Food · Vienna · Austria
What to eat in Vienna
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Vienna, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Superbass, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz and Sachertorte. Order a melange and a slice of cake in a traditional coffee house, read the newspapers on wooden holders and stay as long as you like; nobody will hurry you. Water is often served free with coffee in coffee houses; in restaurants, ask for 'Leitungswasser' (tap water), which may carry a small charge.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Wiener Schnitzel
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 7
- Tipping
- Round up or add about 5–10% in cafés and restaurants for good service, telling the…
- Food experiences
- 4
11 foods to try
Dish
1.Wiener Schnitzel
A thin escalope of veal, breaded and fried until the crust puffs up, served with lemon and potato or cucumber salad. By law, a 'Wiener Schnitzel' must be veal; pork versions are labelled 'vom Schwein'.
Where: Traditional Beisl restaurants and schnitzel specialists across the city, especially in the 1st district.
Dish
2.Tafelspitz
Prime boiled beef simmered in broth with root vegetables, served in its copper pot with apple-horseradish, chive sauce and roast potatoes. The broth is drunk first as a soup — Emperor Franz Joseph's favourite dish.
Where: Classic Viennese restaurants and Beisln; a few specialise in boiled beef in many cuts.
Dessert · Vegetarian
3.Sachertorte
Dense chocolate sponge with a thin layer of apricot jam under dark chocolate glaze, served with unsweetened whipped cream. Hotel Sacher and the confectioner Demel fought for years over who could call theirs the original.
Where: Café Sacher at Hotel Sacher, Demel on Kohlmarkt and most traditional coffee houses.
Dessert · Vegetarian
4.Apple strudel (Apfelstrudel)
Paper-thin stretched pastry rolled around apples, raisins, cinnamon and buttered breadcrumbs, served warm with cream or vanilla sauce. Topfenstrudel, filled with sweet curd cheese, is the other classic.
Where: Coffee houses and konditoreien throughout the city; Schönbrunn's café offers strudel-making demonstrations.
Dessert · Vegetarian
5.Kaiserschmarrn
A fluffy, caramelised pancake torn into pieces in the pan, dusted with icing sugar and served with plum compote or apple sauce. Large enough to share as a main course.
Where: Traditional restaurants and coffee houses, and huts in the Vienna Woods.
Street food
6.Käsekrainer
A smoked pork sausage studded with small cubes of cheese that melt when grilled, served with mustard, a slice of bread or stuffed into a baguette. The Würstelstand sausage stall is a Viennese institution, especially late at night.
Where: Würstelstände across the city, including stands near the Albertina and at major U-Bahn stations.
Drink · Vegetarian
7.Wiener Melange
Vienna's signature coffee: espresso with steamed milk and milk foam, served on a silver tray with a glass of water. Coffee houses also serve the Einspänner (black coffee topped with whipped cream) and the Verlängerter.
Where: Historic coffee houses such as Café Central, Café Sperl, Café Landtmann and Café Hawelka.
Drink · Vegetarian
8.Wiener Gemischter Satz
Vienna's own white wine, a field blend of several grape varieties grown and harvested together in the city's vineyards. Grüner Veltliner, Austria's signature grape, is also everywhere.
Where: Heurigen in Grinzing, Nussdorf and Stammersdorf, and wine bars across the city.
Dish
9.Beef goulash (Saftgulasch)
Viennese goulash is beef slow-cooked with large amounts of onion and paprika into a rich, glossy sauce, served with a bread roll or dumpling. The Fiakergulasch version adds a fried egg and a sausage.
Where: Beisln and traditional restaurants, often as a lunch special.
Snack · Vegetarian
10.Liptauer
A spicy spread of curd cheese with paprika, onion, capers and caraway, eaten on dark bread. It is a fixture of the heuriger buffet.
Where: Heurigen and traditional wine taverns, where you choose from a cold buffet.
Drink · Vegetarian
11.Punsch and mulled wine (Punsch und Glühwein)
Hot fruit punch spiked with rum and mulled red wine, served in collectible mugs that you return for a deposit or keep as a souvenir.
Where: The Christmas markets at Rathausplatz, Spittelberg, Schönbrunn and Karlsplatz from mid-November to Christmas.
Food experiences
Coffee-house afternoon
Order a melange and a slice of cake in a traditional coffee house, read the newspapers on wooden holders and stay as long as you like; nobody will hurry you.
Heuriger evening
In the wine villages on the city's edge, sit in a garden under the vines with a jug of the house wine and choose cold meats, cheeses and spreads from the buffet.
Beisl lunch
Vienna's traditional taverns, or Beisln, serve schnitzel, goulash and offal dishes, with weekday lunch menus at moderate prices.
Naschmarkt grazing
Sample cheese, olives, pickles and spices along the Naschmarkt, then sit down at one of its restaurants for lunch.
Quick bites and street food
- Käsekrainer — Würstelstände across the city, including stands near the Albertina and at major U-Bahn stations.
- Liptauer — Heurigen and traditional wine taverns, where you choose from a cold buffet.
Vegetarian options
Of the 11 foods in this guide, 7 are usually vegetarian: Sachertorte, Apple strudel, Kaiserschmarrn, Wiener Melange, Wiener Gemischter Satz, Liptauer and Punsch and mulled wine. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Water is often served free with coffee in coffee houses; in restaurants, ask for 'Leitungswasser' (tap water), which may carry a small charge.
- Bread baskets placed on the table may be charged per piece eaten.
- Many restaurants close on Sundays; heurigen open on a rotating schedule, so check which are 'ausg'steckt' (open).
- Book ahead for popular Beisln and schnitzel restaurants, especially on weekend evenings.
- When paying, tell the waiter the total including tip rather than leaving coins on the table.
Tipping
Round up or add about 5–10% in cafés and restaurants for good service, telling the waiter the amount when you pay. Round up taxi fares.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Grüß Gott | Hello (traditional Austrian greeting) |
| Danke schön | Thank you very much |
| Bitte | Please / you're welcome |
| Zahlen, bitte | The bill, please |
| Eine Melange, bitte | A melange coffee, please |
| Prost! | Cheers! |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Vienna famous for?
Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, Sachertorte and Apple strudel. A thin escalope of veal, breaded and fried until the crust puffs up, served with lemon and potato or cucumber salad.
+Is Vienna good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Sachertorte, Apple strudel and Kaiserschmarrn.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Vienna?
Round up or add about 5–10% in cafés and restaurants for good service, telling the waiter the amount when you pay. Round up taxi fares.