It seems only logical that Austria's long history of territorial expansion across Central Europe should have fostered, through trade and borrowing, a veritable gastronomic melting pot in the area. An ingredient like Hungarian paprika never suffered under the Iron Curtain, and the whole of Vienna eats goulash or Bohemian cakes. The famous Wiener Schnitzel, or Viennese schnitzel, probably the best-known Austrian dish, is enjoyed throughout the country. Made up of robust dishes based on potatoes, cabbage, pork and cheese, the local cuisine is modest in comparison with the architectural opulence of the capital. On the other hand, the pastries and Viennese pastries are of the highest refinement, as is the art of the cafés that the Viennese frequent so assiduously. Not forgetting, of course, an exceptional vineyard and an ancestral beer production of the highest quality.
The classics of Austrian cuisine
In Austria, a meal often begins with a broth, garnished with dumplings(knödel) made from potatoes, bread and liver(Leberknödel) and sometimes stuffed with meat or bacon, which can be served with strips of omelette(frittaten). As a starter, asparagus (Spargel), topped with hollandaise sauce, is popular. Ideal as an aperitif, brettljause is a board of cold meats accompanied by bread, hard-boiled eggs and spreads, while Belegte Brote are toast topped with cold meats, cheese and all manner of toppings.
In addition to the classic breaded veal cutlet Wiener Schnitzel, there's Tafelspitz, a boiled beef stew, and Käsekrainer, a long sausage filled with melted cheese nuggets. This specialty is served either sliced or as a hot dog with bread, mayonnaise, sweet mustard or horseradish. Sausages are sold in Würstelstand, sausage stands open day and night. Many meat dishes are served with the potato-Sauerkraut duo, not forgetting Semmel, a small round white loaf.
Originally from the Tyrol, Tiroler Gröstl is still very common in Vienna. This pan-fried dish of potatoes, minced beef, bacon with lots of butter and onion is topped with a fried egg. Kasnocken or Käsespätzle is a dish of soft egg noodles drowned in melted cheese and crowned with fried onions. Although originally from Hungary, goulash is also very popular in Vienna. These include Erdäpfelgulasch or potato goulash, or the hearty Fiakergulasch, a meat-based dish simmered with paprika, served with grilled sausage and a fried egg. Reserved for Saint Martin's Day, November 11, Martinigans is a recipe for goose stuffed with chestnuts and dried plums.
Viennese delicacies and exceptional coffee
In a capital that inspired the word "viennoiserie", you can look forward to some fine discoveries, such as theApfelstrudel, a puff pastry with apple, raisins and cinnamon, of which there are also variants with red fruit or fromage frais. Topfentascherl, another Viennese pastry, is a turnover filled with vanilla cream cheese. The croissant is thought to have appeared at the end of the 17th century to taunt the Ottomans after their defeat at the siege of Vienna, the croissant being the symbol of the Ottoman Empire. Popularized by Austrian pastry-makers in Paris in the 19th century, it was a resounding success. The ancestors of croissants, the Kipferl, are still popular in Central Europe. Buchteln are small brioches filled with jam or poppy seeds.
The more rustic Kaiserschmarren is an airy pancake, cut into pieces and served with apple or plum compote. Krapfen is the common name for a filled doughnut. In Austria, ravioli filled with fruit such as apricots(Marillenknödel) or plums(Powidltascherl) are poached and then sprinkled with chopped nuts and sugar.
Cakes and tarts include Linzertorte, with its cocoa crust topped with raspberry jam, and the classic Biedermeiertorte, a multi-layer cake with nougat cream and red berries. The Rehrücken is a chocolate cake studded with slivered almonds. Austria is a country with a boundless passion for chocolate and whipped cream. Finally, the most prestigious of Austrian desserts: Sachertorte. If you're particularly fond of chocolate, with a delicate hint of apricot, then a trip to the Hotel Sacher is a must.
The most glorious years of imperial Vienna, capital of ideas at the turn of the last century, were written, among other places, on the benches of the cafés or Kaffeehaus. At the end of the 19th century, the café served as a refuge for the thinkers and artists of the time. Each of these establishments had gradually specialized according to the affinities and aspirations of its regular clientele. Several cafés have preserved their splendid original Belle Époque decor, including the Central, Schwarzenberg, Hawelka, Sacher and Demel. Enjoy an Eiskaffee (iced coffee with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream), an einspänner (identical to our Viennese coffee, but without ice cream), a Fiaker (rum mocha with whipped cream), a Franziskaner (coffee with milk, fiaker (rum mocha with whipped cream), Franziskaner (coffee with milk, whipped cream and chocolate shavings), Kapuziner (cream coffee), Maria Theresia (coffee with orange liqueur and whipped cream), a simple mocha (very dark coffee) and türkischer (Turkish coffee). Of course, those who don't like coffee can enjoy delicious hot chocolates(kakao) with whipped cream(mit schlagsahne), of course.
Between wines and beers
Winegrowing has a long history in Austria, and Vienna's vineyards are just a few streetcar stops away. The entire city is represented by the Heuriger wineries, which produce and sell hundreds of hectoliters of excellent wine every year. With its 55,000 hectares of vineyards, Austria is a major wine-producing country, and the excellent quality of its whites may well be one of the pleasant surprises of your trip. Austrian white wines include Grüner Veltiner, Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Weißer Burgunder and Welschriesling. Red wines include Cabernet-Sauvignon, Blauer Portugieser, Blaufränkisch and Gemischter Satz. And let's not forgetEiswein or ice wine, a liqueur produced by fermenting grapes after the first frosts.
