2 Best Restaurants in Carinthia and Graz, Austria

A tiny old house turned coffee shop in the center of the city, Cafe Schwalbennest serves traditional Austrian cakes such as homemade sweet poppy seed and cheese-curd tort. It's also a great breakfast spot with regionally sourced cheese and meat, and has a nice Austrian wine list for later in the day. Green shutters on a red facade make Cafe Schwalbennest easy to spot, and there is an upstairs patio overlooking the River Mur, which runs through Graz. But beware, with only three tables upstairs, it can be difficult to snag a spot.

Joining the expanding enterprise of Sacher cafés in Austria's most prominent cities, Graz's Sacher is everything you would expect from a Sacher Café—lots of gilt, crimson upholstery, sparking chandeliers, and Viennese dessert, including the rich chocolate Sachertorte. If you're hungry for a meal, there are breakfast, lunch, and dinner specialties. Try the Styrian Almochsen fillet (Alp steer) with seasonal vegetables, or one of the unrivaled desserts, like the nougat parfait with egg liquor. In the adjoining Sacher Wein-Snackbar, you can choose tasty snacks to blend with a full-bodied Austrian white wine or champagne.