Graz

Graz is the capital city of the southern Austrian province of Styria. At its heart is Hauptplatz, the medieval old town’s main square. It's Austria'ssecond-largest city, with a population of just over 300,000. It is a better choice for many tourists, thanks to its rich design, art and culinary scenes,
and wine and produce from the surrounding south Austrian state of Styria. Shops and restaurants line the narrow surrounding streets, which blend Renaissance and baroque architecture. A funicular leads up Schlossberg, the town hill, to the Uhrturm, a centuries-old clock tower. Across the River Mur, futuristic Kunsthaus Graz exhibits contemporary art. You might not expect to find such a cultivated metropolis two hours down the road from Vienna toward Ljubljana, but Graz has a palpable joie de vivre, thanks in part to the presence of its six universities.

Graz has three breweries as of March 2022 and a number of interesting bar's.

Glöckl Brau, Glockenspielplatz 2-3

Open: Daily 10.30 - 22.00

A Brewpub located near the city centre by the Glockenspiel. In a beautiful traditional building with different rooms on different floors with antique interior in one of the most beautiful corners of the old town in Graz. They usually have 2-3 of their own beers available + some macros. I would recommend this place for lunch or dinner since the food is quite good, plus the service is fast and friendly. Give it a try as there is a great ambiance and its a cozy little place with nice interior.

Puntigamer (Brau Union), Triester Strasse 395

Open: Tours by appointment only + shop

Puntigamer’s history begins at the so-called "Puntigamerhof“ a tavern that used to be located at the outskirts of Graz. Right there, the Knabl family founded the Puntigam brewery in 1883. This year marks the beginning of triumphant progress of the so-called "beery beer“, as Puntigamer’s also know, and of which close to 200 million pints are consumed year in and year out. Take a tour that takes you from the depths of the Herrgottwiesquelle through the complex brewing process to the regulars' table: the Puntigamer adventure tour makes the interplay of old handicraft tradition with the latest equipment tangible and entertaining.

Sudhaus Anton Paar, Weblinger-Straße 10

Open: Mon - Thurs 16.00 - 22.00 Fri - 12.00 - 22.00 Closed: Sat - Sun

Located near the Kehlberg and Buchkogel, on the green outskirts of Graz, this brewpub / restaurant is very modern and extremely fancy, lot’s of polished wood and shiny surfaces. There is a really nice winter-garden area for dining and a massive biergarten. Inside it is light-flooded place with a lot of warmth that invites you to relax and come back. Whether alone or with fiends. Their kitchen offers traditional dishes and refined delicacies, seasonal delicacies and vegetarian dishes but it is very expensive. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. The brew-kit in copper and stell can be seen in a prominent position. Note: check the website as they occasionally open for Sunday Brunch? They offer brewing courses and tours and beer classes. Overall: Authentic beer, delicious food sourced from local suppliers plus good dedicated service.

Hops Craft Beer Pub, Prokopigasse 14

Open:Mon - Sat 18.00 - 01.00 Closed: Sun

A very cozy cellar bar in the centre of the city. Brick vaulted ceilings and walls, with and wooden tables and bench seating plus some cosy couches that provides a pub atmosphere merged with craft beer culture. Lots of beer stuff on the walls. The bar is linked to the One Eyed Jack brewery; who provide 2 house beers overall there are 12 tap's with lots of ever changing guest beers. Where they excel is service: waitresses are friendly and super fast, the owner is really motivated to pull people into craft beer culture and has a feeling of how to run a good pub. It is defiantly the highlight of Graz,
well worth a visit, strongly recommended!

Brot & Spiele, Mariahilferstraße 17

Open: Daily 10.00 - 02.00

A nice place in the city centre with a large Heineken wall outside, but its not what you expect inside, there is a small patio out front and the inside is larger than it appears with pool and snooker tables. However, the drinking are is comfortable, with beer decoration and a bit of a medieval cellar look. The selection is quite huge 120+ bottles of good, but not rare beers mainly Belgian and some British and Austrian beers. The food is good and the servers are friendly and helpful. Definitely worth a visit.

The Thirsty Heart, Albrechtgasse 4

Open: Tues - Sun 12.00 - 02.00 Closed: Mon

A cool place, with a friendly owner who really seems to love beer, good branded glassware. There are 10 taps pouring an assortment of Austrian beer's very crafty. Quite a rustic feel to the bar, but the staff are great. It is a little expensive even for Austrian, but the choice is very good. The food is really something with gourmet bagels mmmm. One of the best bars in Graz.

