Best place in Vienna to get Schnitzel? Thin,not as big as at Figlmuller but a place with better service real Viennese atmosphere and preferably reasonably close to Konig von Ungarn. Thanks.

Better service than Figlmuller? I'm not sure how that's possible. We've done the schnitzel there several times and I can't imagine more efficient and fun servers anywhere. My only complaint might be that it is all too quick and efficient.

Patrick,
I guess I wasn't too explicit. I would like a more relaxed atmosphere. I always feel rushed at Figlmuller.

OK, now I understand completely. But sorry, can't help you, unless it would be the delightful Griechenbeist. Only a little further walk from Konig von Ungarn. Supposedly the oldest restaurant in Vienna? But I've usually done fancier fare than a simple Schnitzel there. Smoked goose breast on lentil salad followed by perch fillets with wild mushrooms and buttered noodles, for example. But I'm sure their schitzel is tops.

I don't know if it's the best but it was very good at Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer which was recommended to us by Eisenstein at KVU front desk. It is about 3 short blocks from the KVU. My wife also had it for lunch at the Cafe Diglas just around the corner from the KVU and was complimentary.

t

I always laugh when I hear about tourists running off to look for Wiener schnitzel. I've spent plenty of time in Germany, and the locals always gave me the same advice - avoid Wiener schnitzel like the plague. The reason for breading the meat is to hide the fact that it is the cheapest cut. They fry it because it is the toughest.

If you must order schnitzel, always go with "schnitzel natur." It is not breaded, so you can see what you are getting and they use better meat.

If you are into veal, why not try Tafelspitz (ccoked veal) instead of Schnitzel? Plachutta in Wollzeile 38 (www.plachutta.at) is a short walk from KVU and serves a great variety of veal dishes. They edited some cookbooks on Viennese cuisine, and there are a lot of local people in their restaurants (me too, sometimes).

Tafelspitz is boiled beef, not veal. It IS delicious when properly made.

Platzer and viennese:
Good wiener schnitzel may be common and cheap to you, but it's one of the things we who live elsewhere look forward to! Cheap cuts of meat are often the tastiest.

~Liz (who was born in Austria)

Elberko,
oops, you are right - I made a mistake, I`m sorry! Of course tafelspitz is cooked beef. Shame on me... Seems I have to practice my English more often...

"Good wiener schnitzel may be common and cheap to you, but it's one of the things we who live elsewhere look forward to! Cheap cuts of meat are often the tastiest."

Perhaps, but Weiner Schnitzel isn't one of them. It's also hilarious that you feel the need to get Wiener Schnitzel on a trip to Austria, seeing as how you can get exactly the same thing invirtually any American city. Fried breaded veal is fried breaded veal.

What next? Are you going to Vienna for wiener's?

While I agree that Wiener Schnitzel isn't the best bet to order in a German restaurant, ordering it in Wien is a totally different story. It really is a different dish from what you get in most German restaurants.

Yeah, since the whole thing is about being "Wiener" but I agree it is a terrible cut of meat made more palatable by the preparation.
But it also goes to prove that if you tell some people that something is "upscale" or "authentic" they'll go for it, regardless of the contents.

O.K. Now to all you condescending snobs:
I know Vienna very well. The Schnitzel I make is probably as good or better than anything I can get there. What I can't do is imitate the ambience. I happen to really enjoy Schnitzel in a Vienna Restaurant. After all I can get good fried chicken anywhere but it itsn't the same as having it in Grinzing with a carafe of new wine. Yes I am familiar with Tafelspitz but it so happens I prefer Schnitzel. Just because you look down your noses at it, and me, does not make you more sophisticated individuals only less tolerant ones.

I also intended to thank the people who gave me advice and didn't try to make me feel like a tourist who had to be told that his/her idea of good food was beneath contempt. Sorry!!!!

We recently had very good Wiener Schnitzel at a contemporary restaurant, Do & Co, in the Haas Haus a few steps from Stephansdom. Wide ranging menu, the schnitzel was excellent.

For a wild and crazy time with Schnitzel try Schnitzelwirt. And, be sure to take a peek at the machine they use to roll the pork (yes, it isn't veal). The Schnitzel covers the plate. Nothing fancy here, so the old boy who thinks we are all on a foodie mission when we sit down to Schnitzel can chill a bit. Hey, this fellow probably never heard of Meissl & Schaden! Pork, Chicken, Veal, Turkey - hey, it's all about fun and having a good time with friends. And, having lived in Vienna for quite a few years (wife wife and children are Viennese)nobody has a more fun eating, drinking and enjoying life! Smile on!