Restaurants in Vienna - Introduction

The city has come along way of late. Gradually Viennese tastes are becoming more adventurous, with a new found love for Asian and Indian cuisine (in particular) giving rise to plenty of new restaurant openings. Of course, to visit Vienna without sampling the delights of the traditional Beisl (derived from the Yiddish for "little house") is bordering on sacrilege, with these formidable institutions serving up carbohydrate-based dishes and beer and equally large quantities.

Invariably Beisl offer the world-famous Wiener schnitzel, along with pork, boiled beef (tafelspitz) and duck staples, often garnished with red/white cabbage and, if you’re lucky some mighty fine bread dumplings!

In the autumn you’ll be rewarded by dishes with thick hearty sauces, often with chanterelles, garlic and white wine, while Christmas sees traditional roast goose served in most Beisl (with varying degrees of success). Of course, variations on a basic goulash also abound, though rarely do they match their Magyar counterparts for quality. That said, Viennese Beisl offer a decent line in tasty sausages, along with regional Styrian fare (featuring dishes such as roasted pork, served with potato-noodles and an apple cider gravy).

More modern Austrian eateries favour such delights as carpaccio of beef (with variations on the theme such as salmon etc.) together with lighter, healthier vegetable based dishes. Elsewhere, fusion, regional-Italian and Spanish cuisine feature in our guide, with listings also covering such diverse food as fish from the Dalmations, curries from Sri Lanka and bio-vegetarian meals (which, despite having a rather dull reputation are actually rather good).

With over 70 restaurants listed on our pages, we hope to steer you in the direction of Vienna’s best eateries (by giving honest, accurate appraisals based on quality of food/service, and value for money). So read on and enjoy!