Feinkost Mild, Stubenberggasse 7

Open: Mon - Sat 17.00 - 00.00 Closed; Sun

A nice cosy bar, with a street patio on Stubenberggasse, lots of eclectic decorations in the bar, like bikes on the wall, even a strange looking mini van! But don't come here for a lot of ticks, they have half a dozen tap's and some Gratzer bottles, a few beers form the Brau Union/Heineken range. Plus some of the best waiters in town. Great sandwiches an example is slowly cooked lamb accompanied by yoghurt sauce, plus a varied selection of fries to die for! Quite a hipster place and late night people searching for a place to rest, talk, drink and eat, solace for everybody, and a non smoker place, great.

Flann O’Brien Irish Pub, Paradeisgasse 1

Open: Mon - Thurs 11.00 -01.00 Fri - Sat 11.00 - 03.00 Sun 14.30 - 00.30

A standard Irish pub with vaulted ceilings and half wood panelling on the walls, a large traditional bar and a huge seating area with a bank of speakers down the centre, (It gets loud) However they have several craft beers apart from what you might expect Guinness, Harp etc. Not the best place to get a craft beer, but a decent nonetheless and as there are not too many beer bars in Graz, you won't regret ending up here after a few days? The service is efficient, and the atmosphere is good but loud.

Vintage Bar Café, Jakoministraße 7

Open: Tues - Fri 15.00 - 00.00 Fri 18.00 - 00.00 Closed: Mon - Tues

A tiny bar with a retro 1940-50's charming dive bar interior, great tiled front with a triangular canopy and some outside seating. The owner is a great hostess and knows exactly what she's talking about across the whole range. They have Hirter Pils on Tap, and a small craft beer bottle menu, some mid-level brewery bottles, some macros, with seasonal beers available from time to time. (great for Graz). They also have a large selection of Spritzer. One of the better places in Graz.  Go on try it.

The Hungry Heart, Mariahilfer Straße 23

Open: Tues -Fri 11.00 - 14.30 re-opend 17.00 - 22.00 Sat 17.00 - 01.00 Closed: Sun - Mon

A tiny sandwich place, literally a hole-in-the-wall place but definitely not a secret, located on Lendplatz. Inside there is limited seating of the tall wooden stool type and a few outside, nothing to have a fancy dinner, just straight up amazing street food. They have a fridge full of good craft
beers such as Bevog. They also have there own house beer that the owner "cuckoo" brews and have had 3/4 different one's. The sandwiches are made in front of your eyes and are absolutely delicious. A constantly changing creative gourmet-level specials on top of the standard menu featuring classics such ad hot dogs, pulled pork, philly cheese steak, fries. Tasty home made sauces. Fair price for high quality ingredients you can taste. A must-try if you are out late and other junk food violates your foodie principles.

Una Cerveza Por Favor, Lendplatz Markthalle 40

Open: Mon - Sat 17.00 - 23.00 Closed Sun

The perfect beer stand for street food lovers! It's a small market booth with rotating six taps offering some good craft beer's. Together with the food stalls Tropicante, Shake Shaka & bungalow the Una Cerveza, por favor shares the very cosy outdoor dining area both outside (east of the market hall,
ie Mur side) and within the market hall. The "Beer Menu" is published on Facebook almost daily. Prices are neither cheap nor outrageously expensive. Flights with five 0.2 glasses are available, they also offer small tasters. Go on a Thursday nights for Hispanic live music. You may feel like you don't belong there, but you'll be warmly welcomed, the staff are great and very friendly & professional.
Otto says; Good for a nice fix of decent beers on a warm day!

Brau32, Leonhardstraße 32

Open: Daily 17.00 - 00.00

A beer bar and restaurant that opened in 2018, with 20 taps and a few bottles (all mostly macro's). The food is okay but not all too great, had an aura of Fertigprodukte concerning sauces etc. The ambiance is okay and the service good. It's ok but feels a lot like they are wanting to cash in on the craft beer wave without any effort to actually provide something special. Worth a look as you may find a tick or two?

Bierboutique, Lendplatz 5

Open: Mon - Fri 11.00 - 18.30 Sat 10.30 - 14.30 Closed: Sun - Mon

A spacious bottle shop with a comparably small (at least for the size of the place), but well-selected craft beer selection. You can sample from the fridge and there's a standing table to spend some time at. Lots of logs adorn the wall's giving the place a "wood store" quirky vibe. The owner is cool and quite funny. The place to get beer in Graz.

Dr. Bottle, Reitschulgasse 27

Open: Mon - Fri 10.00 - 18.00 Sat 10.00 - 16.00 Closed: Sun - Mon

A great bottle shop in acentral location. A huge selection of local and more international beers. The ambience is a bit more elegant and classy now, since it’s also a fine wine and liquor store, but they make you feel welcome. The service is friendly and they will offers suggestions. The value is generally good, you can't leave this place withot quite a few good beers under €3 each. Well worth a visit.

“zum Wohl”