Cast your vote!

Carinthian pub election enters the next round

Matthias Spieß and Jennifer O'Connor, who were awarded the title of "Restaurant of the Year" last year by WK President Jürgen Mandl and gastronomy spokesperson Stefan Sternad, are delighted. Who will win this year?

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

It's finally time again! After last year's very well received "Wirtshauswahl", the "Kärntner Krone" and the "Wirtschaftskammer" are once again looking for Carinthia's best inns this year!

Whether rustic, traditional or modern inns - Carinthia is rich in culinary temples of pleasure. But where do Carinthians like it best?

"Im Wirtshaus kumman di leit zom" - this saying has been upheld in our province for decades. But the local hospitality industry is faltering: horrendous energy prices, staff shortages and excessive bureaucracy are putting Carinthia's innkeepers under enormous pressure. Despite this, they do extraordinary things every day to offer people a place to get together: "You can't appreciate our landlords enough. Despite challenging times and low margins, they work with passion every day," praises innkeeper spokesperson Stefan Sternad.

And it is precisely these places that the Chamber of Commerce and "Kärntner Krone" want to bring back into the spotlight this year: "After the great success of last year's pub competition, it was clear that there had to be a next round," Sternad and editor-in-chief Hannes Mößlacher agree. "It's also about making restaurants visible that guests may not have had on their radar - every single establishment deserves that!" adds Sternad.

Procedure and rules of the game

Until April 24, you - dear readers - can support your favorite pub with your vote and nominate it for the election. This will then result in the district winners, who will then compete for the title of "Inn of the Year 2025" in the national final. In this round, too, you can help decide who should win by voting. An expert jury will also award points.

• District winners from last year cannot win again.

A tavern is a traditional inn or restaurant where food and drinks are served. In Austria, and especially in Carinthia, the tavern is an important part of the culture and often a social meeting place for the local population.

Definition Wirtshaus

Last year - when the Wirtshauswahl celebrated its comeback after almost twenty years - around 20,000 votes were received from Carinthians, 676 different inns were nominated at least once and the call also received a lot of attention on social media: "The feedback was great - both from the innkeepers and from the guests, who were able to support their favorite restaurateurs. This shows once again how important the pub is in Carinthia," explains Sternad.

The See Innkeepers of the Year 2024: Matthias Spieß and Jennifer O'Connor

(Bild: Wassermann Kerstin)

"Award was a motivational boost"
Almost a year later, Matthias Spieß from Seewirt am Maltschacher See is still proud to have won the national award and the title of "Inn of the Year 2025": "It was a really nice recognition, especially because our guests voted so diligently," says the innkeeper, whose team has been bursting with motivation ever since: "The bar has always been high for us, but now it's even higher," smiles Spieß. The multiple sommelier saw the award as a platform: "To continue to improve."