Parks

Parks occupies a glass-sided pavilion in the Graz Stadtpark — the city's central park, adjacent to the old-town walls — and is the quiet lunch default for the architects, designers and university faculty who work in the Landes- and TU-Graz blocks nearby. The room looks out into the park on three sides, with the Leechkirche steeple framing the east view. In summer the terrace doubles the capacity; in winter the ceramic Kachelofen in the corner runs all day.

The menu is small, intentionally. Four starters, four mains, three desserts, rotating weekly, each dish built around a single seasonal Styrian product. The pumpkin-seed-oil gnocchi with brown butter and sage is on the menu every autumn; the wild-garlic risotto with smoked trout in April and May; the slow-cooked Alm-ox cheek with horseradish cream every winter. The €22 two-course lunch is the cleanest-priced serious lunch in Graz. The evening menu extends to a five-course chef's option at €58.

The drinks programme is Styrian-forward but includes the only serious craft-beer list in Graz (Brew Age, Gusswerk, Bevog). Service is open-plan friendly; the restaurant is one of the few in the city that expects solo diners at the counter and treats them as the standard. Book 2-3 days ahead for lunch in summer, walk in for most dinners.

For Team Dinner: Parks seats twelve across two adjoining tables with advance notice, the menu is approachable without apology, and the park setting keeps the energy relaxed. The pumpkin-seed-oil gnocchi and Alm-ox cheek work as crowd dishes; the wine list is broad enough for mixed preferences; and the bill at €45 per head keeps the dinner out of the 'corporate extravagance' category. For a 6-12 person team dinner, it is the Graz default.