The best chefs and restaurants in South Tyrol

If there’s one person who can be thanked for bringing South Tyrol’s food to the fore, it’s Norbert Niederkofler. As a born and raised South Tyrolean, he’s always been surrounded by the wild berries, fish and herbs that have come to represent the region’s cuisine.

However, it wasn’t until travelling around the world that Norbert realised how special the food and drink of South Tyrol truly was. He returned home to open a small restaurant with the sole purpose of celebrating local ingredients, refusing to put anything on his menu that wasn’t grown, reared or produced locally. This gave birth to a cooking philosophy called ‘Cook The Mountain’ which soon became famous throughout Italy, and Norbert was awarded two Michelin stars for his incredible cooking.

Norbert’s restaurant St Hubertus is based at the Rosa Alpina mountain retreat in San Cassiano, a town with less than a thousand residents. It’s South Tyrolean through and through – stag heads on the walls, a roaring fire to keep the cold at bay, a small number of rustic yet immaculately presented tables – and every dinner is preceded by glasses of local wine and salumi with Norbert. If you’re after the ultimate example of why South Tyrol’s food is so special, you can’t do better than a meal at St Hubertus.

Another local who decided to dedicate his life to food is Heinrich Schneider, whose childhood obsession with the wilderness led to the discovery of all sorts of herbs, plants and wild vegetables which now feature in the dishes at his restaurant, Terra. With one Michelin star and a style of cooking reminiscent of René Redzepi’s work at the legendary Noma, Heinrich shares many of the beliefs and philosophies of Norbert – to celebrate local ingredients and push South Tyrol’s unique cuisine to new heights.

As an expert forager, many of the ingredients in Heinrich’s dishes can’t be bought – they can only be found growing wild in secluded spots throughout the mountains. Herbs like Lady’s Mantle, Silene and Iceland Moss are just a few examples of the fifty rare ingredients he likes to use throughout the year, preserving many of them so they can still be served out of season. The dishes themselves are often otherworldly, making a table at Terra a truly coveted thing among diners wanting to experience something completely new.

Gerhard Wieser is a chef that really knows how to combine tradition and innovation. At his two Michelin-starred restaurant Trenkerstube (named after the Italian film star and mountaineer Luis Trenker) he takes the robust, hearty dishes of South Tyrol and combines them with light Mediterranean flavours; a perfect combination of northern and southern Italian cuisine.

Continuing the two-starred chef line-up is Martin Obermarzoner, who bases the majority of his dishes on produce grown in Hotel Bischofshof’s own kitchen garden. He takes a look at what’s ready to be picked and combines it with the finest ingredients from all over the world, creating stunning menus presented like works of art. Since 2011 he has held two Michelin stars, and the hotel is the perfect place to spend a few nights nestled within the incredible Dolomite mountains.

An alumnus of Norbert Niederkofler, Matteo Mettulio may not have grown up in South Tyrol but he has made the region his home. He doesn’t restrict himself to using nothing but local produce – with a very Mediterranean cooking style, he happily gets the best meat from Piedmont, fish from Veneto and lemons from the Amalfi Coast, serving them alongside local ingredients. He’s also passionate about Asian flavours – it’s not uncommon to find matcha, wasabi or yuzu on his menu at the Michelin-starred La Siriola.