EATING IN VIENNA
Map: Restaurants in Central Vienna
CASUAL EATERIES AND TRADITIONAL STANDBYS
On or near Michaelerplatz (and the Hofburg)
Mariahilfer Strasse and the Naschmarkt
WEIN IN WIEN: VIENNA’S WINE GARDENS
The Viennese appreciate the fine points of life, and right up there with good music is good eating. The city has many atmospheric restaurants. As you ponder the Hungarian and Bohemian influence on many menus, remember that Vienna’s diverse empire may be no more, but its flavors linger. In addition to restaurants, this chapter covers two Viennese institutions: the city’s café culture and its Heuriger wine pubs.
EATING TIPS
I rank eateries from $ budget to $$$$ splurge. For more advice on eating in Vienna, including ordering, tipping, and Austrian cuisine and beverages, see the “Eating” section of the Practicalities chapter. For a fun foodie guide to Vienna, see ViennaWuerstelstand.com.
Local Specialty: Tafelspitz, a favorite of Emperor Franz Josef, is boiled beef served in a vegetable soup with bone marrow. There’s a process to eating it (ask your server to explain): The waitstaff will delicately put the beef on your plate, leaving you with the vegetable soup broth to enjoy. Fish out the bone marrow and eat it with toasted dark bread. Then tackle the boiled beef with crème spinach and apple horseradish sauce. The Tafelspitz is big and typically shared.
Cafés, Coffee, and Pastries: Vienna is known for its classic cafés—perfect places to sip some coffee, nibble a pastry, and read a newspaper. A café is a great place to try one of Vienna’s famous desserts, as the city is the birthplace of the Sacher torte and a bevy of other cakes and pastry treats. It’s standard practice for your coffee to be served on a little silver tray, with a glass of tap water and perhaps a piece of chocolate on the side. For help ordering coffee and choosing among the city’s favorite desserts, see the “Eating” section of the Practicalities chapter.
Heurigen: Make sure to check out a wine-garden restaurant nestled in the foothills of the Vienna Woods. At most Heurigen, you’ll try the latest vintage wine, pick from an assortment of prepared foods, and listen to live music. For more on these, and a list of recommended places, see “Wein in Wien: Vienna’s Wine Gardens,” near the end of this chapter.
Viennese Drinks: Gemischter Satz is a wine that’s uniquely Viennese. A blend of grapes grown and harvested together in the same vineyard, it was long considered a cheap table wine. Now it’s more respected and worth trying. For a nonalcoholic and refreshing local drink, I like Apfelsaft gespritzt (called Apfelschorle in Germany), which is apple juice mixed with soda. For a refreshing light-beer drink, go for Radler (half beer, half lemonade).
FINE DINING IN THE CENTER
The heart of the city offers plenty of options for a relaxing and expensive dining experience; here are some of my favorites. Reservations are always wise in the evening.
$$$$ Labstelle is my choice for a romantic meal in the town center. With a Bib Gourmand Michelin rating, the chef offers a no-schnitzel menu with a nose-to-tail and farm-to-table ethic. The enticing menu changes seasonally, meets special dietary needs, and celebrates modern Austrian cuisine—always beautifully presented (lunch specials, Mon-Sat 11:30-14:30 & 18:00-22:00, closed Sun, Lugeck 6, +43 1 236 2122, https://labstelle.at).
$$$ Magazin serves all the meaty classics to a smart local clientele in a romantic setting. The proudly Austrian menu is inviting, the wine list is good, and the atmosphere makes you want to sip schnapps (daily 11:30-23:00, Riemergasse 14, +43 1 512 7787, https://magazin-riemergasse14.at).
$$$ Artner Restaurant am Franziskanerplatz is a classy place that’s a favorite of Austrian politicians. Diners enjoy the cozy interior as well as the outside seating on a quaint square. They offer an inviting modern international menu with nicely presented dishes, including gourmet hamburgers and great steaks (lunch specials, Mon-Sat 12:00-24:00, closed Sun, Franziskanerplatz 5, +43 1 503 5034, www.artner.co.at).
