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Vienna has tried hard to shed its image of a town locked in the 19th century, and nowhere is that more evident than in the kitchens of the top-notch Austrian chefs who dominate the culinary scene here. They have turned dining from a mittel-europäisch sloshfest of Schweinsbraten, Knödeln, and Kraut (pork, dumplings, and cabbage), into an exquisite feast of international flavors.
No one denies that such courtly delights as Tafelspitz—the blush-pink boiled beef famed as Emperor Franz Josef's favorite dish—is delicious, but these traditional carb-loaded meals tend to leave you stuck to your seat like a suction cup.
The dining scene of today's Vienna has transformed itself, thanks in part to a new generation of chefs, such as Heinz Reitbauer Jr. and celebrity-chef Christian Petz, who've worked hard to establish an international brand of Viennese cooking known as Neue Wiener Küche (New Vienna cuisine). They have stepped onto the stage, front and center, to create signature dishes, such as fish soup with red curry, which have rocketed to fame; they have fan clubs, host television shows, and publish top-selling cookbooks, such as Neue Cuisine: The Elegant Tastes of Vienna; there are star Austrian chefs the way there are in New York and Hollywood, and these chefs want to delight an audience hungry for change.
Schmaltzy schnitzels have been replaced by prized Styrian beef—organic meat from local, farm-raised cattle—while soggy Nockerl (small dumplings) are traded in for seasonal delights like Carinthian asparagus, Styrian wild garlic, or the zingy taste of common garden stinging nettle. Wisely, Vienna has also warmly welcomed into its kitchens chefs from around the world, who give exotic twists to old favorites.
One of Vienna's most popular third-wave coffeehouses. It lives up to its hype and long lines with exceptional coffee, stylish decor, delicious baked goods and a sustainable focus. It's also just a cool place to hang with all the cool people. The patrons are a mix of locals tapping away on laptops over lattes and visitors enjoying the people-watching and the small selection of wine and bubbly.
Made famous by its illustrious guests, the Café Central is one of the most famous cafés in all of Vienna. The soaring ceiling and gigantic columns are hallmarks of the landmark, which was home to Viennese literati as well as world game changers at the turn of the last century, including Leon Trotsky, who mapped out the Russian Revolution here beneath portraits of the Imperial family. There is more than the standard café fare here, with the kitchen serving salmon fillet sprinkled with roasted pine nuts; or try the Mohr im hemd for dessert, chocolate hazelnut cake dusted with powdered sugar and served with hot chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Piano music fills the marble-pillared hall in the afternoon; it can get packed with tourists, but it's worth the crowds.
Arguably the most famous café in Vienna, it is the home of the legendary Sacher torte, a dense chocolate torte with fresh apricot jam in the center. This legend began as a delikatessen opened by Sacher, court confectioner to Prince von Metternich, the most powerful prime minister in early-19th-century Europe. War-weary Metternich must have been amused to see a battle break out between Sacher and Demel—a competing confectioner—as to who served the real Sachertorte. Sacher puts its apricot jam in the cake middle, while Demel puts it just below the icing. If you're not a sweets person, try a savory alternative: Sacher Würstl (slim sausages served with freshly-grated horseradish, mustard, and home-baked bread). Mirrors and chandeliers add glitter, and there is live piano music every day from 4:30 until 7 pm.
Coffee in Vienna is designed to be savored and enjoyed, and one of the most splendid places for that is the Sperl. Featured in Hollywood films A Dangerous Method and Before Sunrise, the venerable café—commandeered way back when as the café for artists—is more than just a fantastically pretty face. The Old Vienna ambience is not merely preserved here, but vibrantly alive. Get a table by the window to ensure a captivating street view, and be sure to enjoy the piano music on Sunday afternoon.
