Restaurants in Vienna
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Maschu Maschu
Zippy service, a relaxed atmosphere, and delicious felafels, hummus and salads are the keys to Maschu Maschu’s success. This branch on Rabensteig, with its meagre number of tables, is better used as a takeaway joint, while another branch in Neubau is best for sit-down meals.
reviewed
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Figlmüller
Vienna, and the Viennese, would simply be at a loss without Figlmüller. This famous Beisl has some of the biggest – and best – schnitzels in the business. Sure, the rural decor is contrived for its inner-city location, and beer isn’t served (only wine from the owner’s own vineyard), but it’s a fun Viennese eating experience and one you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
reviewed
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Kent
Kent means ‘small town’ in Turkish, an appropriate name considering the hordes that frequent this ever-expanding Turkish restaurant. In summer the tree-shaded garden is one of the prettiest in the city, and the food is consistently top-notch. The menu is extensive, but highlights include shish kebab, Ispanakli Pide (long Turkish pizza with sheep’s cheese, egg and spinach) and Büyük Meze Tabagi (a starter plate as big as a main with baked aubergine, carrots, courgettes, rice-filled vine leaves, green beans, hummus and other delights). The vegetarian and breakfast selections will please most, and everything is available for takeaway. For late-night desserts, try the…
reviewed
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Halle
Managed by the owners of Motto, Halle is the versatile resident eatery of the Kunsthalle with little kitchen downtime – the pots and pans are hung up at midnight. The interior has plenty of optical tricks, like cylindrical lamps and low tables, and the chefs churn out antipastos, pastas, salads, several Austrian all-rounders (breaded chicken, but not a Wiener Schnitzel) and pan-Asian dishes. On steamy summer days it’s usually a fight for an outside table between the Kunsthalle and MUMOK. It sells Noan olive oil (€9.90), with proceeds flowing into children’s projects.
reviewed
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Meierei im Stadtpark
Attached to Steirereck im Stadtpark, Meierei im Stadtpark serves a bountiful breakfast until noon, with set breakfasts costing from €18.50 to €22.50. Between 11.30am and 4.30pm from Monday to Friday only, it does a selection of Viennese classic fare (mains €9.50 to €14.50) with unusual twists, some based around fresh vegetables. It’s most famous, though, for its goulash (weekdays only) and selection of 120 types of cheese. A four-course menu (€39) is served from 5pm weekdays and from 11.30am on weekends.
reviewed
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Zanoni & Zanoni
One of the most useful places to know about in the Innere Stadt is Zanoni & Zanoni. This Italian gelateria and pasticceria has some of the most civilised opening times around (365 days a year) and is just right when you realise you’d like a late-night dessert (about 35 varieties of gelati, with more cream than usual). It does breakfast and some great cakes with cream, but best of all, it’s a buzzing place on a Sunday where you can mull over a coffee and plan your moves for the day.
reviewed
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Zu Den Zwei Liesln
A classic, budget Beisl of legendary status, Zu den Zwei Liesln has been serving celebrities, politicians, office workers and students for decades. Six varieties of schnitzel crowd the menu (the Haus Schnitzel, filled with Gorgonzola, ham and pepperoni, is killer bee), but there are other Viennese options, and even two vegetarian choices. The wood panelling, simple wooden chairs and chequered tablecloths create a quaint and cosy interior, complemented by a tree-shaded inner courtyard.
reviewed
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Breakfast Club
Mix and match from an international range of ten breakfasts at this compact New York-style breakfast joint on lively Schleifmühlgasse. The Vienna Special of bread roll, honey, egg, seasonal fruit and Melange (milky coffee) is a fine choice, but is completely outdone by the BC Royal (salmon rolls, onions, hard boiled egg, toast and sekt). Kids will also love it: there's a small bar especially designed for the little ones, and a separate menu, too.
reviewed
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Stomach
Stomach has been serving seriously good food for years. The menu brims with meat and vegetarian delights, such as Styrian roast beef, cream-of-pumpkin soup, and, when in season, wild boar and venison. The interior is authentically rural Austrian, and the overgrown garden creates a picturesque backdrop. The name ‘Stomach’ comes from the rearrangement of the word Tomaschek, the butcher’s shop originally located here. Reservations are highly recommended.
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Gasthaus Wickerl
Wickerl is a beautiful Beisl with an all-wood finish and a warm, welcoming mood. Seasonal fare, such as Kürbiscremesuppe (cream-of-pumpkin soup) and Kürbisgulasch (pumpkin goulash) in autumn, Marillenknödel in summer and Spargel (asparagus) in spring are mixed in with the usual Viennese offerings of Tafelspitz,Zwiebelrostbraten (steak with onions) and veal and pork schnitzel.
reviewed
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Café Der Provinz
A charming little café near the Piaristenkirche, Café der Provinz brings a touch of France to Vienna. Choose from sweet crepes, served with the likes of Nutella, chocolate, or honey, or sour galettes (buckwheat crepes, cooked on one side only) complemented by ham, cheese or egg. It's a sweet spot any time of the year - inside in winter it's warm and cosy and outside in summer the streetside seating is cool and breezy.
reviewed
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Ra’mien
Picture a grey-white room in minimalist look and lots of bright, young hip things bent over piping-hot noodles and you have Ra’mien. The menu covers a good swath of Asia, with a choice of Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese noodle soups and rice dishes. Ra’mien fills up quickly at night, so it’s best to book to avoid having to wait for a table; the lounge bar downstairs has regular DJs and stays open until at least 2am.