$$$ Die Feinkosterei Schwarz-Hirsch offers a small-is-beautiful menu of only Austrian food and wine in a romantic interior. With fine little plates priced at €8-12 each, it’s a fun way to experience top-quality traditional dishes family-style. Three plates per person makes a filling meal...eat your way through the menu (daily 11:00-23:00, inside and outside seating faces the Holocaust memorial at Judenplatz 7, +43 1 396 1421, www.feinkosterei.wien).
$$ Zum Schwarzen Kameel Bistro (“The Black Camel”) has a posh, gourmet Viennese $$$$ restaurant in the back with a thriving and more casual wine bar fronting the street. The delightfully Art Nouveau wine bar, filled with a professional local crowd enjoying small plates from the fancy restaurant kitchen, is the place for horseradish and thin-sliced ham (Beinschinken mit Kren; Achtung—the horseradish is hot). Eat well by ordering high on the menu; eat cheaply by sticking with the tiny open-face finger sandwiches (€2 each, self-serve from counter, with a diet-busting selection of little pastries to assemble, too). Stand, grab a stool, find a table on the street, or sit anywhere you can (prices are the same)—it’s customary to share tables. Fine Austrian wines are sold by the Achtel (eighth-liter glass) and listed on the board (daily 12:00-23:00, Bognergasse 5, +43 1 533 8125, https://schwarzeskameel.at).
$$$ Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer (“The White Chimney Sweep”), with a cozy woody interior and live piano nightly, is popular for its rustic-if-kitschy elegance, traditional cuisine, and enthusiasm for schnapps (near the cathedral at Weihburggasse 4, +43 1 512 3471, www.weisser-rauchfangkehrer.at).
$$$$ Palmenhaus overlooks the Hofburg Palace Garden. Tucked away in a green and peaceful corner two blocks behind the opera house, this is a world apart. If you want to eat modern Austrian/Mediterranean cuisine surrounded by palm trees, this is the place. It’s an elegant, dressy, and expensive place at night, but there are moderately priced daily specials for lunch—and since it’s at the edge of a park, it’s great for families (12:00-15:00). They specialize in fresh fish with generous vegetables (daily 12:00-24:00, extensive wine list, always a good vegetarian option, indoors in greenhouse or outdoors, Burggarten 1, +43 1 533 1033, www.palmenhaus.at).
CASUAL EATERIES AND TRADITIONAL STANDBYS
Near St. Stephen’s Cathedral
These eateries are within about a five-minute walk of the cathedral (U: Stephansplatz).
$$ Kaffee Alt-Wien has a sprawling conviviality that draws you in past several fun spaces as you choose where you’ll eat...and then makes you want to just hang out. There’s a happy university vibe with artsy posters and a friendly energy. Its small menu is bar food: goulash, schnitzel, beer, and wine (daily 12:00-23:00, Bäckerstrasse 9, +43 1 512 5222).
$$ Gigerl Stadtheuriger offers a near-Heuriger wine cellar experience without leaving the city center. Sit and order from the menu (Gulasch, schnitzel, and so on) or go to the self-service counter and point to what looks good. As in other Heurigen (see the sidebar near the end of this chapter), food is designed to go well with the wine. It’s sold by the piece or weight; 100 grams (10 dag) is about a quarter-pound (cheese and cold meats cost about €5 per 100 grams, salads are about €2 per 100 grams; price sheet posted on wall to right of buffet line). They also have entrées, spinach strudel, quiche, Apfelstrudel, and, of course, casks of new and local wines. Servers take your wine order (Mon-Sat 15:00-24:00, closed Sun, indoor/outdoor seating, behind cathedral, a block off Kärntner Strasse, just off Rauhensteingasse on Blumenstock, +43 1 513 4431).
