| Location: | Villacher Brauhof |
| Website: | https://www.villacherbrauhof.at/ |
| Address: | Bahnhofstraße 8, 9500 Villach |
| Status: | Open (last checked on 17 August 2026) |
| Eaten: | "G'schmackige Ripperln am Stück," two beers (Villacher Stadtbräu - Hausbier) |
Some traditions emerge completely accidentally. Several times in the past I had connecting train delays in Villach, and each time ended up having a beer and a snack at Villacher Brauhof, a local brewery just a couple of hundred meters from the railway station. I was never particularly impressed by the brewery’s own beer, but the restaurant also offered a good collection of bottled beers, including Belgian and Austrian Trappist varieties. Today, on my long journey from South Tyrol back to Vienna, I made a conscious decision to have a stopover in Villach and enjoy a lunch at the Brauhof.
Sadly, the beer menu had shrunk dramatically, leaving me without the strong beers I like. To compensate, spare ribs (“Tasty ribs,” as the restaurant called them rather self-confidently) were available, and I did not hesitate ordering them. The dish took a while to arrive, making me slightly worried about missing my train. The portion looked quite small, however, and I bit into the ribs enthusiastically, immediately enjoying the taste of a good marinade and a pleasant hotness of the topping.
That haste was a mistake. Good as they were, the ribs also contained lots of tiny bones, one of which landed on my front tooth, splitting a tiny bit off it. It was nothing to worry about – just a ragged tooth-top (my dentist fixed it in five minutes the next day) – but that incident spoiled an otherwise good experience.
As mentioned, the Ripperln were quite spicy, in an obvious attempt to encourage patrons to order more beer. A little green pepper was fiercely hot, and a honey-based BBQ sauce also had enough chili in it to sting my tongue slightly. On the other hand, the white sauce had more yogurt in it than garlic, and was quite useful to reduce the burning sensation. I also want to commend crispy roasted potatoes, which were served as a side dish and tasted freshly prepared.
Although smallish, the spare ribs of Brauhof were a great snack to accompany beer. I only wish I had reserved more time to enjoy them and chewed more carefully.