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Amerlingbeisl
Serving solid Austrian fare (and a sprinkling of Italian pasta dishes), Amerlingbeisl is a lovely place situated in the pedestrian quarter of Spittelberg, an old-worldly spot of tight cobblestone streets and quirky shops. The inner courtyard of this Beisl is a lush oasis, and on balmy summer nights the roof slides back to create a lovely outdoor feel.
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Bagel Station
This local chain serves good New York-style bagels to students from the nearby uni, who hang out with their laptops talking, surfing and even studying (or so it seems). You can linger over coffee, muffins and bagels here while planning your next moves in the neighbourhood, catching up on emails from home or using it as your mobile office for a while.
reviewed
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Livingstone
A creative menu and long hours (the kitchen closes at 3.30am) have helped keep Livingstone on Vienna's culinary short list for some time. Strips of marinated beef with ginger sits comfortably alongside Japanese soba noodles and the chilli-burger, and in between servings it's possible to nip in for a wee drab of whiskey at bar Planters next door.
reviewed
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Konoba
Few restaurants in the city come close to Konoba’s expertise with fish. The Dalmatian chefs know their product inside out and serve some of the freshest catch in town. Zander and Goldbrasse (sea bream) are often on the menu, but expect to find a healthy array of seasonal dishes too. The open-plan interior creates a convivial atmosphere.
reviewed
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Buschenschrank Huber
At the foot of the Wilhelminenberg comes a Heuriger swathed in class: crisp white tablecloths lend an upmarket vibe to the otherwise traditional, wood-panelled space. The buffet is gargantuan, filling the mainly older crowd with a sensational selection of salads, meats and sweets.
reviewed
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Café Florianihof
This child-friendly cafe in Josefstadt serves food heavily laden with organic produce and a remarkable array of fruit juices. Paintings by local artists add a splash of colour to the clean white walls, and in summer the streetside seating fills quickly.
reviewed
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Café Engländer
Attracting the rich and the famous, Engländer is no classic Kaffeehaus, but rather a modern edifice with a discerning air and top wine and a contemporary take on Viennese cuisine. Its service and coffee are of the highest standard.
reviewed
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Würstelstand am Hohen Markt
Possibly the Würstelstand in all of Vienna (which is truly saying something), this one attracts people from all walks of life who flock here for the best of the late-night Wurst.
reviewed
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Hotel Riviera
Neatly tucked away in the backstreets of the Innere Stadt is Riviera, a lovely little restaurant with plenty of charm and charisma. The menu is a creative blend of Italian and Austrian cuisine; homemade gnocchi with tomato-basil sauce or truffle oil and Parmesan sits alongside grilled zander with carrot strudel, as do traditional options such as schnitzel or Tafelspitz. Seasonal ingredients feature heavily, so expect a selection of Eierschwammerl (chanterelle mushrooms), apricot, asparagus or wild-game dishes throughout the year. Service is fresh and unpretentious, the decor plain and very creamy. In summer Riviera shares the square outside with Beim Czaak.
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Restaurant Collio
Inside the Hotel Stadt Triest in Wieden, this fine Italian restaurant has a lounge atmosphere, mellow sounds trickling out of the speakers and parquet floor offset by the browns of padded benches – an interior from British designer Sir Terence Conran, who also did Café Drechsler. The food lives up to the top-class design and is exceptionally well priced. Like the best of Vienna’s eating establishments, Collio changes its menu regularly and by season, and in a cold February you might find duck with a fig mustard and served with fried polenta (€17.90) to warm the soul. It has a Venetian focus but wades across a broad and interesting culinary lagoon.
reviewed
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Schloss Concordia (Kleine Oper Wien)
The gigantic stone Jesus that greets diners to Schloss Concordia is a fitting welcome mat, given the Zentralfriedhof directly opposite. It also sets the scene for inside; the bare wooden floors, gargantuan mirrors and stained-glass roof are suitably dated, and when lit by candlelight in the evening it all creates a rather eerie picture. The overgrown garden at the rear adds to the effect. The menu, which is crowded with schnitzels , will suit meat lovers; for a memorable experience, try Degustationsmenü, a hefty plate of different kinds of schnitzel. Thankfully there’s a smattering of vegetarian options, too.
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Beograd
Half of the pictures adorning the walls here are crooked, but that’s the charm of this eccentric restaurant in Wieden. What you get is an atmospheric and sometimes wild Balkan experience that includes red roses on the table, a piano on one side of the main room, a violinist scratching away at his instrument and a wiry fellow who glides about squeezing out sensational sounds from his harmonium. He also croons very decently while appreciative guests press banknotes into his instrument. Servings are very generous and the ingredients fresh and of exceptional quality. Beograd does a good ćevapĉići, or skinless sausages.
reviewed
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Haas Beisl
This small, very traditional Margareten Beisl doesn’t have the revamped, streamlined culinary edges of a neo-Beisl, but Haas is absolutely genuine and a place where you can enjoy decent food and soak up a very local atmosphere. Classics like offal and sweetmeats are prepared the way your grandmother might have done them, but local pundits often head straight for the celery soup. Above the bar are football (soccer) trophies won by the gentlemen players at Haas who have exceeded their own football prime (but not by much, as the trophies testify). The toilets have an ‘art’ touch.
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