From the noble courts of Vienna to the little hidden nooks of the Alps, Austrians from all over have enjoyed fine chocolate for centuries. Some say that the finest chocolates from Austria are among the best in the world, if not the best.
I’ll let you decide on that one – after coming along and taking a quick tour of the greatest and most popular Austrian chocolate brands! From the sweet to the bitter and everywhere in between, let’s see what the bold and exciting world of Austrian chocolates has to offer.
Table of Contents
1. Hofbauer
Among the most storied and successful of all Viennese chocolatiers, Hofbauer chocolate has an immense reputation built on centuries of craftsmanship.
Known as one of the oldest chocolate makers in the country, Hofbauer is practically synonymous in this day and age with fine Austrian confections.
These include classic pralines, chocolate cakes and tarts, bars, and Rohkost – chocolate-covered fruit slices!
All in all, Hofbauer’s menu is rich, diverse, and huge, but if I may put forward some of my favorites, take a look at the Deluxe Collection and their marzipan assortments.
2. Zotter
Zotter is a bit of a modern legend in Austria. Founded by an eccentric, colorful personality by the name of Josef Zotter (some say the man is the closest to a real-life Willy Wonka you can get) in 1999, Zotter remarkably quickly established itself as one of the most beloved Austrian chocolate manufacturers.
Zotter distinguishes itself from more conservative, traditional chocolatiers like Hofbauer by experimenting with a lot of unique and often wild flavors.
For instance, ever thought of Austrian marzipan chocolate with an egg liquor filling? How about Port wine and figs? Or currant ganache with chili?
3. Manner
Famous throughout the country for their distinctive Neapolitan-style chocolate wafers and their equally recognizable hot pink packaging, Manner is among the top-selling Austrian chocolate brands today.
It’s more than just that one hit product, though. Not only does Manner continue to experiment on the original formula, having added a dizzying number of variations to their wafer recipe over the years, but they also make some exquisite pure dark chocolate bars and yummy chocolate cream tartlets.
4. Heidel
The Confiserie Heidel, despite its broad brand recognition in Austria, remains a relatively small business.
They specialize in luxurious and highly refined chocolate confitures that are tailor-made to each customer’s needs, such as Valentine’s gift chocolate, among other various special orders for unique occasions.
Besides those rare and distinguished choices, Heidel also produces a few mainstay products en masse that remain widely popular, chief of which is their Dark Espresso bar, a lovely blend of rich cocoa with the aroma of bitter coffee.
5. Mozartkugeln
I’ll make a concession and admit that these aren’t an Austrian chocolate brand per se, more like a general recipe. On the other hand, it would be a crime to write a whole article dedicated to the world of sweet Austrian delights and not mention Mozartkugeln!
Invented in the late 1800s, Mozartkugeln follow an unmistakable recipe of nougat, marzipan, pistachios, and bitter dark chocolate all wrapped around each other in the shape of a ball.
The distinctive packaging with Austrian composer Amadeus Mozart’s portrait on the wrapper has made these desserts an unmistakable symbol of Austrian cuisine.
Today, many Austrian chocolate brands continue to make their own spin on Mozartkugeln.
These include Mirabell, Victor Schmidt, Manner, Hofbauer, and others. There is even Lindt Mozart chocolate made in Switzerland these days!
Which of these you choose is up to you – there are slight differences in taste between each version, or so I’m told by people with finer senses than me – but the quintessential Austrian Mozartkugel is a delightful experience no matter what!
You might also want to check out Konditorei Fürst in Vienna if you get the chance. This family-run business is led by the very descendants of the man who first invented Mozartkugeln and continues to follow the original recipe!
6. Victor Schmidt
Nowadays owned by Manner, Victor Schmidt is one of the greatest historical chocolate brands from Austria. Like Heidel, the chocolatier specialized in made-to-order chocolate gift boxes, especially those themed around Mozartkugeln.
Today, Victor Schmidt’s new ownership continues to make use of their historic recipes and mass-produces their patented Kugeln as well as other examples of nutty, nougat-rich Austrian marzipan chocolate.
7. Mirabell
Named after Schloss Mirabell in Vienna where the Habsburgs famously resided, Mirabell is one of the most successful chocolatiers in Austrian history.
Known for their elaborate, baroque packaging, Mirabell produces a variety of historically and musically-themed chocolates.