$ Trześniewski is an institution—justly famous for its elegant open-face finger sandwiches and small beers. Started by a Polish cook who moved to Vienna, Trześniewski (chesh-NEFF-ski) has been a Vienna favorite for more than a century...and many of its regulars seem to have been here for the grand opening. Three different sandwiches and a kleines Bier (Pfiff) make a fun, fast, light, and inexpensive lunch. Point to whichever delights look tasty (or grab the English translation sheet and take time to study your 22 sandwich options). The classic favorites are Geflügelleber (chicken liver), Matjes mit Zwiebel (herring with onions), and Speck mit Ei (bacon and eggs). Pay for your sandwiches and a drink. Take your drink tokens to the staffperson on the right. Sit on the bench and scoot over to a tiny table when a spot opens up (Mon-Fri 8:30-19:30, Sat 9:00-18:00, closed Sun, 50 yards off the Graben; Dorotheergasse 2, +43 1 512 3291).
They have a branch at Mariahilfer Strasse 95 (near many recommended hotels—see the map in the Sleeping in Vienna chapter, Mon-Fri 9:00-19:00, Sat until 18:00, closed Sun, U: Zieglergasse).
$$ Reinthaler’s Beisl is another time warp that serves simple, traditional fare all day. Its fun, classic interior winds way back, and it also has a few tables on the quiet street (daily 11:00-23:00, Dorotheergasse 4, a block off the Graben—across the street from Trześniewski, +43 1 513 1249).
$$ Zwölf Apostelkeller (“Twelve Apostles Cellar”) is a 500-year-old cellar where tourists enjoy a boisterous atmosphere with strolling musicians under massive medieval arches. The cheap and accessible menu includes Austrian standards and plenty of light bites. Wine glasses are a quarter-liter rather than the standard eighth...and that’s an indication of the fun diners have here (daily 11:00-24:00, Sonnenfelsgasse 3, +43 1 512 6777).
Ice Cream: Gelateria Zanoni & Zanoni, run by an Italian family for several generations, is a fun, high-energy spot mobbed by happy Viennese hungry for their €3 two-scoop cones from an extravagant ice-cream lover’s menu. Just two blocks from the cathedral, with a big terrace of tables, it’s a classic scene for licking and people-watching—or take it to-go and grab a spot under the Gutenberg statue a block away (daily until 24:00, Lugeck 7, +43 1 512 7979).
Eis Greissler, just 50 yards downhill from the crowds at Zanoni, is a tiny shop selling organic ice cream from a farm in Lower Austria. It’s back to tasty basics with flavors like goat cheese and cinnamon carrot cake (Rotenturmstrasse 14).
On or near Michaelerplatz (and the Hofburg)
$$ Venuss Vegan Bistro is owned by a vegan-gelical with a mission: to raise appreciation of good vegan cooking. Select from either a cold or hot buffet to fill a small, medium, or large plate (€5, €10, or €13) in this bright, modern cafeteria. It’s easy to over-order: A medium plate was plenty for me (fine outside seating, Mon-Sat 11:00-21:00, closed Sun, half a block off Michaelerplatz at Herrengasse 6, +43 1 890 8309).
$ Billa Supermarket on Michaelerplatz sells top-end groceries and has a practical deli where you can assemble a salad or a cooked meal, pay for it by the weight, and eat it on tables with a view of the Hofburg (Mon-Sat 7:40-20:00, closed Sun, Schauflergasse at Herrengasse).
Near Am Hof Square
The streets around the square called Am Hof (U: Herrengasse) hide atmospheric medieval lanes with both indoor and outdoor eating action.
$$$ Restaurant Ofenloch serves good, traditional Viennese cuisine with formal service, both indoors and out. This delightfully intimate 300-year-old eatery has a refined yet relaxed ambience (Mon-Sat 12:00-22:00, closed Sun, Kurrentgasse 8, +43 1 533 8844).
$$ Brezel-Gwölb, a Tolkienesque nook with tight indoor tables and outdoor dining on a quiet little square, serves simple Viennese classics in an unforgettable atmosphere. With its dark and candlelit interior and secretive-feeling outdoor seating, it’s ideal for a romantic late-night glass of wine (three-course weekday lunch specials—including vegetarian option, daily 11:30-24:00; leave Am Hof on Drahtgasse, then take first left to Ledererhof 9; +43 1 533 8811).
Toward the University: $ InterSpar (Groceries) am Schottentor is a supermarket in a very fancy shell—a former Rothschild bank building from 1912 (following a global trend of banks vacating fancy downtown digs for more practical locations). They have a great deli section with hot and cold meals that are cheap and to go (Mon-Sat 8:00-20:00, closed Sun, at Schottentor tram stop, picnic in the park across the Ring, near the Votive Church).
