Restaurants in Vienna. Where to eat in Vienna? There are hundreds of restaurants serving Viennese cuisine. My independent restaurant reviews below came from my frequent visits to my hometown. I use to visit all these places with my local friends and family. They also come in digestible amounts, and some variety: from Michelin star restaurants to taverns, snack bars and Vienna sausage stands.
For a quick overview of what else is available, and for customer reviews, click on Food, Wine and Nightlife in Vienna.
Where Can I Dine In Vienna?
Whether you plan a gourmet city break in Vienna or just want great down-to-earth local food: Vienna has a rich choice of good eateries. Some of them are perfect for dining before or after a night at the opera or a classical concert. Some are smart casual or simply relaxed but all of those featured here offer lovely food I can honestly recommend.
Since Wien is the best spot to explore Viennese cuisine and Austrian food my guide helps you navigate across the local food scene.
What time would locals usually have dinner in Vienna? In fact, the main dinner time is between 7.00 pm and 8.00 pm. Since space in the most popular restaurants gets scarce at this time make sure you book in advance.
To whet your appetite, review my personal shortlist of restaurants in Vienna, from mid range to top notch.
Is It Expensive To Eat Out In Vienna?
Compared to other European cities, dining out in Vienna can be moderately expensive. In general, Vienna's restaurant prices are in line with other major Western European capitals. You can find budget-friendly options like traditional Austrian taverns (Gasthäuser) and lunch menus. Obviously, fine dining establishments will cost more. The city also has excellent historic coffeehouses that also serve warm meals.
Here are the typical restaurant prices you can expect:
Restaurant Dining Costs:
- Inexpensive restaurant meal: €15 (range: €10-22)
- Mid-range restaurant for two people (three courses): €80 (range: €55-110)
- Fast food combo meal (McDonald's equivalent): €10 (range: €9.50-12)
Drinks and Beverages:
- Domestic beer (1 pint): €5 (range: €4-6)
- Cappuccino: €4.41 (range: €2.80-5.20)
- Soft drink: €3.22 (range: €1.75-4.30)
What Is A Must Eat In Vienna?
The absolute must-eat dish in Vienna is Wiener Schnitzel, Austria's national dish consisting of a thin, breaded veal cutlet that's been fried to golden perfection. If you are vegetarian, go for a traditional celeriac Schnitzel with cranberry sauce, like the gorgeous one that Meissl & Schadn serves. Another essential experience is Tafelspitz, the tender boiled beef dish that was a favorite of Austrian emperors, traditionally served with horseradish and boiled potatoes.
For dessert, some tourists don’t want to leave without Sachertorte, Vienna's famous decadent chocolate cake with apricot jam filling and glossy chocolate glaze. Alternatively, try a plate of fluffy Kaiserschmarrn.
1. Michelin Star Restaurants In Vienna
For fine dining and to celebrate an occasion or a classical evening go for the officially best restaurants in Wien, among them Michelin Restaurant Steirereck, Michelin Restaurant Silvio Nickol, and Michelin Restaurant Walter Bauer. Since 2019, Vienna also boasts a three star Michelin restaurant, thanks to Juan Amador. Like Silvio Nickol, he likes to surprise though focuses more on brilliantly composed down-to-earth food. Find out which fine dining temple to choose in my gourmet restaurant guide Michelin star restaurants Vienna.
2. Brasseries, Taverns And More
Over the past 10 years, many popular Vienna restaurants and taverns have upgraded the quality of food and service as a new generation of chefs and new competitors entered ground. Among other things, the rich cream sauces that accompany many meat dishes have shed a few calories. Gulash meat does not need to be chewy any more and cooked vegetables have regained their bite.
Viennese taverns, called Wirtshäuser or Beisln, are popular for everyday lunches and dinners and can be found anywhere in town. Watch out for typical qualities when you search for where to eat in Vienna in an authentic setting: fresh authentic food, good wine, informal, personal service, cosy.
