Where to eat Vienna: Traditional Austrian food
Where to eat traditional Austrian food in Vienna - the best restaurants in Vienna for schnitzel, strudel, schnapps, snacks!
When visiting for the first time, or even as someone living here, it can sometimes be overwhelming trying to figure out where to eat in Vienna. More importantly, where, exactly, you should go to find the best traditional Austrian food in Vienna.
Sometimes it's the pubs that look like the dingiest, weird, old-man bars that end up having the most incredible food.
Sometimes the highly rated restaurants are overrun by tourists - especially if they've been on the 'Best Restaurants Vienna' hit lists.
Sometimes you might just be looking for somewhere different to satisfy your major schnitzel craving when you come back from holiday (our first meal coming back from holidays is always Schnitzel or brunch!)
Whatever the reason, I wanted to put together a handy list of the best places to eat in Vienna to satisfy your schnitzel craving, or, if you're visiting Vienna, where you should go to get your 'proper' Austrian food.
It's always good to have at least one meal from the local cuisine on your travels, and these restaurants are the best in Vienna for traditional Austrian food.
We've tried and tested them all on visiting family, friends and they've lived up to Stefan's exacting standards for good meals. (If you want something more casual and takeaway, for the best sausage stand in Vienna check here instead).
After many years here, I can confidently say these are the best restaurants in Vienna for delicious Austrian food & traditional atmosphere. Because what good is a delicious meal if you don't enjoy the full traditional experience?
Where to eat in Vienna: Traditional Austrian Food
#1 Wratschko Gastwirschhaft
A cosy little beisl pub, with oak and wooden simple bench seating, a historic bar from the 1800s, atmospheric decor and the most unbelievable chef serving up traditional dishes for a mostly local crowd.
This is one of the best restaurants to eat at in Vienna, but also one of the most unassuming. From the outside it just looks like a regular pub, nothing too fancy to advertise the place, which is why the locals can still enjoy it.
Some have even whispered that it might be the best local restaurant in Vienna, but that my friends is always up for debate.
Before Anthony Bourdain visited and anointed it the best restaurant in Austria, Stefan and I had been coming here quietly for a few years, to enjoy the schnitzel, beuschel, knudel dumplings and seasonal dishes.
The thing I like most here is the food is very simple Austrian cuisine done well, and the prices for the quality are unbelievable.
Wratschko's is the baseline we use when comparing to other, more expensive Vienna restaurants.
Our conversations will normally go 'well this was only ok, AND more expensive, so we should have gone to Wratschko's instead!' (Looking squarely at you, Sofitel Das Loft rooftop restaurant - absolutely not worth the prices).
If you're looking where to eat in Vienna for the best traditional Austrian dishes, this is the first stop.
You'll have absolutely no chance of being able to read the menu here though, it's all written in flowy, flowery handwritten, script. Even knowing some German I find it impossible to decipher!
Best bet is to ask the waiter for the specials of the day and take your chances.
The only difficulty you might find here is vegetarian options, but at the very least even their hearty salads are fab. Plus the location normally leads to shenanigans in surrounding bars after dinner, as you're in the heart of the 7th district.
Location: Neustiftgasse 51, 1070 (check the embedded map below for all locations!)
#2 Zwölf Apostkeller
Tucked into an unassuming side street in the 1st district, Zwölf Apostkeller is a deceptively cavernous old style beer hall, hidden in a centuries old cellar. Perfect for stopping by, if you are looking where to eat in Vienna after a long day of sightseeing!
The food here is hearty, straight up Austrian and the menu comes in English, so for travellers it's a perfect option to get a feeling for Viennese dishes. Although the translations can sometimes make the dishes seem less appealing than they really are!
Here you can get all the classic Viennese and Austrian dishes: Pork Knuckle, Käsespätzle (like a macaroni cheese but better), Schnitzel, Tafelspitz and some sharing platters of meat and cheese with pickled vegetables if you're feeling more snacky.
I've never had a bad night here, and some of them have been outright crazy, as they also serve delicious schnapps and encourage a rowdy atmosphere with the bank seating that feels like you're in the feasting hall from the medieval ages.
If I'm honest, the food quality isn't blow-you-away-amazing, but in terms of best restaurants in Vienna for atmosphere and traditional food options, this is the most reliable.
Added bonus is, it is huuuuuuge so you always have options for a table. Very handy for last minute plans.