Near the Opera
These eateries are within a five-minute walk of the opera house (U: Karlsplatz).
$$$ Plachuttas Gasthaus zur Oper, a proudly Austrian place a block from the opera, has a contemporary, classy interior and inviting seating on the street. It’s big, high-energy, and specializes in the local classics like Tafelspitz (boiled beef) and Wiener schnitzel—they actually hand out a little souvenir recipe titled “the art of the perfect Wiener schnitzel” (daily 11:00-24:00, Walfischgasse 5, +43 1 512 2251).
$$ Kurkonditorei Oberlaa serves light meals, daily specials, salads, and vegetarian dishes along with high-end pastries. It may not have the royal and plush fame of Demel (the sweet shop noted on my “Vienna City Walk”), but this is a top choice among Viennese connoisseurs serious about the quality of their pastries. With outdoor seating on Neuer Markt, it’s particularly nice on a summer day. Upstairs has more temptations and good seating (great selection of cakes, daily 8:00-20:00, Neuer Markt 16, +43 1 5132 9360).
$$ Le Bol Patisserie Bistro (next to Oberlaa) is a modern place with an old-school French vibe, serving fine salads, baguette sandwiches, and fresh croissants. You can sit on a small terrace or inside the cozy bistro, and the staff speaks to you in French (Mon-Sat 8:00-23:00, Sun from 9:00, Neuer Markt 14, +43 699 1030 1899).
$$$ Danieli Ristorante is your best classy Italian value in the Old Town. White-tablecloth dressy, but not stuffy, it has reasonable prices. Dine in their elegant, air-conditioned back room or on the street (thin and crispy pizza, daily 11:30-23:00, 30 yards off Kärntner Strasse opposite Neuer Markt at Himmelpfortgasse 3, +43 1 513 7913).
Supermarket: A top-end version of the Billa supermarket chain, Billa Corso has three floors of food and sells hot, ready-made meals (by weight). You’re welcome to sit and enjoy whatever you’ve purchased inside (air-con) or out on the square. They also have a great deli selection of salads, soups, and picnic items (daily 8:00-20:00, Neuer Markt 17, on the corner where Seilergasse hits Neuer Markt, +43 1 961 2133).
On or over the Danube Canal
Convenient to the cathedral and on the Ringstrasse tram tour route are Schwedenplatz (the tram tour transfer point) and the Danube Canal. My first recommendation overlooks the canal, and the second is immediately across it. The last two are neighborhood favorites, a couple of blocks farther away on a charming street well beyond the tourists.
$$ Motto am Fluss feels a bit like a cruise ship moored high above the Danube Canal. While there’s a fancier restaurant inside the modern cabin, you can enjoy open-air café dining on the deck with a simple menu of burgers, pasta, salad, and daily specials (daily 8:00-late, breakfast until 11:45 on weekdays and 16:00 on weekends; reservations smart, Franz-Josefs-Kai 2, +43 1 252 5511, www.mottoamfluss.at).
$$$$ Augenweide Steak Pasta Sushi is a long, skinny, street-level place facing the Danube Canal. With a name that means “Eye Candy,” it opened in 2022 and was an instant hit with locals for its youthful, creative energy and three diverse yet enticing kitchens (gourmet burgers, Mon-Sat 12:00-24:00, closed Sun, Obere Donaustrasse 97, +43 1 366 0202, https://augenweide.wien).
$$$ Café Ansari is an upscale, family-run place with a fun mix of Georgian/Arabic/Mediterranean cuisine, mellow jazz, and a modern art interior. With lots of thoughtful touches and peaceful seating outside, you’re in for a memorable meal here (Mon-Sat 12:00-23:00, closed Sun, Praterstrasse 15, +43 1 276 5102, http://cafeansari.at).
$$ Ramasuri is a mod and youthful place with a playful menu and hip, fun service that didn’t get the “be a grumpy waiter in Vienna” memo. It has casual and comfy seating inside and out (long hours daily, Praterstrasse 19, +43 676 466 8060, http://ramasuri.at).
