At Christl-Alm the Bauernkrapfen (traditional fried dough pastries) are baked on the spot, right in the middle of our market in front of Schloss Mirabell (Mirabell Palace). When people think of Salzburg Christmas market food, this is exactly what they have in mind: something freshly baked, something hearty from the pan, roasted (candied) almonds and something hot in a mug. We’ll show you what you can get at our market at Mirabellplatz – and at which stall.
What do you eat at the Christmas market in Salzburg? Typical are baked treats such as Bauernkrapfen, Pofesen (fried bread slices filled with plum jam) and Salzburger Brezen (Salzburg-style pretzels), hearty dishes such as Kaspressknödel (fried cheese dumplings), Fleischkrapfen (meat-filled pastries) and Speckbrot (bread topped with Austrian bacon), and sweet things such as roasted nuts, chocolate-dipped fruit and Lebkuchen hearts (gingerbread hearts). To drink, there’s Glühwein (hot mulled wine, spiced with cinnamon, cloves and orange), Glühmost (hot spiced cider), punch or – for children – Kinderpunsch (alcohol-free punch for children).
We introduce every stall, with where it comes from and what it sells, on our exhibitors page – you’ll find the link further down.
Salzburg Christmas market food: every stall at Mirabellplatz at a glance
At our market, seven stalls cook, bake and serve drinks, plus one stall with tea and spices to take home. The details come from our exhibitors page and from the exhibitors’ questionnaires (as of 23 October 2026).
| Stall | From | To eat | To drink |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christl-Alm | St. Koloman | Bauernkrapfen, Pofesen, Apfelradeln (apple rings fried in batter) | Glühwein, Glühmost, Kinderpunsch |
| Reisinger (pretzels) | Salzburg | Salzburger Brezen in twelve varieties | – |
| Reisinger (drinks) | Salzburg | hot sausages | Glühwein, Glühmost, orange punch, coffee, Kinderpunsch |
| Rettenbacher | St. Koloman | Fleischkrapfen, Kaspressknödel, liver dumplings, hot Speckbrot, bratwurst | schnapps, liqueurs |
| Dimmer | Salzburg | spiral potatoes, baked potatoes, popcorn, Maroni (roasted chestnuts), candyfloss | – |
| Glier | Salzburg | roasted (candied) almonds and nuts, chocolate-dipped fruit, glazed apples | – |
| Meixner | Eugendorf | sweets, Lebkuchen hearts, biscuits | – |
To take home, the Eichenauer family’s St. Wolfganger Kräuterhaus has tea, herbs and spices.
Freshly baked: Bauernkrapfen, Pofesen and Salzburger Brezen
Christl-Alm has been a fixture at our market for more than 35 years. Josef and Florian Neureiter come from St. Koloman, where the family runs the Christl-Alm on the Trattberg. At Mirabellplatz they bake Bauernkrapfen, Pofesen and Apfelradeln to traditional recipes, using regional ingredients. According to their website, Christl-Alm is at our market from mid-November to 24 December.
What are Bauernkrapfen? Bauernkrapfen are a Salzburg pastry made from yeast dough (Germteig): the dough is pulled out into a round so that the middle stays thin, and then fried in hot fat. They’re eaten sweet with jam or savoury with sauerkraut.
What are Pofesen? Pofesen are two slices of white bread filled with Powidl (a thick plum spread), dipped in milk and egg and fried in fat until golden brown.
After the Krapfen comes the pretzel: Alexander Reisinger sells Salzburger Brezen in twelve different varieties, all handmade in Salzburg. The business has existed since 1996, it has stood at Mirabellplatz for more than 25 years, and this year he has redecorated his stall. His tip: “Best to try every kind of Brezen, because each one is better than the next.”
Savoury: Kaspressknödel, Fleischkrapfen and Speckbrot
If you’re after something hearty, head to the Rettenbacher family, who also come from St. Koloman. They serve Fleischkrapfen, Kaspressknödel, liver dumplings, hot Speckbrot and bratwurst.
What are Kaspressknödel? Kaspressknödel are flat, pressed dumplings made from dumpling bread (diced white bread) and cheese, fried in clarified butter. In Salzburg they’re often made with Pinzgauer Bierkäse, a cheese from the Pinzgau region. They’re eaten in soup or with sauerkraut.
