We arrived hungry in Melk and more than ready for lunch. Fortunately, we knew where we wanted to eat and found Hotel Zur Post easily enough in the center of the small old town. Parking here was a problem, but across a narrow bridge, a few minutes walk away, a huge free parking lot was virtually empty. The short walk into town from here allowed for grand views of the Melk Monastery. In our hungry state, the Asian bistro at the entrance to the town was Tempting, but we decided to press on.

We were fortunate to find a table on the veranda from where we could enjoy views of the monastery. The view was somewhat spoiled by the overhanging canopy, but this was preferable to sitting in the glaring sun on an unseasonably hot and humid day. Further tables were available in several rooms indoors, as well as in a seemingly popular inner courtyard.

The menu was mostly Austrian, with enough variety to suit most tastes. In the hot weather, a beer would have been most welcome, but with quite a bit of driving still waiting for later in the afternoon, we had to stick to water and soft drinks. The drinks were on the table fast enough, but the food took somewhat longer, as rural Austria is not easily rushed.

The food was worth the wait. I ordered Pumuckl (€3.60) for the children: Vienna sausages with fries. The latter tasted great – crisp but not overly oily. I would know, as the toddler rejected her favorite once she could get her fork into the rice that accompanied her parents’ chicken (€11.20) and Wienerschnitzel (€13). The schnitzel was melt-in-the-mouth soft, and for some inexplicable reason, reminded me of my favorite ton katsu restaurant in Tokyo. Due to the hot weather, we decided to skip the after-lunch coffee, a rare occurrence. The total bill came to €36.60, probably a bit more than one would have expected in rural Austria, but totally fair given the location firmly on the tourist trail.