richardab

OK, I leave for Vienna in a week and a half (oh jeeeez I am soooo not ready). What are the good moderate, not too expensive restaurants?

P.S. I am staying at the Kaiserin Elizabeth (unless I change my mind).

Dave

I am fully aware that I may get "howled down" by folks who know a lot more about food than I do, but one of my favorite experiences in Vienna was to eat at Figlmuller. Its relatively inexpensive, but that does not mean its not "authentic".

You may very well share a communal table with local folks and the size of the Wienerschnitzel is amazing. I'm certain that its as large as some 10" pizzas I've eaten!

Best wishes and have a great trip! Dave

richardab

There is nothing better than a big Wienerschnitzel!

Operaman

Figlmueller's has a great wienerschnitzel and though it may be touristy, it is worth a visit. Also try the Augustinerkeller or Esterhazykeller for fun at night. If you want some good traditional Austrian cuisine at reasonable prices try Witwe Bolte: http://www.witwebolte.at/
or Gasthaus Hansy out by Wien Nord station both offer excellent food, drink and wonderful desserts.

richardab

any more?

marktynernyc

Restaurant Ludwig Van

I sought this restaurant out specifically because a review had mentioned that the jungenstil interior had been preserved. It was more tavern styled - dark woods, booths. The owners have a dog that greeted me at the door. ( which was fine with me because I have dog )

Started off with a very nice pumpkin soup driseled with olive oil. Main entree was a well prepared breast of duck served with red cabbage. Dessert was various Austrain cheeses. The owner recommended a couple Austrain red's by the glass.

Laimgrubengasse 22. Located near the Naschmarket (great food vendors) and the three apartment buildings designed by Otto Wagner - very easy to locate.

Katherine

Steirereck
Rasumofskygasse 2, A-1030 Vienna
Tel: +43 1 713 3168

Zum Kuckruck
Himmelpfortgasse 15, A-1010 Vienna
Tel: +43 1 512 8470

Plachutta
Wollzeile 38, A-1010 Vienna
Tel: +43 1 512 1577

Michael

For something different, there is an inexpensive but good Trukish restaurant called Kent on the Brunnengasse. You walk through the restaurant to its outside garden that can easily seat 100 people. It's best to go on a balmy evening.

Travelnick

After living here 20 mths, I still rate Harrys Time the best restaurant for value for money I have been to anywhere - 17euro for 6 course lunch or around 34 euro for dinner and eat the whole menu (main courses degustation size). On An der Hulben - about 10 minute walk for you.
For wonderful setting, pay 41 euro for Kunsthistorischemuseum on Thursday night, but make reservation before you go - buffet meal of good quality and go see the paintings in between courses.
Japanese restaurants are very good value in Vienna, especially lunch menus - Kyoto on Singerstrasse (next street to where your hotel is) is very good for lunch, but pretty abrupt service.
Schwarzenberg Palace for another lovely setting in 5 star hotel restaurant - overlooking great gardens with open windows - its hot at the moment here, so is one of cooler places to be.
For best pizzas (and good value)- Regina Marguerita in Wallnerstrasse - again really nice setting in a courtyard of an old palace - in same palace as I live in so ultra convenient. Other dishes I think are very mediocre especially for value for money.
Icecream - my favourite is Eiscafe Fontanive in Himmelpfortgasse - next street to your hotel again (opposite direction to Kyoto). Avoid ice cream from shop on Karntnerstrasse near your hotel - worst in my view in Vienna.
To totally avoid - Esterhazykeller (the worst meal I have had in my memory- as well as other 2 people I dined with), Che and Die Wienerin - I have had shocking meals there.
Wiener Schnitzels leave me cold as recommendations - its breaded veal or very commonly pork, its so boring! My mum is a great cook, but her's is boring as well.
Steiereck has been the most consistently rated prestige restaurant in Vienna in recent years - they have a brunch which is good value but never been. They are not open on weekend - even Saturday!.
For better kebabs than Naschmarkt at same price - Pasha on Johannesgasse, next to McDonalds for 3.30euro.
For pub food, Bettelstudent on Johannesgasse is a real popular local haunt, especially at lunch - under 7euro for 3 courses, but desserts are invariably crap.
If you need any checks on restaurants in centre, email me [email protected] and will tell you if I know them or at least tell you from local restaurant guides.

