaurants and 6,000 hotels and gives Austria's gastronomy international visibility. The new Austrian Bib Gourmand restaurants published on 11 March are also available on the MICHELIN Guide's digital platforms.
Austria Tourism
