The Tiroler Hut is an Austrian restaurant that doesn’t just lean into its stereotype, it enthusiastically embraces it like a schnapps-fuelled bear hug.
This is the Austrian restaurant that you thought only existed in Austria. Half a century ago. In the movies. Clichéd movies. We’re talking lederhosen, live yodelling, oompah bands, the works. And yet, it works. The place is a masterclass in owning your niche.
The Hut was opened in 1967 by the accordion-wielding Josef, who still serenades his guests over a half century on, only now with the help of his family. Over the years they have developed that phantom familial warmth that only great restaurants have – it’s a quality that can be bought for love, but not money. The restaurant is now a local hotspot for hearty food, drink and live music. For Josef and his family, though – who are as much a fixture here as the wooden beams – it’s home.
The decor is unapologetically kitsch, with cuckoo clocks, cowbells and mountain landscapes. Think Alpine lodge meets raucous bierkeller and a spirit that’s gloriously festive. It’s this spirit that twirls you into a polka. You may arrive with your group, but you will dine with a party of strangers who, by the end of the night, will feel more like friends.
You and your new-found friends can dine on classic Teutonic fare: schnitzels like a golden sunset in Salzburg, bratwurst that brings Bavaria to Bayswater, and käsespätzle so rich you’ll need a second stein of beer to wash it down. Dessert? Apple strudel, of course, although you can also get pancakes and tarts.
On the matter of drinks, it’s as you’d expect; frothing steins of lager to quench and cool, rounds of schnapps to stoke the fire. Every sip, shot, or swig is a toast to the night ahead. By your third shot, the temptation to yodel becomes inexorable, so unbridle your inhibitions and let loose. Just don’t do it with your mouth full.
All this is to say, the Tiroler Hut isn’t the place for earnest dinner talk or haute cuisine. It’s where you go to have fun. Some venues offer discretion for the debonair; others offer mayhem for the merry.
The Tiroler Hut is, gloriously, the latter.
NOTE: The Tiroler Hut is open Wednesday to Sunday. You can find out more and make a booking on the Tiroler Hut website.
The Tiroler Hut | 27 Westbourne Grove, W2 4UA
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