Spittelberg
This charming cobbled grid of traffic-free lanes is a favorite dining neighborhood for the Viennese. It’s handy, set between the MuseumsQuartier and Mariahilfer Strasse (U: Volkstheater). Tables tumble down sidewalks and into breezy courtyards; the charming buildings here date mostly from the early 1800s, before the Mariahilfer Strasse neighborhood was built. It’s only worth a special trip on a balmy summer evening, as it’s dead in bad weather. Stroll Spittelberggasse, Schrankgasse, and Gutenberggasse, then pick your favorite. Don’t miss the vine-strewn wine garden at Schrankgasse 1. To locate these restaurants, see the map on here.
$$ Amerlingbeisl is a charming, local place with a casual atmosphere both on the cobbled street and in its vine-covered courtyard. It’s a great value, serving a mix of traditional Austrian and international dishes (check the board with daily specials—some vegetarian, Mon-Sat 11:30-24:00, Sun from 10:00, shorter hours in winter, Stiftgasse 8, +43 1 526 1660).
$$$ Zu Ebener Erde und Erster Stock (loosely translated as “Downstairs, Upstairs”) is a popular little restaurant with a mostly traditional Austrian menu that includes their signature Tafelspitz (boiled beef). Filling a cute 1750 building, it’s true to its name, with two dining rooms: a casual and woody downstairs (traditionally for the poor) and a fancy upstairs (where the wealthy convened). There are also a few al fresco tables along the quiet side street (seasonal specials, Mon-Fri 12:00-22:00, last seating at 20:30, closed Sat-Sun, Burggasse 13, +43 1 523 6254, www.zu-ebener-erde-und-erster-stock.at).
$$$ Plutzer Bräu, next door to Amerlingbeisl, is a big, sprawling, impersonal brewpub serving forgettable pub grub: ribs, burgers, traditional dishes, and Czech beer (Mon-Fri 15:00-24:00, Sat-Sun from 11:30, Schrankgasse 4, +43 1 526 1215).
$$ Glacis Beisl, at the top edge of the MuseumsQuartier just before Spittelberg, is popular with locals. A gravelly wine garden tucked next to a city fortification, its outdoor tables and breezy ambience are particularly appealing on a balmy evening (weekday lunch specials, daily 11:00-24:00, Breitegasse 4, +43 1 526 5660, www.glacisbeisl.at).
Mariahilfer Strasse and the Naschmarkt
Mariahilfer Strasse is filled with reasonable cafés serving all types of cuisine. For locations, see the map on here.
$$ Trześniewski’s sandwich bar is the place for a quick yet traditional bite. Consider the branch at Mariahilfer Strasse 95 (see the Trześniewski listing earlier in this chapter for ordering tips), or its imitators (one is at #91).
$ Schnitzelwirt is an old classic with a 1950s patina and a mixed local and tourist clientele. In this working-class place, no one finishes their schnitzel (notice the self-serve butcher paper and plastic bags for leftovers). Walking to the back, you pass the kitchen piled high with breaded cutlets waiting for the deep fryer. The schnitzels are served with a starch or salad; if you order the smallest portion, you may want to add a side dish (Mon-Sat 11:00-21:30, closed Sun, Neubaugasse 52, U: Neubaugasse, +43 1 523 3771).
Supermarket: Look for the big Billa Plus in the basement of the Gerngross shopping mall at Mariahilfer Strasse 42 (Mon-Fri until 20:00, Sat until 18:00, closed Sun, U: Neubaugasse).
Naschmarkt: For a picnic or a trendy dinner, try the Naschmarkt, Vienna’s sprawling produce market. This thriving Old World scene comes with plenty of fresh produce, cheap local-style eateries, cafés, kebab and sausage stands, and the best-value sushi in town (market open Mon-Fri 6:00-19:30, Sat until 18:00, closed Sun, closes earlier in winter; restaurants open later; U: Karlsplatz, follow Karlsplatz signs out of the station). Picnickers can buy supplies at the market and eat on nearby Karlsplatz (plenty of chairs facing the Karlskirche) or pop into the nearby Burggarten, behind the famous Mozart statue.