This includes, of course, their own spin on Mozartkugeln as well as their telltale Mozarttaler, coin-shaped “chocolate medallions” with Mozart’s portrait likewise on the packaging.
Among this great variety you can get, and I’m not kidding here, a top-shelf selection of Mirabell Mozartkugeln within a violin-shaped gift box!
8. Heindl
Not to be confused with Heidel and definitely not with Heidi (that’s Swiss!), Heindl is one of the more experimental among Austria’s pantheon of fine chocolatiers.
Priding themselves on their exclusively Fair Trade-sourced ingredients, Heindl has assumed the reputation of a socially-conscious family business in Austria that is not afraid to take risks and turn existing concepts on their heads.
Some of their staples have become nationally-recognized classics, such as the Naschherzerl (“snacking hearts”), which are nougat chocolate hearts with a creamy filling.
From dark chocolate-coated orange slices to Rumpflaumen, Austrian dark chocolate with plum coated in rum (!), they offer some recipes you likely won’t be able to get anywhere else.
9. Ildefonso
If nuts and chocolate to you fit together like a hand a glove, then you’re going to adore Ildefonso. The Viennese brand specializes in nougat chocolate confections, exclusively based on hazelnuts. This mix is intricately layered to produce waves of exciting aroma.
Apart from the recipe, the packaging is what makes Ildefonso so instantly recognizable. Each chocolate is hand-wrapped into a cube-shaped red and gold package that makes it hard to mistake a genuine Ildefonso for anything else.
Despite the immense success of this recipe, widely acclaimed and named by some as the best Austrian chocolate, Ildefonso has refused to expand and broaden their product range like some other chocolatiers have done.
10. Casali
As you might have noticed from some of the Austrian chocolate brands featured in this article thus far, Austrian chocolates are often very dark and bitter, with a rich and colorful aroma.
By many experts, this is considered a hallmark of fine chocolate-making.
However, it’s not up to everyone’s tastes. Some may not take well to those bitter notes, while others may be allergic or have a high sensitivity to some ingredients, like the nut-based nougat cream that is featured in so many confections from Austria.
Casali is a trailblazing Austrian chocolate manufacturer that tries to do something different than the rest in order to fill these kinds of gaps. Their signature line of chocolate bars is based on lighter, milkier chocolate than the competition, imbued with fresh coconut and bananas.
Yup. Bananas.
Granted, the curious choice of ingredients has made Casali a bit of a controversial name in the world of Austrian chocolate. Still, for something distinct and fresh, I suggest giving them a chance!
11. Ruger
Ruger is a mass-market chocolate brand from Austria with a wide appeal. Their chocolate-filled wafers mirror Manner’s, though Ruger uses softer, spongier doughs and creamier confections with a different aroma.
Like Manner themselves, Ruger’s wafer bars exist in thousands of variations. Ultimately, it’s pointless to try and thoroughly compare the two – just have a bite of each and see which one wins you over!
12. Reber
Reber was one of the first chocolate makers from Austria to devise and sell their own version of Fürst’s Mozartkugeln, only a few years after the original.
Eventually, Reber added their equally well-known “Mozart-Chocolade“, a dark chocolate with a creamy filling and Mozart’s visage on the front face of each bar. This was soon joined by a nougat-based variant and an almond-truffle mix enveloped in dark chocolate and coated with rum.
If that one doesn’t make get your mouth watering, I don’t know what will!
Through these distinctive offerings, Reber have become one of the premier Austrian chocolate manufacturers beloved by millions for their distinctive taste and presentation.
For the whole Reber experience, I suggest planning a visit to the Rebercafé, which essentially serves as the brand’s flagship store in Vienna. Here, portraits of Mozart, most of them edible, line the walls while handmade cakes, tarts, pralines, and all sorts of confitures fill every corner.
There’s a gold-plated grand piano, too, because why not?
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this roundtrip tour of some of the most magical and delectable chocolates from Austria! As you can see, there is a remarkable degree of diversity for such a relatively small country.
Austrian chocolate brands continue to innovate. Every time I visit the country I practically stumble upon something new I hadn’t yet seen before! This makes it incredibly fun and exciting to roam the catalogue of your favorite Austrian chocolate manufacturers time and time again.
Especially the giants like Manner routinely put out new reimaginings of their existing classics, and often these are available for a limited time only!
Speaking of which: if you’ve had the pleasure of tasting a few yet, which Austrian chocolates were your favorites, which left a sour taste in your mouth?
Let us know in the comments, and until next time!