Beer is also very popular. Among the most popular areEggenberger Urbock, Fohrenburger, Gösser Märzen and Kaiser. In Austria, cider (apple or pear) is called most , while the mixed variety is called radler. There's alsoalmdudler, a herbal lemonade from the Tyrolean Alps. The term gespritzt is used to describe a mixture of sparkling water and fruit juice or wine, such asApfelsaft gespritzt (with apple juice) or Weiss gespritzt (with white wine). Very refreshing.
Enjoying yourself Vienna
Timetable Vienna
The cafes are generally open on weekdays from 8am to 5 or 8pm, depending on the day, and on Sundays from 10am to 5:30pm. Sunday brunches are served from 10 or 11 am to 3 or 4 pm
In brasserie-type restaurants, food is served from 11am to 10:30pm, midnight, or 1am. The service hours of restaurants are often from 11:30 am to 3 pm for lunch, and from 6 pm to 10:30 pm for dinner, sometimes 11:30 pm. In season, the Viennese taverns heuriger, open their doors from 5pm to 11pm. The pine boughs hanging at the entrance and the sign "Ausg'steckt" tell you that the tavern is open.
Night owls are not forgotten. It is possible to eat after midnight and until 2am or more in some of the downtown establishments and in some of the sausage bars
Budget & Tips Vienna
You can pay the big bills with your credit card without any problem. But keep some euros for the bars, the small inns at noon. The cheapest is the sausage stand: sandwich and drink less than 10 €. At lunchtime, in a Biesl you eat a hearty soup for 4 €, a Viennese dish for 10 €. Generally, they kindly wrap up the rest of your meal if you ask for it. In the evening, in a fancy restaurant, the bill often exceeds 50 € per guest.
What costs extra Vienna
Service is not included in your restaurant bill. Therefore, you must pay a tip of about 10% of the bill. If you pay by credit card, please specify the amount to be added in euros for the "tip". Bread is extra, cutlery is extra and you will not be offered a carafe of tap water.
The local way Vienna
It is common to go to a restaurant for dinner at 6:30 pm or even 6 pm. If you have a Viennese schnitzel, be aware that it is usually XXL and overflowing from the plate, so you need to have a big appetite and/or love Viennese schnitzel. Having an aperitif with friends is very common, in summer in a guinguette on the Danube canal, for example. As for breakfasts, they are often real brunches.
Local specialties: sausage bars in the city and
heurigers, inns where wine growers serve their produce to accompany local dishes.
To be avoided Vienna
Do not say hello to the cantonade when entering a bar or restaurant. Wait for a waiter to seat you at a table in a café or even a restaurant.
Kids Vienna
Viennese establishments do not lack attention for children. High chairs in the restaurants, dedicated menus, sometimes a play area.
Smokers Vienna
Austria has joined the other European countries. You can no longer smoke in a bar, hostel or restaurant since the end of 2019.
Tourist traps Vienna
Even though Vienna is a very touristy city, you won't be harassed in the street by people inviting you to come and eat in this or that restaurant, just as you can pass quietly in front of cafés without being accosted. In the most touristy streets, however, a waiter can wait outside for you to get in. Of course, restaurants located in the most touristic places tend to inflate their prices.
Take a break Vienna
Timetable Vienna
With the Covid-19 health crisis, opening hours have often been turned upside down, particularly for night-time establishments. Where cocktail bars used to be open until 4 or 5am, they are now often scheduled to close at 1am. Otherwise, you can enjoy a hearty late breakfast in many cafés, or even a brunch lunch at weekends. Patisseries generally follow the same opening hours as other stores, except for the most popular chains in tourist areas, where ice-cream parlors often stay open until midnight.
Budget & Tips Vienna
Take advantage of the many happy hours on the bar terraces in summer, until 8pm, or in the cocktail bars until 10pm.
Don't forget to leave a 10% tip for service.
Age restrictions Vienna
To buy or consume alcohol, unless you appear to be an adult, you'll need to show your identity card proving that you're over 16, as the purchase and consumption of alcohol is forbidden by law in public places.
What's very local Vienna
Having an aperitif as early as 6pm, or even 5pm, in cafés or on terraces is usual. Taking a break at any time of the day for a coffee, to be chosen from a varied list, with a pastry a great classic. Have a late breakfast too. Don't miss the Bermuda Triangle, the Bermudadreieck, in the Innere Stadt, a district with small alleys full of good and festive addresses. You can spend happy nights there! The Heurigers, winegrowers' inns, are also very typical. And of course the Viennese cafés where you can enjoy the atmosphere all day long. Enjoy the beer of the local breweries, order your coffee with precision, accompanied by a sachertorte or other Viennese pastries or a spritzer, a glass of white wine with sparkling water, a great classic around which one rediscovers the world...
Kids Vienna
Not all cafés offer high chairs and play areas for children. Some sites are well-adapted, for example the cafés in the MuseumsQuartier, where children can let off steam in the huge inner courtyard without risk.
Smokers Vienna
Smokers have to make do with terraces and parks, as the law prohibits them from smoking in enclosed spaces such as cafés, cocktail bars and even nightclubs.
Tourist traps Vienna
No worries in Vienna, even in the dead of night, it's rare to be accosted for a scam. However, you'll need to be vigilant, depending on the area you're in and the kind of people you frequent...