In recent years, the Naschmarkt has become fashionable for dinner (or cocktails), with an amazing variety of local and international eateries to choose from. Prices are great, the produce is fresh, and the dinners are as local as can be. The best plan: Stroll through the entire market to survey the options, and then pick the place that appeals. For more on the Naschmarkt, see here.
CAFÉS
Be sure to experience Vienna’s famous café culture (described on here). Some of Vienna’s venerable cafés are opulent and legendary; others are functional. I’ve listed a mix of choices, focusing on ones with memorable settings.
Cafés in the Old Center
These are some of my favorite $ Viennese cafés located inside the Ring (see the “Restaurants in Central Vienna” map, earlier).
Café Central is overrun with tourists. Still, it remains a classic place: lavish under Neo-Gothic columns, celebrated by 19th-century Austrian writers, and featuring live piano entertainment—schmaltzy tunes on a fine, Vienna-made Bösendorfer each evening from 17:00 to 22:00 (Mon-Sat 7:30-22:00, Sun from 10:00, corner of Herrengasse and Strauchgasse, U: Herrengasse, +43 1 533 3764).
Café Bräunerhof, between the Hofburg and the Graben, offers traditional ambience with few tourists and live music on weekends (Sat-Sun 15:00-18:00), along with cheap lunches on weekdays (Mon-Fri 8:00-19:00, Sat until 18:00, Sun 10:00-18:00, no hot food after 15:00, Stallburggasse 2, U: Stephansplatz, +43 1 512 3893).
Café Hawelka has a dark, “brooding Trotsky” atmosphere, paintings by struggling artists who couldn’t pay for coffee, a saloon-wood flavor, chalkboard menu (no hot food), smokey velvet couches, an international selection of newspapers, and a phone that rings for regulars. Frau Hawelka died just a couple weeks after Pope John Paul II did. Locals suspect the pontiff wanted her much-loved Buchteln (marmalade-filled doughnuts) in heaven. The café remains family-run (daily 8:00-24:00, just off the Graben at Dorotheergasse 6, U: Stephansplatz, +43 1 512 8230).
Gerstner Café, facing the opera house in a grand 1860s Ringstrasse building, maintains a royal elegance. Climb to the third level to be immersed in the over-the-top world of Vienna’s 19th-century elites. It’s a nice alternative to the touristy and overpriced Café Sacher for your Sacher torte (small sandwiches and pastries, fancy café lunch menu, closed Sun, Kärntner Strasse 51, +43 1 526 1361).
Other Classics in the Old Center: All of these places are open long hours daily: Café Diglas (good lunches, piano nightly, two blocks behind St. Stephen’s Cathedral at Wollzeile 10); Café Pruckel (across from Stadtpark at Stubenring 24); Café Tirolerhof (two blocks from the opera house, behind the TI on Tegetthoffstrasse, at Führichgasse 8); and Café Landtmann (directly across from the City Hall on the Ringstrasse at Universitätsring 4). The Landtmann is unique, as it’s the only grand café built along the Ring with all the other grand buildings.
Near the Naschmarkt
Café Sperl dates from 1880 and is still furnished identically to the day it opened—from the coat tree to the chairs (Mon-Sat 7:00-22:00, Sun 11:00-20:00 except closed in July-Aug, near the Naschmarkt at Gumpendorfer Strasse 11—see the map on here, U: MuseumsQuartier, +43 1 586 4158).
WEIN IN WIEN: VIENNA’S WINE GARDENS
The Heuriger (HOY-rih-gur) is unique to Vienna, dating back to the 1780s, when Emperor Josef II decreed that vintners needed no special license to serve their own wines and juices to the public in their own homes. Many families grabbed this opportunity and opened Heurigen (HOY-rih-gehn)—wine-garden restaurants. (The name comes from the fact that they served heurig—new—wine from the most recent vintage.)