LindaW

I didn't eat a meal there but Demel's is a great place for coffee and torte. If the meals are as good as those, it will be very tasty.

marktynernyc

Korso at the Hotel Bristol is excellent - get a table in the main room - do the tasting menu, sit back and enjoy. Old world elegance - sublime and divine. Dinner is pricey but lunch is suppose to be a bargain.

I second Steiereck - I went for dinner - don't know about brunch

richardab

I am back and here are my restaurant reviews...

I wasn't as impressed with the food in Vienna as I thought I would be. By the end of the trip I was so sick of Weinerschnitzel I thought I would puke. Prices seemed reasonable and there is everything from McDonalds and Subway to the fanciest of restaurants. Basically there is something for everyone and every price range. Here is where I ate;

Figlmueller, Baeckerstrasse 6 - Although this is a fairly new restaurant it seemed very old world. Figlmueller is famous for making a Weinerschnitzel as big as your plate, actually it was even bigger. The restaurant is very nice and informal inside with no air conditioning so it can get quite hot. I went here twice and one time I sat in the basement room and the second time I sat on the window facing the street. Both seats were great but the basement was hot. The waiter are very polite and formal. Service is excellent. The schnitzel ( €11.50 ) was huge. It was pounded thin, breaded and perfectly cooked. The restaurant recommends a side salad where you can mix 2 salads for €3.50 . I got the Arugula with Potato Salad. They were drizzled with pumpkin seed oil, a Viennese specialty. Delicious! Remember the schnitzel is huge and you will need an appetite to finish the whole thing. At this place the house wines are dirt cheap at less than € a glass. The restaurant has a second location around the corner. See pics and info on their web-sight. http://www.figlmueller.at . Total bill €18.60 for schnitzel, salad and wine. English menu available. I give this restaurant 3*.

Gulaschmuseum, Schulerstrasse 20 - This is a fun place where they serve nothing but Goulash. Goulash varieties come with beef, pork, fish, liver and sausages. All very interesting and a goulash pilgrimage. Decent food but not "gourmet". After all, its goulash! Entrees range from €6-10.00, €2 for beer and €1.60 for soda or water. I had the traditional Hungarian Goulash and it tasted as good as goulash could. Service is impersonal and portions are large enough. The restaurant will serve you a basket of bread and charge you for it (common practice). Total bill €10.30 for goulash, bread and a beer. English menu available. I give this restaurant 2*.

Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer, Weihburggasse 4 - (http://www.weisser-rauchfangkehrer.at) This restaurant looked nice and was right across from my hotel so I thought I would try it. It was by far the most impressive and interesting restaurant I ate at. It was also the most expensive. The waiters and bus boys are extremely polite and speak good English. The service here is outstanding and they seem to cater to your every whim including ice and cold water which is unheard of in Vienna! The restaurant was air conditioned and very attractive on the inside. It is all done in honey wood tones and plaid fabrics. Somewhat giving a casual country feeling. There are many whimsical touches which will keep your eyes busy for hours. This restaurant seems to specialize in pumpkin seeds. Every dish I had either had pumpkin seeds or pumpkin seed oil. My appetizer was an arugula salad with a few different types of carpaccio (€6.00). This was a treat and very delicious. Perfectly prepared. My entree was Tafelspitz at €20.00 . Although good, I think I should have ordered another house specialty, after all what else can you do with "boiled beef"? I also ordered a bottle of water (at €9.00 !!!) and a glass of wine @ €7.50 . The wine list here is all Austrian and spectacular. Your waiter will be very knowledgeable and happy to help you select a great Austrian wine to suit your meal. When I had trouble deciding, he gave me a taste of two different wines. Realizing my bill would be high I skipped dessert and coffee. My total bill with tip was €63.50 for 1 person. This sounds like a lot and you are right but... The restaurant also threw in a few extras. At the beginning of the meal they gave a basket full of really delicious homemade breads with a selection of flavoured spreads along with a small cup of roast salted pumpkin seeds. In between each course they gave a little appetizer or treat. At the end of the meal they delivered a small dish of sugared pumpkin seeds and a small tray of sweets. If that wasn't enough, when all was done they cam by with a tray with a gift selection which either included small jars of jams, schnapps, pumpkin seed oil or a small bag of pumpkin seed. A lovely end to a perfect meal. A real Vienna treat. English menu available. Warning : the restaurant will add a €6 service charge to your bill. I guess it covers the bread and freebies. I give this restaurant 4*.