The display cases are filled to the brim at the world-renowned Demel, a 200-year-old pastry shop and chocolatier famous for sweetmeats. Chocolate lovers will want to try the Viennese Sacher torte (two layers of dense chocolate cake with apricot jam sandwiched between and chocolate icing on top) and compare it with its competition at Café Sacher. Don't forget to watch the pastry chef at work in the glassed-in courtyard. Beyond the shop proper are stairs that lead to ornate dining salons where the decor is almost as sweet as the goods on sale.
Oma is the word for Grandma in German, and if you ever wished you had one of your own to make you homemade kuchen (cake) or simple, hearty Austrian meals, make a beeline for Vollpension. This delightful café-restaurant employs Austrian grandmas (and a few grandpas) who make their favorite cake recipes for you to enjoy. They also serve hearty breakfasts and small but satisfying snacks like sausages with bread and mustard, potato salad, and sandwiches. In addition to coffee and tea you'll find wine, beer, prosecco, and coffee cocktails.
A winding walk up a tree-lined lane brings you to the garden of one of the city's most well-known heuriger. Here you will find one of the finest, most peaceful views around along with specialty wine like the Grüner Veltliner. The tables in the ample garden overlook Vienna's vineyards, from which you can see part of the cityscape. Malvasier (also a Viennese white) and Chardonnay are among a host of others served up. ManyAustrians go for the heuriger hallmark drink "spritzer"—wine mixed with sparkling water. The buffet is a bounty of traditional dishes, including Wiener schnitzel, fried chicken, vegetable strudel, pickled vegetables, and cheese and meat platters.
If you're lucky, you can snag a table in the idyllic garden of this low-key pub, hidden away inside a delightful Biedermeyer cobbled courtyard. The staff is young, hip, and carefree, and will gladly serve you breakfast until 3 pm. Dinner is modern Viennese—with a handful of vegetarian options. Vines and ivy provide cover from the intense summer sun while walls of the passageway leading from the courtyard are lined floor to ceiling with concert placards. In winter, there's nothing cozier than to sit inside and sip the ginger apricot punch.
One of the city's favorites, this tiny bistro features excellent Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches and salads.
This "Neo-Gasthaus" spot has an interior like a traditional gasthaus, but a modern and unexpected concept and menu. The menu, served family style, changes almost daily and focuses on seasonal products, many sourced regionally.
Run by a Georgian couple with Lebanese roots, this stylish and airy restaurant is part modern Viennese coffeehouse, part Mediterranean escape. The light-filled interior features a beautifully tiled bar area with Lebanese tile, ornate lamps, and vases filled with fresh flowers, while the shady terrace is a perfect spot to slowly enjoy specialties like kinkhali (meat-filled dumplings) and kwerebi (Georgian ravioli), along with Georgian wines, and specialty teas and coffees. Make a reservation for breakfast here as the Georgian breakfast of cheese-filled bread with an egg in the middle has made it one of Vienna's most popular breakfast spots. Come with a group so that you can sample the Russian breakfast (with vodka) and a Viennese breakfast, too.
Owned by Austria's Cafe Oberlaa empire, this traditional café (Strauss used to hang out here) serves omelets, sandwiches, and cakes.
Practically a shrine, the Hawelka was the hangout of most of Vienna's modern artists, and the café has acquired an admirable art collection over the years. The Hawelka is most famous for its buchteln, a baked bun with a sweet filling, served fresh from the oven. While cakes, sausages and other hearty fare are on offer, this is a place where many come for just a cup of coffee or a casual drink. Ask to look at the guest book, itself a work of art, with entries including some illustrious names (including Elias Canetti, Andy Warhol, and Tony Blair). Back in the 1960s, the young John Irving enjoyed the atmosphere here, too, as you can see when reading The Hotel New Hampshire.
Pay what you like for vegetarian Pakistani comfort food (think curries, dahl, and rice) at this casual little gem.
This bustling restaurant in a stall along the Naschmarkt is a prime place to stop for a bite and watch the crowds go by. The menu is as diverse as the customers, and includes various Turkish mainstays, such as tzatziki and falafel, and a variety of international choices. Some options can include chicken and avocado salad, pumpkin curry with vegetables and cashew nuts over rice, and Moroccan lemon chicken with couscous. The prices are easy on the wallet, and the customers tend toward the young and hip.
