Carinthian cooking sits at the meeting of Alpine, Italian and Slovene traditions and is unlike anything you eat elsewhere in Austria. The signature dish is Kärntner Kasnudeln, fat half-moon ravioli filled with curd cheese, potatoes and a hint of mint, served with brown butter. Most traditional places do them; Pumpe on Lidmanskygasse and Restaurant Maria Loretto on the Wörthersee are reliable.
For something heartier, try Reindling, a sweet brioche-like cake usually eaten at Easter, Frigga, a cornmeal and cheese fry-up from the Gail Valley, or fresh trout from one of the alpine streams. The covered Benediktinermarkt by Bahnhofstraße sets up Thursday and Saturday for produce and Carinthian cheeses. For evening drinks the arcaded passages around Pfarrplatz are wall-to-wall with bars and small restaurants.