Austria Hof Restaurant & Bar

A local favorite, Austria Hof Restaurant serves a blend of German and American dishes at the base of Mammoth Mountain's Canyon Lodge

After an exhilarating day snowboarding through a blizzard at Mammoth Mountain’s Eagle Lodge, Deja and I were more than ready to wind down with dinner at Austria Hof Restaurant & Bar.

We grabbed a spot in the spacious bar and both ordered the PAPER PLANE (Bullet Bourbon, Aperol, Amaro, Lemon Juice). It was the perfect bourbon-forward cocktail to warm up on such a snow-filled evening.

To start, we shared the AUTHENTIC 100z WARM GERMAN PRETZEL (Spicy Jalapeño cheese sauce and brown mustard).

Honestly, I still prefer the pretzel at Himmel Haus in South Lake Tahoe. That felt fresher, more comforting.

This one tasted a bit… reheated.

For the main course, I went with the WIENERSCHNITZEL (Pork cutlet, spaetzle and red cabbage). Solid choice on a wintry night. I paired it with a (212) MANHATTAN (Bulleit Rye, Angostura Bitters, Antica Carpano), stirred to perfection. Our personal waiter was fun and had fantastic banter. But, at a certain point,

The real highlight wasn’t the food, it was the time with Deja. We had deep, meaningful conversations over our meal, and the friendly patrons around us made the place feel warm and welcoming.

But then came the issue with the bill.

Now, no matter how many drinks I’ve had, I always check the itemized receipt. The first bill I received was accurate, and I approved the total. But when I got the signing slip, the amount had jumped – $18 higher. I immediately flagged a staff member and explained the situation. She apologized, said she’d remove the incorrect charge and process the correct one.

A few minutes later, she came back saying she couldn’t find the original charge – but assured me that if I ended up being double-charged, I could call to have it corrected.

Well, the next day I checked – and sure enough, I was charged both the incorrect and correct amounts. I called Austria Hof twice, left detailed messages, and never received a callback. It was frustrating, to say the least. I later rechecked my card and saw the incorrect charge was removed. Still, it would have been nice to have received a confirmation.

Honestly, between the food and the billing mess, Austria Hof didn’t leave the best impression.

But I wasn’t there for the restaurant – I was there for Deja.

And that made the night worth it.

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