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Questioning what to eat in Vienna? Use this first-timer’s information to the highest native meals and drinks to find within the Austrian capital..
For me, consuming and journey go hand in hand! There’s simply no higher strategy to delve into a rustic’s tradition than to style it.
So in fact, in between exploring all of Vienna’s lovely palaces with my journey pal Lisa from Flåm Journey Information, I made positive to eat as many native dishes as potential.
If you wish to attempt all probably the most iconic meals and drinks in Vienna, I’ve rounded up the highest 12 must-try dishes, together with the perfect mains, road meals snacks, and candy treats.
Vienna can be the one capital metropolis which produces vital portions of wine throughout the metropolis limits. On the finish of this put up, I’ve additionally shared some Viennese wine varieties it’s best to attempt within the metropolis.
From decadent desserts to the long-lasting Wiener schnitzel, and from creamy coffees to crisp white wines, that is every little thing you need to eat and drink while you go to Vienna…
What’s Viennese Delicacies?
Do you know that Viennese delicacies is the one delicacies named after a metropolis and never a rustic?
Vienna has been the capital of Austria for over 1000 years. In consequence, Viennese delicacies has been influenced by the totally different areas that had been as soon as a part of the monarchy – particularly, the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918).
Conventional Viennese delicacies is commonly fairly heavy and hearty. Anticipate quite a lot of meat, potatoes, and cheese! However that is additionally a metropolis with a legendary espresso home tradition and a world of scrumptious desserts to attempt.
One of many causes I beloved Viennese delicacies a lot is that town is well-known for pastries and muffins! From the long-lasting strudel to the legendary sachertorte, there are such a lot of unimaginable candy treats to find in Vienna.
Pastries and desserts are typically eaten a with a espresso within the afternoons. This can be a custom I used to be more than pleased to bask in whereas I explored Vienna – and I like to recommend you do too!
What to Eat in Vienna
1 – Wiener Schnitzel
Austria’s nationwide dish, and possibly one of many nation’s most well-known worldwide, Wiener Schnitzel was born within the Austrian capital. Therefore the identify: Wiener=Vienna in Austrian.
Historically, Wiener Schnitzel is made utilizing veal, however as of late pork and hen are additionally fairly frequent. The dish is made utilizing a flattened piece of meat which is roofed in breadcrumbs, then fried (normally in butter) till golden yellow.
Often, the crispy-coated cutlet is served with a slice of lemon and parsley to garnish. The most typical facet dishes are potato salad or french fries.
You’ll discover Wiener Schnitzel at eating places all around the metropolis, so it’s straightforward to do that tasty Austrian dish while you go to Vienna.
2 – Sachertorte
Anybody who follows me on social media has most likely observed I’m a BIG fan of desserts! So once I visited Vienna there was actually just one meals that was high of my checklist to attempt: sachertorte!
Sachertorte, or Sacher Torte, is a super-rich, decadent chocolate cake named after its inventor, Franz Sacher. In line with the story, he created the dessert in 1832 for Prince Metternich, particularly to be served at a dinner for high-ranking visitors in Vienna. Sacher’s son later opened the Resort Sacher in 1876, which turned well-known because the “house” of the sachertorte.
So what’s sachertorte? It’s a chocolate cake with two layers of dense chocolate sponge, with a skinny layer of apricot jam in between. The entire thing is coated with thick chocolate icing, creating a wonderfully easy circle of wealthy chocolate deliciousness. A slice is normally served with a giant dollop of whipped cream, and is finest eaten with a cup of espresso.
Though you possibly can attempt sachertorte at cafes and bakeries throughout Vienna, there’s actually nowhere higher to style this piece of chocolatey heaven than at its house, Cafe Sacher Wien on the Resort Sacher. The cafe here’s a sumptuously glamourous area. Assume crystal chandeliers and regal purple trappings – excellent after a morning exploring Vienna’s lovely palaces! Attempt to arrive early, as there’s typically a queue out the door for seats.
LEARN MORE: Candy Vienna Tour – Residence of Desserts and Cafe Tradition (from $30.32pp).
3 – Tafelspitz
One other Austrian nationwide dish and a staple of conventional Viennese delicacies is Tafelspitz. Supposedly, this was the favorite dish of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, so it’s positively a meal you need to attempt while you’re in Vienna.
It’s a hearty, wintery meal with boiled beef or veal and root greens, served in a skinny broth. The identify comes from the meat minimize used, which is what we name topside within the UK (or standing rump within the US).
Often, tafelspitz is served with thinly sliced roast potatoes, in addition to bitter cream with chives. There’s additionally a very tasty sauce comprised of pureed apples combined with slices of recent horseradish. This fruity-but-hot sauce is the right accompaniment, as in any other case the meal would really feel just a little bland.
