This is the official Capital of Delight and a City of Design.
But the funny thing is, you’ve probably never even heard of this place.
Welcome to a surprising Graz, Austria. I will show you culinary delights,
local beer and typical regional products you must taste in Graz. I will also take you on a
shopping tour to the best and most iconic shopping areas to show you why Graz is a City of Design.
Hi guys. My name is Rok and I’ve spent the last 9 years travelling around Europe as a tour guide
and I can’t wait to take you on a food tour and to the best shopping in Graz, Austria.
Austrian food is far more dynamic and flavoursome than most people realise.
The cuisine is very multicultural as it was influenced by different nations that until the
First World War were all part of the mighty Habsburg Empire. Here you can find Italian,
Polish, Hungarian and Balkan inspired dishes and even influences from the Adriatic Sea.
The cuisine of Styria and its capital city Graz is regarded as one of the best in Austria.
One of the reasons for the delicious regional cuisine are its typical regional products and the
most famous one is Styrian pumpkin seed oil. Here pumpkin-seed oil is called black gold and is used
to dress everything. It makes a wonderful salad dressing, it can be drizzled onto bowls of soup,
and it gives a sophisticated flavour to main courses, puddings and even ice cream.
Pumpkin seed oil is made by pressing roasted pumpkin seeds from a local variety of pumpkin.
Oil has an exquisitely fresh, nutty taste, and is extremely healthy. For one litre of genuine
Styrian pumpkin-seed oil you need about 2.5 kilo or about 5.5 pounds of dried pumpkins seeds,
which is about 35 pumpkins. As you can imagine that makes it rather expensive, but it also
makes it a unique, precious, tasty and healthy gift for your family and friends. If your budget
for gifts is very limited then you should get at least pumpkin seeds as they are simply delicious.
There are many varieties from raw to lightly roasted, natural or salted, with cinnamon or
ginger, caramelised or even dipped in chocolate. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten as they are or they
can be a great addition as an ingredient as they are also incredibly healthy. All this talk about
pumpkins and this summer heat made me thirsty so it is time to taste some nice cold local beer.
Graz is a city with a great tradition of brewing beer. The entire region has a reputation of
producing the best beer in Austria. By the mid-19th century Graz had two large breweries,
REININGHAUS and PUNTIGAMER. During the 2nd World War the Reininghaus brewery was severely
damaged and after the war the beer production was transferred to the Puntigam brewery. In the last
decade many microbreweries popped around Graz and thanks to them most bars offer a wide selection
of beers. But the most popular remains to be Puntigamer beer. It is still produced by local
ingredients, including the finest hops grown by regional farmers south of Graz. The brewing water
comes from a 230 meters deep spring that meets the standards required of a mineral water. Puntigamer
is a lager with malty, fruity taste and the finely tuned hops gives it its unique character.
If you need a quick bite on the go, look for a sausage stand known as würstelstands. You can find
them on many squares in the old town, including on the main square and many are open until late
at night. They offer quick and cheap meals, but as you might have guessed it, sausages are their main
theme. The sausage stand is the original form of the fast food in Austria as it precedes all modern
fast food chains. Sausages can be whole or already sliced and come with bread rolls and are served
with mustard and regionally grown horseradish. Styrian horseradish has a strong reputation as
the loamy soils and the favourable microclimate of southern Styria offer excellent growing conditions
for its cultivation. Styrian horseradish is also well-known for its health benefits
and possesses about twice the amount of Vitamin C content as lemons. If you want a nice, proper
meal in a restaurant then you must try Backhendel, one of the most popular national dishes in Austria
that originates from Styria region, where its capital city Graz is located. Backhendl are pieces
of chicken coated with spices and lemon juice which are then breaded and deep-fried until golden
and crispy. Traditionally the entire chicken is used for the dish and it is split in six pieces,
two breast pieces, two knuckles and the two wings. When ordering, you can usually choose whether you
want your styrian fried chicken with or without skin depending on your own preferences. Styrian
fried chicken can be served with lemon wedges, parsley leaves, lettuce, and potato salad.
Shopping in Graz can be an amazing experience. But before you start your shopping spree it's
good to know that shops are closed on Sundays. The best shopping in Graz is in the old town,
as here you can combine shopping and walking around charming pedestrian streets and squares.
You will be souronded by beautiful architecture and old palaces. Ground floors of beautiful old
historic buildings are usually occupied by nice shops, restaurants or cafes and their tables and
chairs expand to the squares. Best place to start is between the main square known as Hauptplatz
and Jakominiplatz square. These two squares are connected by a wide main street called
Herrengasse. Two tram lines split the otherwise pedestrian street that is lined with magnificent
old buildings, full of trendy boutiques, perfumeries and jewellers. From here spreads an
inviting maze of winding alleys, passageways and side-streets where you'll find a huge choice of
fashion and home decor together with some lovely cafes and bars. On the main street you will also
find the Graz Tourist Information office. But do yourself a favour and also take a moment to look
up and around. You will see a lot of amazing architecture like the Painted House with
beautiful 17 hundreds frescos showing amazing scenes of Greek and Roman Gods. Another great
building worth a glimpse is a Landhaus, elegant, ornate Renaissance palace built in the 1500s with
an impressive courtyard that serves as a regional parlament. Right next to it is the famous Styrian
Armoury, which houses the most important and biggest historical weapon collection in the world.
Just this street alone justifies Graz title as the City of design. Sporgasse is another
beautiful pedestrian shopping street that perfectly combines Delight and Design.
It used to be an old trading route, dating back before the town of Graz was even founded.
This street also starts from the main square and runs east, directly below Schlossberg
castle hill at a gradual slope. In the middle ages this was home of blacksmiths who specialised
in the production of medieval weapons and armours and the street got its name after them.
On this street you will also find small cafés and if you want an ice cream this is the street
to get it as it has many ice cream shops offering the most exotic ice-cream flavours.
Just a few steps north from the main square is Austria’s most beautiful department store.
This is also the biggest department store in Graz with 6 floors and offers fashion from more than
500 brands suitable for every taste and style. But surprisingly this department store is also an
excellent sightseeing spot. Top floor and the roof top are dedicated to dining with a view. A must is
a stop in Day cafe Freiblick, a glass sided indoor cafe with a beautiful outdoor roof terrace. There
is also a spectacular Skywalk, a glass sided platform that enables perfect selfies with the
iconic clock tower or Urhturm in the background. Here you can enjoy coffee and cakes, or an
early evening aperitif with a fabulous view of the iconic landmark of Graz and the Sclossberg hill.
For many this place offers the best shopping experience in Graz. This was just a glimpse into
food and shopping experiences Graz has to offer. The capital of Delight and City of Design is full
of small and charming areas worth exploring. If you want to see the best attractions of Graz,
you should check my video about The best things to do in Graz in the top corner. If you like this
video please give it a thumbs up. You can share your questions, suggestions or experience about
Graz in the comments below. And don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell to
be notified about my future travel videos. Thanks for watching, Guten Appetit and see you next time.