Dining Alone In Vienna
 

I will be visiting Vienna by myself later this month. Any good suggestions for resturants where I will not feel too "out of it" as a single diner?

Kevin. Other than the very top class restaurants (which I didn't visit) I can't imagine a single restaurant where you would feel out of place dining alone. If the restaurant you select is crowded and you see a table of, say, 6 seats with only two taken just walk up and ask "Ist hier frei?". You won't be alone any longer and may have some fun.<BR>Enjoy yourself.

A must in Vienna is a well known restaurant called "Schmidts". They have the best food and value in all Europe in my opinion. The Weinerschnitzel covered the entire plate and at the time was about $6 U.S... excellent food. Check the guide books for the address, pretty sure one of them will list it.<BR><BR>As far as seating goes, in most of Europe people share tables. Just ask if it's ok for you to join them, they are used to it. Great way to meet new people too. Enjoy!

The worst part of eating alone is the eternal waiting for a "waiter" without chat to fill in the spaces. Also you as a single diner are a pain for a waiter who has to make about the same cleanup and number of trips for 1 as many at a table.<BR><BR>The happy solution is a cafeteria self-serve place. Local travel videos have claimed Vienna has a bunch of large, excellant near-gourmet cafeteria places. I hope they are easy to find, or maybe someone can comment on some...

I agree with Jim.<BR>You can eat at rest Stephansplatz as it is the most crowded area.Ask for Bermuda Dreieck small bars cafes full with people.I wouldn't go to speacial rests but prefer to have snacks and drinks.<BR>'Wiener Wald' is typical Viennese food.One of this rest is near to KARLSPLATZ.Ask for the soups as they are delicious.<BR>

Kevin:<BR>I don't remember the exact location---but if you can find Johann Strauss's birthplace (childhood home)on the 2nd floor---right underneath it is a restaurant where singles hang out. I'm not sure of the Austrian spelling (sic) but it still may be listed as Mc Donald's!!! :-)<BR> Just trying to be funny...haven't been to Vienna for 20 years...sorry!

Kevin,<BR>I went solo to Vienna earlier this year and had a grand time. I never felt awkward as a single diner nor did I feel that service was lesser because of being alone.<BR>Some personal favorites:<BR><BR>Immervoll on Weihburgstrasse<BR>Terrific, adventursome new/old Viennese cooking. If the dessert called "Mohr im Hemd" is on the menu, order it and do your best to finish it - it's a moist chocolate pudding cake with clouds of whipped cream.<BR><BR>Boheme in the Spittelsberg district<BR>Although it was a busy weekend night, the staff made me very welcome (the owner sat down and chatted with me during dessert). The menu has fun opera-based themes and there are some unique wines available.<BR><BR>Some of the coffee houses have light lunch menus - of course you can spend hours in a Viennese coffee house by yourself and never feel out of place.<BR><BR>The MAK (Museum of Applied Art) has a cafe/restaurant which is reportedly a great place for people-watching as well as the food. It was closed when I was there, so I don't have any first-hand observations about the cafe, but I found the museum itself one of the most memorable of my trip.<BR><BR>How I envy you - wish I was going back to Vienna this very moment!

I visited Vienna alone a few years ago, and had a great time. Eating alone was never a problem. I always bring something with me to read while waiting for the waiter. <BR><BR>The main problem with Vienna (and maybe "problem" is the wrong word) is that it has so many terrific pastry shops and gelato stands. In central Vienna, every street has one or more such places. It is very easy to get so filled up on these treats that dinner is unnecessary.

I think the Viennese have made dining alone an art form! You will see many solo diners at the cafes, reading their newspapers. If the weather is still nice, get a table outdoors and do some people watching!