I attempted tafelspitz at Reinthaler’s Beisl, a really cosy and pleasant restaurant specialising in conventional Austrian meals in Vienna metropolis centre.
4 – Würstel
In case you fancy a fast, scorching snack while exploring (or bar-hopping) in Vienna, you possibly can’t go unsuitable with a würstel!
Würstel simply means sausages, however these are an excellent fashionable road meals snack in Austria. Vienna is stuffed with Würstelstands, which serve up scorching grilled sausages both sliced, or in a crusty baguette (for a greater model of a scorching canine!).
Conventional Wiener Würstel is normally comprised of each beef and pork and wrapped in a sheep’s gut. However there are a selection of choices at most würstelstands, together with bratwurst, frankfurter, and currywurst. Don’t miss the favored Käsekraine, a cheese-filled sausage.
5 – Käsespätzle
Käsespätzle isn’t truly a Viennese meals however an Alpine dish which originated in Germany. Nevertheless, it’s a highly regarded dish all through Austria, and also you’ll see it on menus throughout Vienna.
I found käsespätzle on my journey to Vorarlberg just a few years in the past and fell in love – so I used to be delighted to seek out its fairly fashionable in Vienna too.
Also referred to as kasspatzln in Tyrol, käsespätzle are smooth egg noodles or dumplings (spätzle), that are coated in cheese and baked. Form of like an Austrian model of mac n’ cheese!
This gooey, tacky pile of yumminess is topped with a sprinkling of fried onion. Easy, hearty, and positively a must-try while you go to Austria.
READ MORE: Uncover extra alpine Austrian dishes in my Tyrol Meals Information.
6 – Austrian Goulash
Goulash is historically a Hungarian dish, however Austria have their very own model of this hearty meat stew, typically additionally referred to as Wiener goulash.
Austrian goulash is historically made with beef and onions, in a tomato-based sauce flavoured with paprika. It’s typically fairly a thick, wealthy sauce, not like Hungarian goulash which is normally just a little extra soup-y.
The opposite distinction between the 2 types is that Hungarian goulash typically incorporates bell peppers and/or potatoes, whereas in Austria the dish solely incorporates beef and onions.
7 – Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel)
OK – time to get again to desserts! One Austrian dish that just about everybody is certain to have heard of is apfelstrudel – aka apple strudel.
Strudel is a dessert comprised of a really skinny, delicate and flaky pastry rolled round a filling and baked. Often, the filling is fruit, and the best-known model is apple strudel.
Enjoyable truth; the identify “strudel” comes from the German phrase for whirlpool or eddy, due to the swirled form of the dessert as soon as it’s minimize open.
Though it’s very strongly related to Austrian delicacies, strudel is believed to have been primarily based on the Turkish baklava pastry, which was launched into Austria in 1453. The oldest recognized strudel recipe was handwritten in 1696 – the unique nonetheless exists on the Viennese Metropolis Library.
8 – Topfenstrudel (Cream Cheese strudel)
One other nice strudel you need to attempt in Vienna is topfenstrudel – cream cheese strudel.
This wealthy and creamy Austrian dessert is made with the identical delicate pastry as another strudel. However the filling is made utilizing sweetened curd cheese and raisins, creating an virtually cheesecake-like flavour with a texture just like the UK’s bread and butter pudding. Principally, it’s dense, creamy, and really, very tasty!
9 – Kaiserschmarrn
I found kaiserschmarrn on my journey to the Salzburgerland area of Austria final summer season and couldn’t get sufficient of it.
Primarily, it’s a light-weight, fluffy pancake comprised of a candy batter (typically with rum-soaked raisins added, in accordance with the unique recipe) which is then served shredded and dusted with powdered sugar.
Historically, the pancake chunks are served with a scorching plum sauce. However it’s also possible to discover it served with totally different fruit
This dessert is fashionable all through Austria, in addition to many elements of the previous Austro-Hungarian empire. However it’s named after the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I (kaiser = emperor), who lived in Vienna – so it’s a fantastic dish to attempt after visiting his former residence on the Hoffburg Palace.
10 – Method Wafers
One other candy deal with you completely HAVE to attempt in Vienna is Method Wafers. However let me warn you, you most likely received’t need to cease at only one!
I really like these little wafer biscuits, that are like a hazelnut model of the UK’s Pink Wafers (a 90s youngsters’s get together traditional).
This traditional Viennese deal with was invented within the Nineties by Viennese confectioner Josef Method. The Unique Neopolitan is the traditional model: 5 layers of wafers stuffed with 4 layers of candy hazelnut cocoa cream.
There are many new flavours and totally different variations as we speak, however the traditional continues to be the most well-liked – and a must-try meals in Vienna.