This lively café-restaurant, conveniently located next to the Naschmarkt, is best known for its breakfast and for its classic coffeehouse feel with contemporary decor. Brunch favorites include avocado toast with poached eggs and salmon and blueberry pancakes and their “Breakfast Bubbles” sparkling wine cocktails. It's a popular stop for a late-afternoon cocktail.
One of the friendliest places in Vienna, this wonderful wood-paneled old cellar—just across the street from the Konzert Haus—offers some of the heartiest home cooking in town. Come here to enjoy dishes that hail from Carinthia, like the tafelspitzsulz mit kernöl und zwiebeln (cold cut of beef in aspic served with onions). You'll want to use the semmel (white bread roll) to sop up that last drop of dark-green pumpkinseed-oil dressing. In suitable weather, the outdoor area has an appealing beer garden atmosphere.
There’s a clutch of delicious spots on this cozy end of Praterstrasse, but for delicious coffee in a restful spot, the Golden Parrot can’t be beat. Friendly smiles, a soothing atmosphere blooming with plants, plus a large shady garden is the ideal place to enjoy coffee in the morning and an aperitivo or glass of natural wine in the afternoon.
In the heart of the vine village of Neustift am Walde, this inn dating from 1609 sticks to tradition. The selection of white wine includes Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, and Chardonnay, and reds of Blauburger and Zweigelt. All help to wash down the traditional Viennese dishes served, including pork schnitzel and fried chicken.
Great salads, soups, and small plates are served in this airy space.
Each morning, the bread here is baked fresh—kneaded by hand—using what the owners call an ancient recipe that uses only organic ingredients. All of the breads are whole grain, and include varieties such as honey lavender, sourdough walnut, and sourdough pumpkinseed. The ambience is pristine factory meets Old Europe: a Styrian stone floor and dangling chandeliers alongside sleek, modern baking ovens. The adjacent daytime bistro serves excellent lunch menus (which often includes some of their excellent bread, of course).
This landmark café is on one of the most charming squares in Vienna. The "Little Cafe" is open daily for coffee, cocktails, and light snacks, and few places are more delightful to sit in and relax on a warm afternoon or even into the night. In summer, tables are set up outside on the cobblestone square where the only sounds are the tinkling fountain and the occasional chiming of bells from the ancient Franciscan monastery next door. The cafe can be seen in the film Before Sunrise. Service can be slow at peak hours.
This modern, airy spot for lunch has tasty soups, salads, and snacks; it employs workers with limited job opportunities.
An unassuming facade conceals a contemporary space for drinks and appetizers. The menu features Mediterranean bites with a touch of Asian, like the spicy octopus with grilled vegetables or the tempura cauliflower with roasted almonds and gomasio cream cheese. Their shops sells wine and spice blends, many of which you can experience in their dishes.
This upmarket Asian takeout joint from the famed Japanese restaurant Mochi offers fresh ramen, sushi, and maki, plus coffee, matcha, and sake.
Popular with the locals and a great value, you'll find irresistible confections such as the Oberlaa Kurbad cake, truffle cake, and chocolate-mousse cake here. The lemon torte is filled with a light, fruity lemon cream and a thin layer of almond paste. The Maroni Obers Torte is a dark chocolate cake, filled with chestnut and milk-chocolate mousse, garnished with maraschino cherries. There are many Oberlaa branches to choose from, including Landstrasser Hauptstrasse 1 and Babenbergerstrasse 7. Included among the tasty delights are gluten- and lactose-free treats. Candy can also be wrapped as a lovely gift to take home.
Cozy with a basement vibe, this place near the Naschmarkt bucks the trend of the grand, old-school Vienna coffeehouses and offers itself up as a café and bookshop. Inside you'll find shelves with a constant rotation of books in a congenial atmosphere of people enjoying coffee, brunch, and more.
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