Restaurant Hofstatter - Ebenthal

The title of this review is not meant to suggest that “Restaurant Hofstätter” would be a salad bar or alike. Actually, this is an ordinary restaurant on whose permanent menu meat dishes play the dominant part. Nonetheless, a full page devoted to salads as main courses is rare at a restaurant in Carinthia.Compared to an earlier visit almost exactly two years before, very little had changed. In the current case, we appreciated this because we had been satisfied then. The only reason why the interior, though basically unchanged, looked brighter this time was the sun shining in through the windows due to the nice weather. Many dishes on the permanent menu had remained the same. Among them was the highly appreciated “Caesar Salad”, which again proved to be great. This time we discovered that “Neptune Salad”, prepared here with fried prawns, was also delicious. For a nicely decorated, huge portion of either of them, less than 9 euros were charged. A savory menu of the day made up of a soup and a main course that consisted of a load of high-quality meat and various side dishes cost € 12.50, which proved that this restaurant still provided good value for moneyThis time service was hospitable and swift. The young waiter who cared for us most of the time (and who declared to be only a temporary helper at the weekend) was not only efficient but also exceptionally courteous and affable.

This seems to be a countryside restaurant, but surprisingly it is nonetheless situated in (a fringe part of) Klagenfurt. Its several decades old building, which harbors not only the restaurant but also a bed and breakfast, is unattractive from the outside. The spacious but dim interior of the restaurant is decorated in a pseudo-rustic manner. Although in a good condition, it looks dated.Since it is hidden on the outskirts of Klagenfurt and can hardly be seen from the nearby main road, the clientele of “Restaurant Hofstätter” consists almost exclusively of locals. This is a pity, given that this place has a lot to offer. The permanent menu, although as unfashionable as the styling of the restaurant, was comprehensive. In addition to that, when we had lunch there on a Sunday there were also four menus of the day. Three of the four menus consisting of a soup and a main course were priced less than ten euros. This was not an exception since the dishes listed on the permanent menu were equally inexpensive.Although “Restaurant Hofstätter” specializes in meat dishes its permanent menu comprises also several imaginative salads intended as main courses. In particular, “Caesar’s Salad” is a specialty here in the summer and in the autumn when fresh vegetables are available. The usual recipe is modified considerably and this salad is served in a tortilla basket.At the beginning, service was swift. Our main courses, which all turned out to be very savory, were served after an impressively short waiting time in spite of the large number of guests in the restaurant and in its outside seating area. Only the dining room where we were seated was almost empty. After we had finished our meal the trouble began. The two waitresses who until then had been rather unfriendly and had not always abided by the common rules of service in gastronomy, but had at least been efficient, failed to turn up again for about half an hour. Even after our pressing demand to receive the bill it took again quite a few minutes until we could pay. However, this was the only shortcoming and seems to be something one can live with in view of the delicious food and the bargain prices.