In Vienna, you possibly can go to the flagship Method retailer on Stephansplatz to find an unlimited vary of various wafer varieties, in addition to different confectionary and merch. However it’s also possible to purchase Method Wafers all around the metropolis at supermarkets and newsagents.
11 – Punschkrapfen
In case you’re not accomplished with candy treats by now, there’s another Austrian dessert it’s best to attempt in Vienna. Punschkrapfen, or punch cake, is a Viennese traditional that appears just a little bit like a fancier model of my favorite muffins, Fondant Fancies!
It’s comprised of an excellent gentle sponge, stuffed with jam and soaked in rum. That is minimize into small sq. cubes and coated with a vibrant pink punschglasur (punch glaze).
Nobody is aware of who invented the cake or the way it arrived in Vienna, however it might date proper again to the Center Ages! Yow will discover it at bakeries throughout Vienna, though Unique Wiener Punschkrapfen declare to make the OG model of this sticky, candy pink cake.
12 – Viennese Espresso – Melange and Extra
The Italians is likely to be extra well-known for espresso, however in Vienna, espresso home tradition has been raised to an artwork type.
In Vienna, the must-try drink is Wiener Melange. Just like a cappuccino, however normally made with a milder espresso, this can be a shot of espresso topped with scorching milk and milk foam.
There are fairly just a few variants in espresso homes all through town. One of the fashionable twists is to high the milk foam with whipped cream, typically referred to as a Franziskaner.
One other fashionable espresso drink is Kaffee Maria Theresia, named after the 18th-century Habsburg empress. It’s a double espresso shot, combined with orange liqueur and topped with whipped cream. This makes for a decadent deal with, nevertheless it was a bit too boozy for me!
LEARN MORE: Guided Viennese Espresso-Home Tour (from $62.67pp)
Austrian Wines to Drink in Vienna
With over 700 hectares (1,680 acres) of city vineyards, Vienna is the one capital on the planet to produce a lot wine throughout the metropolis limits. And Viennese wine is now counted among the many finest on the planet.
Lots of Vienna’s wineries and vineyards might be reached by tram, and even on foot, from town centre. So remember to go to one for a tour and tasting to study just a little extra about Viennese wine.
LEARN MORE: Native Wine Tasting in a Historic Roman Wine Cellar, from $29.31pp.
Gruner Veltliner
The vineyards round Vienna primarily domesticate white grapes, and the native selection Grüner Veltliner is the commonest. This can be a should attempt drink while you go to Vienna.
This can be a dry white wine which is ideal paired with native dishes like Wiener Schnitzel. In line with Wine Folly, Grüner Veltliner is gentle and tangy when younger, however turns into richer when aged.
You’ll see Grüner Veltliner on the wine checklist at virtually each restaurant and bar within the metropolis. My favorite was Vienna’s smallest wine bar, Vis a Vis, a pleasant and cosy little bar with a fantastic ambiance. Take a look at this checklist of the perfect wine bars in Vienna to seek out your superb spot.
Welschriesling
The opposite most important grape selection discovered round Vienna is Welschriesling. Unrelated to the higher recognized Rhine Riesling, Welschriesling is thought for being recent and impartial, which makes it a really easy-drinking dry white wine.
Welschriesling is much less frequent than the better-known Grüner Veltliner, however remember to maintain a watch out for it. We tried it at The Gloriette on the Schönbrunn Palace – value a go to for the views alone!
“Champagne” Tasting at Schlumberger
Vienna is on the identical latitude because the champagne area in France. So it’s no shock that glowing wine from this area is remarkably just like champagne.
Glowing wine followers ought to head to Schlumberger Kellerwelten in Vienna. Based in 1842, they make their glowing wine in accordance with the champagne technique. Solely the placement of the winery retains this scrumptious bubbly from being champagne!
Tour Vienna’s oldest champagne cellar (the vaults are round 300 years previous) and luxuriate in a tasting – with out having to go away town centre! A tour with three glasses of champagne begins from simply 16 euros.
CLICK HERE to test costs and availability on your go to.
Different Vienna Eating places
In case you fancy a change from conventional Viennese delicacies, there are many fab eating places throughout Vienna providing every kind of different meals. These had been a few my favorite finds:
Reserva Ibérica – for Spanish-inspired tapas, wine, and sangria.
Ristorante Fratelli – for scrumptious Italian meals and a fantastic wine checklist. Order the truffle pasta if it’s on the menu!
Vienna Meals Excursions
If you wish to study extra about Viennese delicacies, or attempt native meals with an skilled information, these Vienna meals excursions are excellent…
So, this was my information to what to eat in Vienna! When you have any extra nice suggestions for conventional Viennese dishes and drinks – or any must-visit eating places – tell us within the feedback beneath…
