The story
Haute cuisine meets aviation history at Ikarus in Salzburg, where Executive Chef Martin Klein curates a monthly rotation of international guests behind the pass. Culinary patron Eckart Witzigmann originally designed this framework, bringing together visiting masters while Klein manages the permanent kitchen alongside Chef de Cuisine Martin Ebert. The August residency remains the house standard, allowing the core team to present their full seasonal repertoire after months of adapting to visiting styles. This structure supports a continuously shifting approach to modern gastronomy without losing technical control.
Recent menus highlight exact product handling, such as hamachi paired with cucumber kimchi and rice shio-koji espuma. The kitchen balances rich textures with bright acids, visible in a red mullet course featuring fennel and sudachi citrus. A carefully constructed lobster and veal chop combination demonstrates how substantial proteins can be refined rather than heavy. Every plate moves from an opening cherry and verbena infusion through to a finished chocolate praline, maintaining momentum across the service.
Dining takes place within a vaulted glass-and-steel structure that houses historic aircraft and championship Formula 1 cars. Art exhibitions rotate through the same volume, placing diners between engineering marvels and contemporary installations. Service runs under Florian Kempinger’s direction, with Head Sommelier Mario Onida coordinating wine pairings that feature selections rarely found elsewhere. The space encourages quiet appreciation of both the surroundings and the ongoing fine dining program.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Normally, we test the Ikarus in August. This is tied to the venue's concept. In the other months, Martin Klein, the head chef at Hangar-7, hosts guests at the restaurant. Guest chefs, to be precise. This is a wonderful and (worldwide) unique concept. After all, Klein carefully curates an outstanding and cohesive lineup of guest chefs. Not in August, the festival month in Salzburg. In August, Klein and his team show what they can do. We do dine at the Ikarus in other months as well—our culinary curiosity is comprehensive—but the official testing takes place in August. This year, however, everything was a bit different. The restaurant, along with its kitchen (and even the hangar itself), underwent renovation. During this construction phase, the Ikarus went into exile. To the Wolfschwang Alm on the Untersberg. There, "Best Of" menus were served around March. Including legendary dishes from the Ikarus team such as hamachi with cucumber kimchi and rice shio koji espuma. Or the Japanese wagyu tartare with rustic "flambadou" fries. Magnificent! The "Alm" project is also worth mentioning because it introduced us to Gloria Conti and her work. So impressed were we by her infectious energy and professionalism that we awarded her the Service Award this year. And the current menu? Just as magnificent. It’s a fresh, elegant, summery menu that leaves you feeling buoyant and refreshed—even if the dishes often feature surprising names and ingredient lists. Tristan lobster and veal knuckle. Sounds lavish, but it’s a finely tuned and meticulously crafted course focused on the product and elegance. Klein pairs the black grouper with fennel and sudachi, and the zander with pumpkin miso and lightly charred leek. Both dishes are simply superb. The menu is dramaturgically engaging, has virtually no weak spots, and delivers enjoyment from the first greeting—a shot with cherry and verbena—to the final praline. Exactly like the wine pairing. Here, there is an option to upgrade for each course. You can do it, but you don’t have to. Because the standard pairing is equally impressive and features wines you don’t come across every day. Overall, a highly enjoyable evening and an impressive performance by Martin Klein and his team. Well done! Address Wilhelm-Spazier-Straße 7A 5020 Salzburg Austria Contact Red Bull Hangar-7 GmbH 0662 2197 willkommen@hangar-7.com https://www.hangar-7.com/ Opening Hours Mon–Thu 19–22, Fri–Sat 12–15 and 19–22 Team Martin Klein Executive Chef Martin Ebert Head Chef Florian Kempinger Service Manager Markus Olzinger Restaurant Manager Mario Onida Head Sommelier
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