A Guide to Eating and Drinking in Vienna

  Coffees in Vienna

When it comes to eating out, Vienna has always struggled with a reputation for big mounds of slightly stodgy food. In recent years, however, Asian influences paved the way for plenty of new and interesting restaurants to spring up all over the city.

The first district – the Innenstadt – is probably best avoided by those traveling on a budget. Its elegant restaurants may be amongst the city’s best, but that quality comes with the inevitable higher prices.

Neubau and Josefstadt (the seventh and eighth districts), on the other hand, have a range of eateries and bars to cater for their large student population. Here, you can get traditional dishes like the ‘wiener schnitzel’ (breaded veal cutlet) without it completely wrecking your budget.

If it’s cheap, quick and savory snacks that you’re after, then the ‘wurstelstand’ is the obvious choice. These small stands can be found on virtually every street in Vienna and sell frankfurters, curry wurst, bratwurst and other Austrian sausages, usually served on a roll with mustard. The 'kartoffelpuffer' vendors with their delicious potato fritters are also a good budget tip for food on the go.

A trip to Vienna, though, wouldn’t be complete without eating in a ‘beisl’. The name is derived from the Yiddish for ‘little house’ and these charming little bistros are the perfect place to dine fairly cheaply in Vienna. In addition to the ‘beisl’, those places advertising themselves as ‘schmankerl’ or ‘stuberl’ are also more traditional (and affordable) Viennese restaurants.

Travelers will also find that, with its wonderful Naschmarket, Vienna is one of the best-stocked cities to prepare your own food back at your hostel. Here, there are hundreds of stalls selling fresh produce, breads, meats, cheeses – practically anything you could think of, in fact.

Research shows that the Viennese drink twice as much coffee as they do beer, and Austrians come from far and wide to visit the Viennese ‘kaffeehaus’. The Viennese have a coffee culture that stretches back centuries, but is still extremely popular today with both visitors and locals alike.

But Vienna's coffee houses aren't all about the coffee and mouth-watering tortes: they’re also a comfortable place in which to get a good lunchtime meal, or have a few late-night drinks.

From its traditional eateries serving rich ‘gulasch’ and hearty meat dishes to the trendy modern eateries in the center of town, this beautiful Austrian city has something to satisfy all appetites.

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