What to Eat in Vienna: Schnitzel, Cafes, Desserts

Where to Eat Schnitzel in Vienna

Restaurant Figlmüller is the first name that comes up for schnitzel in Vienna. We ate at the original restaurant on Wollzeile. The waiter told us the most original one is the pork schnitzel; Umut ordered the chicken one, and we tried both.

The schnitzel is thin and crispy and hangs over the plate. People had told us it was overrated; we did not find it so, and the potato salad was as good as the schnitzel.

• Hours: daily 11:00-22:30 (Wollzeile)
• Reservations: book early

Tafelspitz and Veal Schnitzel

We came after a whole day of museums without a reservation and waited a while at the door. We liked the schnitzel more than the one we had at Landtmann earlier that day. But we came for the Tafelspitz: beef boiled in a clear vegetable broth, served with sauces and potatoes. The beef was meltingly tender; in the video we gave it 10 out of 10.

• Hours: daily 11:30-23:30
• Reservations: on its website

Vienna's Most Famous Coffee House

On our first try we arrived a few minutes before 22:00 and they would not seat us because they were closing. Later in the trip, after Schönbrunn, we sat down and ordered Tafelspitz. We did not like the food; the Tafelspitz at Plachutta was better, and we would not queue again for these dishes.

• Closed for renovation
• Temporary address: Freyung 3

Kaiserschmarrn and Apple Strudel, Vienna's Best-Known Dessert

We queued for about half an hour before we got a table. Kaiserschmarrn is a pancake torn up as it cooks in the pan and dusted with icing sugar; it comes with fruit compote, and we liked it. The apple strudel was warm and soft; we would have liked it a little crispier. We paid €37 for a Kaiserschmarrn, an apple strudel, a coffee and a water.

• We paid €37
• Hours: daily 10:00-19:00
• Reservations: not taken

Schnitzel, Mozart Dessert and Melange

Our first stop in Vienna, and our first Viennese coffee house. We ordered a schnitzel, a Mozart dessert and a Melange; with a small salad it came to €49. The Melange is close to a cappuccino, a little milkier and lighter.

The Mozart dessert felt light to us; we expected something richer. The chestnut Mont Blanc dessert the waiter recommended is only served in winter, and we missed it.

• We paid €49
• Hours: Mon-Sat 7:30-24:00, Sun 7:30-22:00

Nusszelten and Cheese Sausage

The Naschmarkt is Vienna's biggest open-air market: stalls of fresh vegetables, fruit and deli food, with small restaurants in between where you can sit and eat. We tried the Nusszelten everyone was buying; the original is poppy seed, and we took the walnut one.

It is a pastry with a walnut filling; not bad, and it would go well with a cup of tea. The cheese sausage people queue for was greasy but tasty.

• Hours: stalls Mon-Fri 6:00-21:00, Sat 6:00-18:00
• Hours: Saturday flea market 6:30-15:00

Veal Schnitzel and Goulash

We came without a booking on our Christmas trip and were sent to the Gulasch & Söhne room in the same building; the plates still said Meissl & Schadn. The schnitzel came with potato salad, cranberry jam and a parsley and egg garnish.

It was very tender, but we did not find a big difference from Figlmüller, and the potato salad was better at Figlmüller. The goulash was more aromatic, spiced and rich in sauce.

• Hours: daily 12:00-23:30
• Reservations: on its website

Breakfast in the Burggarten Greenhouse

Part of the glass greenhouse in the Burggarten has become a café, right next to the Hofburg. Breakfast brought honey, butter, jam, croissants and bread; the sourdough bread was really good. Of the best cafes in Vienna, Austria that we sat in, this was our breakfast pick.

They told us the stories that link the crescent shape of the croissant and Vienna's first coffee to the siege of 1683; we are not historians, we are only passing on what we were told.

• Breakfast until 12:00
• Hours: weekdays 10:00-23:00, weekends 9:00-23:00

A Local Viennese Restaurant in Nussdorf

We wanted somewhere away from the centre where Viennese people go rather than tourists, and ended up at Zum Renner in Nussdorf, in the north of the city. In the video we could not read the name on the sign properly; its full name is Gasthof Zum Renner.

We said it again the next day: the meat was very good, the schnitzel was good, and if you are in that part of town, go. We did not share the bill in the video.

• Hours: Tue-Sat 11:30-23:00, Sun 11:30-22:00

Döner Kebab in Vienna

After our first Vienna video, the comment we got most was "why didn't you go to Ferhat Döner?", so we went on our Christmas trip. The wraps are generously filled. It is a good döner, but it did not wow us. A solid choice for a quick, filling and cheap meal near the Hauptbahnhof.

• Hours: daily 11:00-22:00