You should definitely come here just for the historic cellar itself, with remains dating as far back as 1339, Gothic arches from the 1500s and the gorgeous baroque facade from the 1700s.
There are often live performers with fiddles and dance moves and its all very festive. Really, it's Vienna in a nutshell - historic, delicious and the best bits are hidden away from the main street.
Location: Sonnenfelsgasse 3, 1010
#3 Gastwirtschaft Steman
This lovely locale is fantastic if you are looking for Austrian food but want to mix in with the locals.
I've never visited when it hasn't been bustling with families, groups of friends and the irresistible scent of traditional dishes wafting through the wood panelled walls.
Simplicity is key here, everything from the tablecloths to the menu are invitingly straightforward, but they have enough historic touches - including the 1900's style giant fridge behind the bar - to make it feel special.
Schnitzel is a no brainer option to order here, but I'm particularly fond of their Kasierschmarrn too.
They keep the menu simple, doing traditional Austrian dishes exceptionally well, and making it easy to choose between classic dishes only.
Steman's has only gotten better since the smoking ban kicked in, so I'd definitely recommend calling in advance to book a table if you are looking to visit during a busy time.
This is a personal top pick - one of the best places to eat in Vienna with a small cosy group.
Location: Otto-Bauer-Gasse 7, 1060
#4 Griechenbeisel
This one is probably in your guide books, and it's included in many recommendations of best places to eat in Vienna. All for good reason, it's some of the best Austrian food in the city!
It's said to be Vienna's oldest restaurant, having been open as a tavern house since the 1500s and still serving up exquisite dishes in their multiple decorated rooms, that were built out over centuries.
This place is a rabbit warren of different rooms - each with their own character and fascinating history, even the walls of the building themselves hold history.
There's a cannonball from the Turkish invasion of the 1500s still wedged into the wall of the entranceway!
The favourite highlight here has to be the 'Mark Twain Room' where they have scrawled autographs all across the walls and roof from philosophers, composers, celebrities and artists across the centuries.
Some are so old the wall is protected by a glass plaque - Wagner, Strauss, Mark Twain (who must have started the trend, to earn naming rights to the room) and a host of more 'modern' celebrities including Johnny Cash, Phil Collins and the man himself - David Hasselhof.
You need to book a table to secure a meal in this room, but, if you pop by on a very quiet Sunday afternoon in the rain with your girlfriends, you might just be able to charm a dour old Viennese waiter to crack open the room for you and point out all the signatures with their custom-made pointing stick (and utter indifference) if you're lucky.
I haven't even mentioned the food here yet, but put it this way - centuries of serving up traditional Austrian meals makes Griechenbeisl a very sure bet of high quality traditional Austrian meals.
We always bring my parents here when they're in town, and though prices vary between €18-27 for a main meal, the service of bow-tied waiters and unbelievable standard of your meal is worth it.
Plus, as I always say, in restaurants in the heart of a popular tourist city, you're paying rent on the view with your meal, right?
If you want to sit amongst historic parlours, enjoy a good steak, tafelspitz, Zweibelrostbraten or Strudel, it doesn't get any more authentic and historic than Griechenbeisl, and is definitely some of the best food in Vienna.
Locals should make the effort to stop by here too, as it really reminds you just how special Vienna can be. One of the best traditional Austrian restaurants in Vienna, for many years now.
Location: Fleischmarkt 11, 1010
#5 Plachutta & Figlmüller
I can't write about traditional Austrian restaurants and not mention these two brands, Figlmüller and Plachutta. They are the 'big names' when it comes to classic Austrian dishes and both of their inner-city restaurants are rammed every day of the week with tourists wanting to get a taste of the Viennese dining experience.
Which, look, I get it.
The Figlmüller alleyway restaurant is adorable! The airport advertises this place the minute you step off your flight! It's in every single guidebook!
But honestly? It's a *touch* overhyped.
Unless you've booked in advance, you're probably not going to get that table in the window, you might be lucky if you line up for 45 minutes to nab a smaller cramped place down the back, or be sent around the corner to the bigger Bäckerstrasse restaurant.
Yes, the schnitzel is good in both of these restaurants, and you will get the authentic Viennese experience of the waiters being assholes to you because they are so busy, but my advice is this:
Skip the inner city restaurant versions and go to one of the suburban Plachutta outlets for a much calmer, but equally high-standard dining experience.