Cantinetta Antinori, Jasomirgottstrasse 3 - This Italian Restaurant is a very short walk from the Stephansdom Catherdral. This restaurant is owned by the Marchese Antinori, the famous winemaker (http://www.antinori.it). I had wanted to eat at their restaurant in Florence, Italy but never had the chance so I was destined to eat at their Vienna outpost. The food is Tuscan and the restaurant is quite large. The atmosphere is cozy and nicely lighted with interesting overhead chandeliers mixed with modern wall sconces. Furnishings are maple colored with crisp white cloths on the tables. The restaurant has air conditioning. I ate there in the middle of the evening on a Friday night and the place is near empty. I can't imagine why. My starter was a arugula salad topped with long shaved slivers of parmesan cheese. It was dressed with balsamic and olive oil. Very generous size and delicious for €7.00. For my main course I have a house made ravioli filled with sheeps milk cheese and finished with a pesto sauce. This was very good and tasted just like old Firenze! The ravioli could have had a bit more filling. The pasta dishes can either be orders as a small second course (€12.50) or a larger portioned main course (€15). I had this as a main course. With my meal I had a simple Villa Antinori Chianti @ €5.00 plus a small bottle of San Pelligrino @ €2.20. The restaurant also added a €2.20 "coperto" which is a cover charge. I assume this "covered" the basket of bread which came with the meal. I skipped dessert and coffee to keep the bill reasonable and decided to look for one of Vienna famous "eisse" cafes for Italian style gelato. Total bill €31.40 (without tip). English menu available. I give this restaurant 3*.

Oswald & Kalb, Baeckerstrasse 14 - This was another fine restaurant that was recommended to me by a couple I spoke to at Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer a few night earlier. The interior had vaulted ceilings and was painted crisp white. Furnishing and floor were dark wood with white table cloths. The rooms were intimate and candle lighted. The restaurant has no air conditioning. The menu is creative gourmet Austrian and has a good balance of fish, pork and beef dishes including the dreaded weinerschnitzel and tafelspitz. The menu is hand written and entirely in German but to my surprise my waiter proceeded to read the entire menu to me. That was very nice. For a starter I has a goose liver pate which came with some small round toasts and delicious apricot chutney. The pate was so creamy and delicious. It was like eating heaven. This was an expensive starter (€13.50) but I love it so much. The slices of pate were very generous and tasted so nice with the spicy-sweet chutney. For my main course I selected a roulade of beef stuffed with bacon, herbs and vegetables. This came with a side of mashed potatoes infused with what seemed to be leek. The roulade was served is a oniony beef flavoured sauce that was real tasty. The restaurant has an excellent wine list and I selected an Austrian red for €3.60 a glass. I thought the wine prices were very reasonable. As tradition goes, a €1.10 charge for "brot" (bread) was added to my bill. My total here was €33.10 (without tip) which I though was a great value considering the quality of the food, great service and nice atmosphere. I give this restaurant 4*.

