A schnitzel owner causes a stir because he offers the dish at an astronomical price. Another restaurateur counters – and launches a frontal attack.
Feb 3, 2026, 3:20 p.mFeb 3, 2026, 3:20 p.m
Leon Pollok / t-online
It was only at the end of January that the restaurant “Spelunke” around chef Alexander Knelle in Vienna sparked controversy: In addition to classics such as beef fillet and burgers, the menu also includes “the most exclusive schnitzel in Austria” – for 395 euros. But now another landlord is countering and claiming to have the most expensive schnitzel in the world on offer. He also doesn’t spare insults against his opponent.
The Carinthian restaurateur Stefan Lercher runs the “Peppino” in Millstatt. In addition to pizzas, a luxury schnitzel has also been on the menu since October, as he reported to the “Kleine Zeitung”. It costs 699 euros and is not a classic Wiener Schnitzel, but a cordon bleu filled with black Perigord truffle, Brie de Meaux and bacon. The meat comes from Wagyu beef. There is a special mashed potato as a side dish.
Lercher told the “5 Minutes” portal: “200 grams of fillet costs 340 euros to purchase, we have eight to ten kilograms of meat available to us per year.” According to him, two pieces of meat, each weighing 100 grams, end up on the plate.
This year, Lercher has already sold five portions – sales: 3,495 euros, excluding tips. The dish may be “decadent,” but he has many “crazy people as regular guests,” the restaurateur told the “Kleine Zeitung.”
Schnitzel “Wutwirt” triggered anger with a statement
If you look at the price, the battle for what is probably the most expensive schnitzel in the world has been decided. But Lercher went further in an interview with the newspaper – and raged against his restaurateur colleague Knelle from Vienna: He decided to go public because he had heard “the story about the idiotic idiot schnitzel.” “Caviar has nothing to do with a schnitzel,” says Lercher, alluding to the side dishes for the 395-euro schnitzel from Vienna.
Lercher is described as a “rage host” in the Austrian media after a statement in January 2023 caused discussions and strong criticism: In one Lercher said in a television interview that from now on he wanted to exclude “vegans, hippies, eco-friendly people and Arabs” from his restaurant. In particular, people from the Arab world had repeatedly misbehaved, he said. He told ORF: “They put children with dirty shoes up on the table.”
At the end of 2023, the innkeeper announced on Instagram that he wanted to organize an “Aryan Gourmet Festival” once a month. A little later, Lercher deleted the post and reacted in an interview with the “Kurier”: “I certainly won’t let the Hitler club hang around my neck. Jews are very welcome as guests here. But I stand by it: Arabs, Syrians or anyone else is not welcome here.” By “Aryan” he meant local specialties, he claimed.
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