Figlmüller even has a smaller outlet in the 19th district, called 'Figls' where you can get their classic meals but in a bigger beer garden, a much more urbane and enjoyable setting.
We alternate between the Plachutta in Hietzing and the Plachutta's Grünspann Ottakring restaurant depending on how lazy and far from home we want to roam. In fact, we aim to have our traditional Ganslzeit meal every year at Plachutta Grünspann in the 16th district because it is the best in town.
The Ottakring location also has a fantastic outdoor beer garden in the summertime, which is perfect for sipping on Radlers and watching the sunset.
I won't lie to you though, you'll probably be crushing the average age range if you visit, because there's a retirement village right next door, but it makes for the best kind of people watching!
So skip the overcrowded Plachutta's in the 1st district and explore where to locals go - Figl in the 19th, Plachutta's Grunspann, or Plachutta's Hietzing.
Hietzing has the advantage of being close to Schönbrunn Palace, so you can fit it into a visit to the palace.
Again, in this setting, you'll likely be surrounded by grand old dames and gentleman who have been coming to Plachutta's every Sunday for a century, but they are the essence of Vienna, so it's a true cultural experience!
Locations: Plachutta's Grunspann Ottakringer Str. 266, 1160
Plachutta's Hietzing: Auhofstraße 1, 1130
Figls Grinzinger Str. 55, 1190
#6 Schnitzelwirt
Speaking of cultural experiences - Schnitzelwirt is a restaurant that probably hasn't changed in about 25 years.
Kitschy old checkered tablecloths, simple wooden seating, plastic menus and waitresses serving you decked out in Dirndls - this to me is the most 'accessible' Schnitzel spot.The schnitzels themselves are the size of your face!
It may not be one of the very best places to eat in Vienna, but it is as authentic and hearty as you could ask for.
We brought my 22-year-old cousin and his mates here when they had just one night in Vienna, and it was the perfect beerhall option for them.The meals were huge, cheap and the beers came in litre steins.
The setting felt like stepping into another, unchanged world, because you walk through the entry room clouded in smoke, to the restaurant out the back where we had to sit elbow to elbow as it was so busy.
This is the place to come for huge meals, and wash it down with a schnapps or two before heading out into the evening.
What I would call relative cheap and cheerful, but so quintessentially Austrian you won't forget it!
Location: Neubaugasse 52, 1070
What to Order at a Traditional Austrian Restaurant
Once you have figured out where to eat in Vienna, allow me to give you my top tips of traditional dishes to order in case you find yourself floundering.
Wiener Schnitzel. The obvious, classic choice - though there are some variations made with pork or chicken, the original and best is made with veal.
Erdäpfelsalad. No matter what main meal you order, it will likely come with a side salad - get the potato side salad if you can, they are the best you will ever have.
Schweinsbraten. Better known as a pork knuckle and normally served in beer halls, this is a giant leg of pork, wrapped in crackling, served with mustards, horseradish and a side of potato salad, this is a must.
Fiakergulasch. The Viennese twist on what is traditionally a Hungarian stew-like dish, this is really good in winter or if you are having a very specific kind of hangover. Beef ragout made with paprika spices, topped with eggs and sausage with a side of gherkin. Called a 'Fiakergoulash' after the horse & carriage drivers of Vienna who allegedly love the stuff!
Tafelspitz. This is a fancy Viennese specialty, where they boil a fillet of beef and then serve it with very specific flair. You are meant to eat the broth it was boiled in first, and then the waiter will hand-serve you the boiled beef, and its all very ceremonial. I'm not a huge fan but my Dad loved it when he was here!
Backhendlsalat or Backhuhn. My go-to order is either a schnitzel or a backhendlsalat. Its the most delicious fried chicken on top of a lush leafy salad, that often hides some potato salad beneath it, is dripping in pumpkin seed oil and gives a lovely mix of chichken and salat in one. Backhuhn in general is a good safe bet if you are not feeling too adventurous but still want a lovely meal.
Zwiebelrostbraten. This is on most menus and to be honest, I often don't know what the fuss is all about, but if you want a straight up roast beef with onions in gravy, this is your dish!
Armed with all these details, you should know where to eat in Vienna and more importantly, what to enjoy once you get there.
Mahlzeit! (Austrian for bon apetit!)
Where to Eat in Vienna
That's our collection of go-to traditional Austrian restaurants in Vienna, what about your favourites? Let me know any I've missed in the comments below, and I hope we all cure our schnitzel cravings together soon.
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