The drive to Taubenkobel takes just about an hour from Vienna, yet it feels like a gentle unraveling of city tension. By the time you arrive in Schützen am Gebirge, you’ve already settled into the slower rhythm of the countryside. Two nights here is, in my mind, the perfect stay — long enough to explore, short enough to leave you wanting more.
The rooms strike a balance between minimalism and comfort — clean lines softened by warm, cosy details, with just enough luxury to remind you this is a special place. There’s no desk, no oversized TV. Instead, everything is designed to lower your pulse, to nudge you into peace. If the rooms don’t manage it, the surrounding gardens will.
The “pool” isn’t a pool at all but a pond fringed with wildflowers, reeds swaying in the breeze. If you listen closely you’ll hear frogs, or spot one hiding on the lily pads. Time passes slowly here, whether you’re stretched out on a lounge chair with a book or sipping a glass of rosé, soaking in the countryside.
Country Bistro
Taubenkobel offers three very different ways to dine. At the relaxed Greisslerei, the cooking is hearty and familiar: Wiener Schnitzel, goulash, coq au vin. Dishes are simple, generous, and delicious making it a hit with the locals that are frequent guests.
Kissed by Fire
Back in the main house, you can choose between a grill-focused à la carte or the full tasting menu. We tried both. One night, we shared a whole turbot and a large, aged steak. Both were prepared only with fire, salt, and olive oil — proof that when produce is this good, simplicity is the ultimate luxury.
Two Michelin Stars, Their Way
The tasting menu is the main draw. It began with an array of small, product-driven bites: cherries with popping seeds, a delicate tartlet of radish and sorrel, almond cream. But the highlight was a single spinach leaf carrying smoked eel — one of my favorite ingredients. That deep, smoky richness has the power to define any dish it touches.
Vegetables stood at the heart of the meal. First, crisp artichokes and Jerusalem artichokes with a cool layer of foie gras parfait. Then, a tall, proud mushroom plated like a forest sculpture, dusted not with fallen leaves but with delicate creams and powders. Later, a zucchini blossom crowning pike perch, paired with fig-leaf oil so floral and fragrant it transformed the mild fish into something almost perfumed.
The fire returned for the final savory courses. A carabinero shrimp, paired with hollandaise and head-butter so intense it made me smile from the first bite and kept me smiling long after. Then pigeon: breast roasted over flames, wings deep-fried for irresistible crunch, served with summer spinach and coriander. I happily ate the pigeon legs with my hands — because there is something liberating and soulful, about fatty sauce on your fingers against the backdrop of crisp white linen.
Desserts began savory: sweet potato ice cream with tarragon and sour milk, a combination as surprising as it was harmonious. I love how savory desserts often open the door to new flavor worlds, and this was no exception. The finale returned to the classic: raspberry in all its forms — juice, raw berries, even a delicate fruit leather.
Barbara & Alain’s Magic
Taubenkobel sits in a village of fewer than 1,000 people, inside a centuries-old inn. It feels timeless, even a little impractical — the dining rooms are spread across four small salons — but that is part of its warmth. What binds it all together is Barbara and Alain. You feel their presence the moment you arrive. Barbara’s service is as heartfelt as it is refined (no wonder she won the Michelin Service Award). Alain’s cooking is equally personal — deeply seasonal, focused on vegetables and the bounty of nearby Lake Neusiedl. No seafood flown in from Japan, no imported luxuries from Norway. Just the richness of Burgenland, distilled onto the plate.
On my last visit, I asked if they had any older vintages of Gut Oggau, the natural winery nearby. This time, Barbara poured almost exclusively vintages more than ten years old — one so rare she phoned her sister, who owns the estate, to confirm it was really from their harvest. That kind of intimacy is rare, and it captures what Taubenkobel does best: weaving personal connections into every glass, every plate.
Taubenkobel doesn’t chase theatrics or molecular fireworks. Instead, it offers something rarer: soulful food, seasonal honesty, and the warmth of a countryside inn run by two people who have poured themselves into every detail. That is their luxury. And it’s one worth returning to, again and again
Practical information
Location: Burgenland, Austria
Menu: a la carte and tasting menu
Head chef: Alain Weissgerber
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