The story
Ernele, at Heideggen 311 in Hittisau, is a regional kitchen in the Bregenzerwald that cooks with produce from the valley. Gault&Millau awarded it 15 points in 2026 and called it one of the most popular culinary destinations in the region. The restaurant takes its name from the hotel's senior owner and runs as a bistro and shop within the Das Schiff hotel.
The menu is built around a radius of roughly 100 kilometres. Alpine dairies, butchers and farmers supply hay milk, cheese, meat, fish, berries, mushrooms and eggs. In the warm season, herbs, salads and vegetables come from the hotel's own garden. What the kitchen cannot use fresh is preserved according to traditional recipes, and some of it ends up on the shop shelves.
Chef Felix Groß leads the team. Reviewers singled out the asparagus panna cotta and the soups. The homemade pasta with wild bolognese and alpine cheese was described as excellent, and the light potato dumplings are served with beef fillet. The dessert plate closes on notes of carrot. Guests can watch the cooks at work while they browse shelves of hand-picked regional goods.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
For years, Chef Bernd Reimer has been serving what is arguably the most international cuisine in the Bregenzerwald region in these traditional rooms. Quite deliberately – because “Das Schiff” already houses a second, regional (“100-kilometer radius”) restaurant called “Ernele”. The dining room features its own preparation station for appetizers and desserts or cheese. The appetizers, including salmon trout liver, Black Angus skirt steak, and a consommé with lobster and scallop or turbot, are consistently elaborate and creatively arranged, as are the Amalfi lemon sorbet and granité. A highlight: the Wagyu beef, which has recently appeared rather commonplace on Alpine menus, is prepared to perfection. Chapeau! And the cheese course featuring selections from the Bregenzerwald and France as a finale should definitely not be skipped. Address: Heideggen 311, 6952 Hittisau, Austria Contact: 05513 62 20 0 info@schiff-hittisau.com https://www.schiff-hittisau.com/ Opening hours: Tue–Fri from 5:30 PM Variable Team: Bernd Reimer, Chef
Location
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