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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 after all, 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 also be the one capital metropolis which produces important portions of wine throughout the metropolis limits. On the finish of this submit, I’ve additionally shared some Viennese wine varieties you need to attempt within the metropolis.
From decadent desserts to the long-lasting Wiener schnitzel, and from creamy coffees to crisp white wines, that is all the pieces you need to eat and drink whenever 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. Because of this, Viennese delicacies has been influenced by the completely different areas that had been as soon as a part of the monarchy – particularly, the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918).
Conventional Viennese delicacies is usually fairly heavy and hearty. Anticipate numerous 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 cherished Viennese delicacies a lot is that town is well-known for pastries and truffles! From the long-lasting strudel to the legendary sachertorte, there are such a lot of unbelievable candy treats to find in Vienna.
Pastries and desserts are typically eaten a with a espresso within the afternoons. It is a custom I used to be very happy to take pleasure 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 doubtless one of many nation’s most well-known worldwide, Wiener Schnitzel was born within the Austrian capital. Therefore the title: Wiener=Vienna in Austrian.
Historically, Wiener Schnitzel is made utilizing veal, however today pork and hen are additionally fairly widespread. 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 aspect dishes are potato salad or french fries.
You’ll discover Wiener Schnitzel at eating places everywhere in the metropolis, so it’s straightforward to do this tasty Austrian dish whenever you go to Vienna.
2 – Sachertorte
Anybody who follows me on social media has in all probability seen I’m a BIG fan of desserts! So once I visited Vienna there was actually just one meals that was prime of my record to attempt: sachertorte!
Sachertorte, or Sacher Torte, is a super-rich, decadent chocolate cake named after its inventor, Franz Sacher. In keeping 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 greatest 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. Suppose crystal chandeliers and regal pink trappings – good 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 whenever you’re in Vienna.
It’s a hearty, wintery meal with boiled beef or veal and root greens, served in a skinny broth. The title comes from the meat reduce 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 extremely 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 somewhat 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
When you fancy a fast, sizzling snack while exploring (or bar-hopping) in Vienna, you possibly can’t go flawed with a würstel!
Würstel simply means sausages, however these are an excellent standard road meals snack in Austria. Vienna is stuffed with Würstelstands, which serve up sizzling grilled sausages both sliced, or in a crusty baguette (for a greater model of a sizzling 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 very talked-about 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 standard in Vienna too.
Also referred to as kasspatzln in Tyrol, käsespätzle are mushy egg noodles or dumplings (spätzle), that are coated in cheese and baked. Kind 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 whenever 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 known as Wiener goulash.
Austrian goulash is historically made with beef and onions, in a tomato-based sauce flavoured with paprika. It’s usually fairly a thick, wealthy sauce, in contrast to Hungarian goulash which is normally somewhat extra soup-y.
The opposite distinction between the 2 types is that Hungarian goulash typically comprises bell peppers and/or potatoes, whereas in Austria the dish solely comprises beef and onions.
7 – Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel)
OK – time to get again to desserts! One Austrian dish that just about everybody is bound 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 title “strudel” comes from the German phrase for whirlpool or eddy, due to the swirled form of the dessert as soon as it’s reduce open.
Though it’s very strongly related to Austrian delicacies, strudel is believed to have been based mostly on the Turkish baklava pastry, which was launched into Austria in 1453. The oldest identified 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 some other 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 time and couldn’t get sufficient of it.
Basically, it’s a lightweight, fluffy pancake comprised of a candy batter (typically with rum-soaked raisins added, based on the unique recipe) which is then served shredded and dusted with powdered sugar.
Historically, the pancake chunks are served with a sizzling plum sauce. However it’s also possible to discover it served with completely different fruit
This dessert is standard 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 an amazing 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 in all probability 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 social gathering basic).
This basic Viennese deal with was invented within the Nineties by Viennese confectioner Josef Method. The Unique Neopolitan is the basic model: 5 layers of wafers full of 4 layers of candy hazelnut cocoa cream.
There are many new flavours and completely different variations right now, however the basic remains 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 enormous vary of various wafer varieties, in addition to different confectionary and merch. However it’s also possible to purchase Method Wafers everywhere in the metropolis at supermarkets and newsagents.
11 – Punschkrapfen
When you’re not achieved with candy treats by now, there’s yet one more Austrian dessert you need to attempt in Vienna. Punschkrapfen, or punch cake, is a Viennese basic that appears somewhat bit like a fancier model of my favorite truffles, Fondant Fancies!
It’s comprised of an excellent gentle sponge, full of jam and soaked in rum. That is reduce into small sq. cubes and coated with a vivid pink punschglasur (punch glaze).
Nobody is aware of who invented the cake or the way it arrived in Vienna, however it could date proper again to the Center Ages! You’ll find 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 could 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. Much like a cappuccino, however normally made with a milder espresso, it is a shot of espresso topped with sizzling milk and milk foam.
There are fairly just a few variants in espresso homes all through town. One of the vital standard twists is to prime the milk foam with whipped cream, typically known as a Franziskaner.
One other standard 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, but it surely 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 greatest on the planet.
Lots of Vienna’s wineries and vineyards might be reached by tram, and even on foot, from town centre. So you should definitely go to one for a tour and tasting to be taught somewhat 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. It is a should attempt drink whenever you go to Vienna.
It is a dry white wine which is ideal paired with native dishes like Wiener Schnitzel. In keeping 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 record 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 an amazing ambiance. Take a look at this record of the perfect wine bars in Vienna to seek out your best spot.
Welschriesling
The opposite predominant grape selection discovered round Vienna is Welschriesling. Unrelated to the higher identified Rhine Riesling, Welschriesling is understood for being recent and impartial, which makes it a really easy-drinking dry white wine.
Welschriesling is much less widespread than the better-known Grüner Veltliner, however you should definitely hold an eye fixed out for it. We tried it at The Gloriette on the Schönbrunn Palace – price 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 based on 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 revel 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 to your go to.
Different Vienna Eating places
When you fancy a change from conventional Viennese delicacies, there are many fab eating places throughout Vienna providing all types 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 an amazing wine record. Order the truffle pasta if it’s on the menu!
Vienna Meals Excursions
If you wish to be taught extra about Viennese delicacies, or attempt native meals with an knowledgeable information, these Vienna meals excursions are good…
So, this was my information to what to eat in Vienna! When you’ve got any extra nice suggestions for conventional Viennese dishes and drinks – or any must-visit eating places – tell us within the feedback beneath…