A tradition was born. Today, Heurigen are licensed but do their best to maintain the old-village atmosphere, serving each fall’s vintage until November 11 of the following year, when a new vintage year begins. To go with your wine, a Heuriger serves a variety of prepared foods that you choose from a deli counter. This is the most intimidating part of the Heuriger experience for tourists, but it’s easily conquered—see the sidebar for tips. Some Heurigen compromise by offering a regular menu that you can order from. At many establishments, strolling musicians entertain—and ask for tips.
Most Heurigen are decorated with enormous antique presses from their vineyards. Some places even have play zones for kids. The experience is best outdoors in good weather, but you can eat indoors, too.
To understand how a traditional Heuriger works, think of a full-service deli counter at an American supermarket with a seating section nearby. Choose from the array of prepared items and hot dishes, pay at the buffet counter, and find a table. Then order (and pay for) your wine or other drinks from the waiter who will appear at your table. (That said, many of the Heurigen I’ve listed have regular menus and table service as well.)
A quarter-liter (Viertel, FEER-tehl, 8 oz) glass of new wine costs about €2-3. Most (mohst) is lightly alcoholic grape juice—wine in its earliest stages, and usually available only in autumn. Once it gets a little more oomph, it’s called Sturm (shtoorm), strictly a fall drink—sometimes only during the narrow “Sturmzeit” window (late Sept-mid-Oct). Teetotalers can order Traubenmost (TROW-behn-mohst), grape juice. For more on Austrian wines, see the Practicalities chapter.
Food is generally sold by weight, often in “10 dag” units (that’s 100 grams, or about a quarter-pound). The buffet has several sections: The core of your meal is a warm dish, generally meat (such as ham, roast beef, roast chicken, roulade, or meatloaf) carved off a big hunk. There are also warm sides (Beilagen), such as casseroles and sauerkraut, and a wide variety of cold salads and spreads. Rounding out the menu are bread and cheese (they’ll slice it off for you).
Many Heuriger staff speak English, and pointing also works. Here’s a menu decoder of items to look for...or to avoid (for more food terms, see the Practicalities chapter):
Backhühner: Roasted chicken
Blutwurst or Blunzn: Blood sausage
Bohnen: Big white beans
Bratlfett: Gelatinous jelly made from fat drippings
Erdapfel: Potato
Fleckerl: Noodles
Fleischlaberln: Fried ground-meat patties
Kernöl: Vegetable oil
Knoblauch: Garlic
Knödl: Dumpling
Kornspitz: Whole-meal bread roll
Krapfen: Doughnut
Kren: Horseradish
Kummelbraten: Crispy roast pork with caraway
Lauch: Leek
Leberkäse: Finely ground corned beef, pork, bacon, and onions that’s baked as a loaf
Liptauer: Spicy cheese spread
Presskopf: Jellied brains and innards
Roastbeef: Roast beef
Schinken: Ham
Schinkenfleckerln: Ham and noodle casserole
Schmalz: Spread made from rendered pig or goose fat
Spanferkel: Suckling pig
Speck: Fatty bacon
Specklinsen: Lentils with bacon
Stelze: Grilled knuckle of pork
Sulz: Gelatinous brick of meaty goo
Waldbauernflade: Rustic bread
Zwiebel: Onion
Hours: Most Heurigen open up in the afternoon (generally between 14:00 and 16:00) and close late (about 24:00), though some may stop serving food earlier (around 21:00). Some Heurigen may close in winter, during the grape-picking season, or just for vacation, so call or check websites if you have a specific place in mind.
Getting There: I’ve listed two good Heuriger neighborhoods on the northern outskirts of town (see the “Greater Vienna” map in the Orientation to Vienna chapter). To get here from downtown Vienna, it’s best to use public transit (cheap, 30 minutes, runs late in the evening, find specific directions under each section). You can also take a 15-minute taxi ride (about €20 from the Ring).
Choosing a Place: With more than 1,700 acres of vineyards within Vienna’s city limits, there are countless Heuriger taverns. Decide on a neighborhood, then scope out a spot that suits you. The ambience at any single Heuriger can change depending on that evening’s clientele (locals, tour groups, workplace parties, birthdays). Each neighborhood I’ve described is a square or hub with two or three recommended spots and many other wine gardens worth considering. Wander around, then choose the Heuriger with the best atmosphere. Or ask a local—every Viennese will be only too glad to tell you about their favorite. (And for a near-Heuriger experience without leaving downtown Vienna, drop by Gigerl Stadtheuriger, described earlier in this chapter, which has the same deli-counter system as a Heuriger, but not the semirural atmosphere.)
