| Location: | Berghotel Arthurhaus |
| Website: | https://www.arthurhaus.at/ |
| Address: | Mühlbach 110, 5505 Mühlbach am Hochkönig |
| Status: | Open (last checked on 6 September 2026) |
| Eaten: | "Bretteljausen," three beers (Stiegl) |
It was not in my plans to eat at Arthurhaus. Having arrived there with a hiking bus, I spotted a sign to nearby Mitterfeldalm and thought it would a perfect location to stop for a snack. The path to it looked unfamiliar, but the moment I spotted the hut itself, my memory came back: of course it was the location of one of my first Brettjausen in the “summer break” between two COVID closures of 2020. Moreover, Mitterfeldalm’s Brettljause was actually the best of that year. It required a lot of willpower not to order it again, so I finished two beers, enjoyed the fantastic panorama of Austrian mountains and walked back to Arthurhaus.
Back in 2020, Mitterfeldalm was not the only highlight of my day. The other was to observe a family of marmots living happily behind a fence on the back of Arthurhaus. Six years later, the marmots have relocated, and though I could still capture a couple of them using my camera’s greatest zoom, all my hopes of seeing them close by and feeding them the nuts I brought specifically for the occasion were shattered. What a disappointment.
The Brettljause, on the other hand, was not a disappointment. OK, the lack of variety (Speck, ham and cheese – boo!) did disappoint, but the cheese was thickly cut and had a very strong taste – a real mountain cheese! The Speck and the ham were not bad, but did not excite me as much as the cheese. The bread was served already buttered, which I found a good idea (more butter would have been appreciated, though). A certain shortage of green stuff was partly compensated by an abundance of pickled peppers. Without them, the Brettljause would have tasted a bit dry. Finally, there were pumpkin seeds – when I could not eat anymore (cheese truly fills one’s stomach), I was still snacking on the seeds. A really good idea, actually.
Located right next to bus stop and serving as a starting point for the most popular hiking paths in the Hochkönig region, Arthurhaus is a very busy and somewhat noisy place. However, the beautiful views of the mountains and various farm animals running nearby (baby pigs are particularly cute) make a stay on the restaurant’s terrace surprisingly relaxing. And the Brettljause, while not in the same league as Mitterfeldalm’s, is not at all bad. Shame about the marmots, though.