Cafe Am Ring, Parkring 20 (corner of Johannesgasse and Parkring) - Although I would seek this cafe unless you are in the area, I thought it was a nice place for a light lunch, snack or coffee. Located in the vicinity of the SAS Palace, Marroitt, Intercontinental hotel and Stadtpark its a good choice since there doesn't seem to be many decent restaurants in this area. I found this place when wandering away from the Belvedere palace and pricey restaurant like the Imperial Cafe which is nearby. This is a Segafredo cafe so you can be assured of a good cup of coffee and great desserts. The atmosphere is bright and modern and it has a large outdoor terrace for people watching on the Parkring. Service is fast but not very personable. I never felt rushed or pressured to vacate my seat so this can be a good place to stop and write postcards or your memoirs. Since this is a Segafredo cafe food here has an Italian flair which includes pastas (€7-8.00), salads (€7-8.00) and sandwiches (€4-5.00). I ordered an Italian salad (€7.90) which was large and studded with chopped Italian ham, cheese, peppers and tomatoes amongst mixed leafy greens. This came with a side of bread but beware! I asked for some butter and €.90 was added to my bill. In comparison the bottle of Pepsi I ordered was €2.50 which seemed high. For dessert the selections are wide including tarts, tortes and cakes. I ordered a simple mixed berry tart (€2.80) with a good cafe melange (€2.60). The tart came with whipped cream and the portion was large enough to satisfy and finish the meal. Total bill €16.90. No English menu and limited English spoken. I give this restaurant 3* for good food and good value.

richardab

OVERALL RESTAURANT IMPRESSIONS

Service in most restaurants is very good and friendly. Most places have an English menu and waiters that speak decent English.

Don't assume that the restaurant has air conditioning.

If you get extras such as bread, expect a cover or "brot" charge to be added to the bill. Simple things like bottled water, soda and coffee can be expensive and run up the bill. Tap water is decent and can be ordered but you will be looked at like you have two heads when you order it. Don't expect free refills on soda or coffee. You will have to beg for ice in a drink.

I never figured out what to tip. Sometimes it was included sometimes it was a mystery. I think that as an American you may be expected to leave a nice tip even though the locals do not.

Most places are pretty casual. Jeans and nice tops will be fine for evening dining unless it is a fancy restaurant. Avoid shorts and tees in the evening.

Smoking is allowed in all restaurants and most do not seem to offer non smoking areas. People will huff and puff throughout the meal. In the summertime this is not so bad since most places open their doors and windows to the street. Air conditioned places have better circulation to vent out smoke.

There are many fast food places in Vienna for a cheap meal. Of course there is McDonalds but if you like seafood the chain Nordsee is all over the city. Nordsee offers an extravagant level of fish and seafood which ranges from sandwiches to salads (http://www.nordsee.at).

For a real treat try the restaurant Buffet Trzesniewski at Dorotheergasse 1 (off the Graben). This place offers delicious open face finger sandwiches at about €.80 each. Sandwiches come in combinations of egg with peppers, salmon, bacon, cheese, mushroom, herring, etc. There are usually 18 varieties and people buy them by the plateful. They do have a English translation menu if you need it but to order you can simply just point to what you want.

Eat a good breakfast in your hotel. After all it probably included in the price of the room.

BTilke

Hi Richard,
I'm glad you liked zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer; it is one of my favorite restaurants. Surprisingly, it is mentioned in few guidebooks (I haven't seen any recommendations, but it must be written up somewhere). I like it even better than Steiereck, even though Steiereck gets all the raves. Re the pumpkin seeds, the White Chimney Sweep focuses on Steiermark cuisine, where pumpkin seeds are king! We take our summer vacations in the Steiermark countryside, staying in the beautiful, chocolate-box village of Seckau (www.seckau.at) and pumpkin oil and pumpkin seeds feature prominently in many meals. The seeds are supposed to be very healthy, particularly for men. They don't come from "regular" pumpkins but from a special type of pumpkin grown in the region.

Travelnick

Richard, I am a little puzzled by your initial comments over food in Vienna - you say that you were so sick of wienerschnitzel you could puke and were not overly impressed by the food, but then give essentially very positive reviews - what happened to the negative experiences, which are as useful as positive for readers. And why keep eating wienerschnitzel if you were so sick of it, especially when recommendations made by me and others, with the exception of Figlmuller, are not places focusing on Wienerschnitzel and which you did not take up anyway?

CharlieB

I agree with both BTilke and Travelnick. ZWR is my favorite restaurant in Vienna and one of my favorites anywhere - next time try the venison! Over the years I have spent around 30 days in Vienna and only had Schnitzel once but never went hungry!

richardab

I am still sorry that i didn't get the Venison. I don't know what I was thinking.

richardab

ttt