In 2015, Äscher Restaurant graced the cover of National Geographic‘s Destinations of a Lifetime: 225 of the World’s Most Amazing Places. The tavern had clung to the side of a cliff in the Alps for 170 years without much incident, but that feature image, plus various appearances throughout the internet, seemed to sound its death knell. Instagrammers from all four corners of the earth flooded in, the building got too crowded (dangerously so) for its own good, and late last year, the owners called it quits, putting the space up for sale.
But just 10 months later and following some structural improvements, The Äscher is under new management and back open for business. We’re tentatively hopeful that the new owners will be prepared for the hordes of tourists sure to arrive as the dining season begins this month. They know what they’re getting into, after all. If you’re interested in visiting, head over in late summer, when it’s still warm and the crowds have died down a bit.
As for how to get there, you first need to take a train to the town of Wasserauen. From there you can either A) take a cable car up to Ebenalp, then walk 30 minutes downhill to the restaurant (heads up, you’ll pass the famous, prehistoric Wildkirchli caves) or B) hike up from Wasserauen to Ebenalp, a four-mile, three-hour trek of medium difficulty.
The restaurant serves beer and sausage that folks on TripAdvisor seem to rave about even more than the Alpian views, so it’ll definitely be worth the trek.
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