Graz is Austria's only UNESCO City of Design and Culinary Capital, ringed by Styria's pumpkin fields, vineyards and apple orchards. Three days of dark-green seed oil, horseradish, Vulcano ham and buschenschank wine — all inside a walkable old town.
Graz's biggest daily farmers' market runs Mon–Sat 06:00–13:00 along the Opera house flank. Around 160 stalls sell Styrian pumpkin seed oil (€12–18 per 250ml), Käferbohnen scarlet runner beans, Vulcano ham and apples from the Oststeiermark.
A Beisl and wine bar opposite the Kunsthaus doing Styrian tapas: pumpkin cream soup with a swirl of seed oil, Backhendl salad, and Käferbohnensalat. Mains €16–26, tapas plates €4.50–7. Open daily from 11:00, kitchen till 22:00.
A 1932 institution on Stempfergasse famous for open-faced Brötchen — 30-odd varieties of egg, horseradish-beef, salmon and Liptauer on white bread, €1.90–2.60 each, eaten standing at marble counters with a glass of Schilcher Frizzante.
Across the Mur in the Lend district, the morning fruit-and-veg market square turns into an evening drinking quarter. Stalls, Scherbe and the surrounding bars pour Styrian Sauvignon Blanc and Welschriesling by the Viertel (250ml, €3.50–5).
Start with Styrian pastry: Philipp on Sporgasse bakes pumpkin-seed strudel and Kürbiskernöl ice cream, while Sacher on Herrengasse serves the original torte with unsweetened cream. Cake €5.50–8, melange €4.50.
A 500-year-old house on Bürgergasse behind the cathedral with a vine-shaded courtyard. The Backhendl — free-range chicken jointed, breaded and fried in lard, served with lamb's lettuce and seed oil — runs about €24.
In-town alternative: the Steirische Vinothek on Hans-Sachs-Gasse pours flights of Schilcher, Sauvignon Blanc and Gölles apple balsamic vinegars and schnapps. Tasting flights of five wines €15–22, open Tue–Sat.
Vaulted 16th-century cellar off Schmiedgasse serving Styrian classics under painted arches: Rindsrouladen, Tafelspitz, and Steirisches Wurzelfleisch with horseradish. Mains €19–32, and the Renaissance courtyard seats fill first on warm nights.
A smaller, greener farmers' market (Mon–Sat mornings) where Styrian growers sell Käferbohnen, horseradish roots, Almkäse and elderflower syrup. Cheaper than Kaiser-Josef and easier to talk to producers. Most goods €3–10.
Graz's classic tram-stop sausage stand: Käsekrainer with melted cheese pockets, Burenwurst with sweet mustard and grated horseradish, served in a semmel for €4.50–6.50 with a bottle of Gösser or Puntigamer beer.
Styria brews beyond Gösser: Bierbaron on Heinrichstrasse keeps 100-plus bottles and a dozen taps of Austrian craft, including Bevog from nearby Bad Radkersburg. Half-litres €4.20–6.50; tasting boards of four for around €12.
End on the Styrian Wine Road, 45 minutes south: a family Buschenschank serving cold Brettljause — cured pork, Verhackertes lard spread, hard cheese, horseradish — with their own Sauvignon Blanc. Plates €12–18, wine by the Viertel €3.