Neustift am Walde
This district is farthest from the city but is still easy to reach by public transit. It feels a little less touristy than other places and is the only area I list where you’ll actually see the vineyards.
Getting There: Take the U-6 subway to Nussdorfer Strasse, then ride bus #35A (direction: Salmannsdorf, roughly 18 minutes, leaves from stop across the street from north side of the U-Bahn station). For Weinhof Zimmerman, get off at the Agnesgasse stop; for the other two, use the Neustift am Walde stop.
$$ Weinhof Zimmermann, a 10-minute uphill walk from the bus stop, is my favorite. It’s a sprawling farmhouse where the green tables on patios echo the terraced fields all around. While dining, you’ll feel like you’re right in the vineyard. The idyllic setting comes with rabbits in petting cages, great food, fine hillside vistas, and a coziness unmatched by the other Heurigen mentioned here (opens at 15:00 Tue-Sat, 12:00 on Sun, closed Mon, +43 1 440 1207). From the Agnesgasse stop, hike a block uphill and turn left on Mitterwurzergasse to #20.
$$ Das Schreiberhaus Heurigen-Restaurant is a popular, family-owned place right at the bus stop. Its creaky, old-time dining rooms are papered with celebrity photos. There are 600 spaces inside and another 600 outside, music nightly after 19:00 unless it’s slow, and a cobbled backyard that climbs in steps up to the vineyards. Alone among my listings, this place sometimes offers a cheap all-you-can-eat lunch buffet on weekdays (Thu-Fri from 17:00, Sat-Sun from 12:00, sometimes open Mon-Wed, Rathstrasse 54, +43 1 440 3844).
$$ Fuhrgassl Huber, which brags it’s the biggest Heuriger in Vienna, can accommodate 1,000 people inside and just as many outside. You can lose yourself in its sprawling backyard, with vineyards streaking up the hill from terraced tables. Musicians stroll most nights after 19:00 (opens at 14:00 Mon-Sat, 12:00 on Sun, a few steps past Das Schreiberhaus at Neustift am Walde 68, +43 1 440 1405, family Huber).
Nussdorf
An untouristy district, characteristic and popular with the Viennese, Nussdorf has plenty of Heuriger ambience. This area feels very real, with a working-class vibe, streets lined with local shops, and characteristic Heurigen that feel a little bit rougher around the edges.
Getting There: Take tram #D from the Ringstrasse (get on near opera, Hofburg/Kunsthistorisches Museum, or City Hall) to its endpoint, the Beethovengang stop (despite what it says on the front of the tram, the Nussdorf stop isn’t the end—stay on for one more stop). Exit the tram, cross the tracks, go uphill 40 yards, and look for Schübel-Auer and Kierlinger on your right. Mayer am Pfarrplatz is a 10-minute walk from the tram stop.
Getting Home: Trams run less frequently in the evening so be prepared to wait or ask one of the waitstaff to call a taxi.
$ Schübel-Auer Heuriger is my favorite here, with a peaceful leafy garden and a rustic interior. The buffet is big and user-friendly—most dishes are labeled and the patient staff speak English (opens at 16:00 Tue-Sat, 12:00 on Sun, closed Mon and generally Sun-Wed off-season, Kahlenberger Strasse 22, +43 1 370 2222).
$ Heuriger Kierlinger, next door, is also good, with a particularly rollicking, woody room around its buffet and a courtyard shaded with chestnut trees (opens at 15:30, closed most of August and periodically in off-season, Kahlenberger Strasse 20, +43 1 370 2264).
$$$ Mayer am Pfarrplatz is a bustling place with plenty of seating—choose from the indoor restaurant filled with photos of famous guests or the elegant ivy-covered outdoor spaces that tempt you to stay a while (seasonal menu, opens at 12:00, Pfarrplatz 2, +43 1 370 1287).