At Markus Dimmer things get down-to-earth and child-friendly: spiral potatoes, baked potatoes, popcorn and candyfloss. And you can get hot sausages at Reisinger’s drinks stall.
Sweet treats: roasted almonds, chocolate-dipped fruit, Lebkuchen and Maroni
Ludwig Glier is one of the founding members of our market and has been here from the very beginning. In his stall he makes roasted almonds and nuts and chocolate-dipped fruit – “everything is made fresh in the stall”, he says – and his family stands behind the counter. His advice to everyone who drops by: take your time and enjoy it. The family is happy to be there for you and, as he puts it, “not in a hurry to be anywhere else”.
At Susanne Meixner from Eugendorf you’ll find sweets, Lebkuchen hearts and biscuits, which also travel well. Maroni – roasted sweet chestnuts, the classic hand-warmer in Advent – are sold by Markus Dimmer.
Our exhibitors
Who’s behind the Bauernkrapfen, pretzels and roasted nuts: every stall at Mirabellplatz, with where it comes from and what it sells.
Hot drinks: Glühwein, Glühmost, punch and Kinderpunsch
Two stalls at our market serve Glühwein. At Christl-Alm it goes into your mug made to Grandpa Sepp’s old secret recipe; at Reisinger there’s orange punch and coffee as well as Glühwein.
What is Glühmost? Glühmost is heated, spiced Most – that is, fermented apple or pear juice.
For children there’s Kinderpunsch, a warm, alcohol-free punch, at Christl-Alm and at Reisinger. If you’d rather warm up with a schnapps or a liqueur, you’ll find them at Rettenbacher.
When to go: an evening with music
A Glühwein tastes best when the brass players are performing in front of the palace. On many Advent evenings the Advent music starts at 5.15 pm; all dates are on our programme page. With children, Wednesday 2 December is a good choice: at 6 pm St. Nicholas and Krampus – a horned, fur-clad figure from Alpine folklore who accompanies St. Nicholas – hand out sweets, and a Kinderpunsch goes down well afterwards.
We’re open from 19 November to 31 December 2026, usually from 10 am. You’ll find the exact times, including on public holidays, on our info page.
Opening hours & getting here
Feeling hungry? We’re open from 19 November to 31 December, usually from 10 am, a 10 to 15-minute walk from the main station. All times and directions here.
Looking for the Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz?
The big Christkindlmarkt – the Austrian name for a traditional Christmas market – on Domplatz and Residenzplatz is a market in its own right with its own association, and we’re happy to recommend it. Ideally, you combine the two: coming from the main station, Mirabellplatz lies on your way into the Old Town, and on the way back you’ll pass by our market again. We’ve put together the dates, programme and how to get there for 2026 in our guide to the Salzburg Christkindlmarkt, and all the markets in the city in our comparison of all the Salzburg Christmas markets.
Frequently asked questions
The classics are Bauernkrapfen, Pofesen and Salzburger Brezen, plus hearty dishes such as Kaspressknödel and Speckbrot and sweet things such as roasted almonds and Lebkuchen. At Mirabellplatz you’ll find all of these at seven stalls, from Christl-Alm to Reisinger’s pretzel stall.
Bauernkrapfen are a Salzburg pastry made from yeast dough that is pulled thin in the middle and fried in hot fat. They’re eaten sweet with jam or savoury with sauerkraut. At Mirabellplatz, Christl-Alm bakes them on the spot.
Pofesen are slices of white bread filled with Powidl (plum spread), dipped in milk and egg and fried in fat. At our market you’ll find them at Christl-Alm.
Kaspressknödel are flat dumplings made from dumpling bread and cheese and fried in clarified butter; in Salzburg they’re often made with Pinzgauer Bierkäse. At Mirabellplatz you can get them from the Rettenbacher family.
Children drink Kinderpunsch, a warm, alcohol-free punch. At Mirabellplatz it’s available at Christl-Alm and at Reisinger.
Glühwein is made from wine, Glühmost from Most, i.e. fermented apple or pear juice. Both are drunk hot and spiced. At Mirabellplatz you’ll find both at Christl-Alm and at Reisinger.
Sources
Retrieved on 23 October 2026: Exhibitors page of the Christmas market at Mirabellplatz · exhibitor questionnaires from Alexander Reisinger and Ludwig Glier (October 2026) · Christl-Alm · SalzburgerLand: Bauernkrapfen · Wikipedia: Pofese · Wikipedia: Kaspressknödel