- Plachutta: Vienna's centre of excellence for all things beef; they run fine dining but relaxed restaurants in several locations;
- Gmoakeller: Lovely Viennese Cuisine as it should be;
- Motto: Cult Bar and Restaurant
- Heard of Vienna's romantic basement restaurants? Are they as good as advertised? Click to find out;
- To find out where Viennese foodies eat in relaxed places, check my list of contemporary Vienna restaurants here;
- Vienna Restaurants' Best Roast at Zu den Drei Hacken - serving probably the best Vienna roast in town;
- Vienna restaurant Silberwirt - a typical and popular Vienna local tavern;
- Under Restaurants Wien, find more of my favourite eateries for Viennese cuisine;
- If you are American and in Vienna during Thanksgiving, find the best Thanksgiving-style restaurants in Vienna.
3. Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna
See the queues in front of a famous guidebook Schnitzel place? Undoubtedly, Wiener Schnitzel is the most sought-after meal for visitors in Vienna. But you won't need to queue at tourist places. As much as tourists, local residents love their 'Schnitzi'. With my Wiener Schnitzel Vienna Restaurant Guide, you will get to know their secret places. Many of them are not dedicated Schnitzel eateries after all but have acquired local fame simply because of their fantastic Wienerschnitzel.
4. Private Dining
Where to eat in Vienna and connect with locals in a non-awkward way? For more than a decade, the US trend of Private Dining has been adding excellent places to existing quality restaurants in Vienna. Guests dine or brunch in the private homes of local Viennese. For fellow locals, it's a great way to have privacy without the mess of cooking at their own places. For visitors, it's a great way to connect with the locals and explore local living first hand.
- If you combine Vienna cooking classes with private dining you will not only learn to cook Viennese but personally connect with your local host in his/her apartment;
- For an eclectic experience in a amazingly designed townhouse flat, go see Martin, Thomas and Wolfgang over vintage dining and Viennese cuisine at Mezzanin 7.
For Foodies and Wine Enthusiasts
Admittedly, the number of amazing restaurants in Vienna may blow many foodies' trip itineraries to pieces. If you agonize over where to eat in Vienna, why not taste the best bits from great eateries and drinks places in one evening?
There are guides in Vienna who take small groups of foodies and wine enthusiasts on gourmet food and wine tasting tours: trying specialty Styrian ham in a gourmet deli, tasting Austrian wines in a private wine cellar, delving into Viennese cuisine at a top rated restaurant, sipping champagne on a roof terrace bar. Besides, you'll stay active as you'll wander from place to place. Check out the gourmet food tour and the wine tasting tour.
5. Snack And Sandwich Bars
Other than restaurants, there is a range of traditional quality sandwich bars that are a far cry from international fast food, AND from the more mundane sausage stands. If you prefer light quality lunches and are short on time, a great sandwich bar will add another local experience to your trip.
Most of all, these place let you delve into topless sandwiches with creamy spreads, local cheeses on dark sourdough bread, and small warm delicacies. Other than that, why not try a variety of Austria's much loved minced meat loaf Leberkäs?
Find out about the best places to have a bite in snack bars Vienna .
6. Where To Eat In Vienna: Yes, Sausage Stands.
Although Vienna sausage stands are not restaurants they embody a rich cultural space. Not only is a Wiener Würstelstand our response to fast food and hot dog stalls, they are a firm part of our culture since the First World War. In general, at a Wiener Wuerstelstand you will find business people next to road workers, young party folk next to grandpas.
To explore the Vienna sausage and its different varieties, and where to find the best stands, go to my free guide Sausage Stands in Vienna. To start with, here is a map of local sausage stands.
A note on opening hours of Vienna restaurants: When planning where to eat in Vienna you will find quite a few restaurants closed on Sundays or public holidays (even in the city centre), especially during Christmas and on New Year's day. Do check the opening hours of your chosen restaurants (you will find them in the restaurant reviews via the links in the list of restaurants above) and make a reservation when you dine out in busy places on a week end or public holiday.
7. Vienna Restaurants Booking Tool
I regularly use this online site when booking restaurants in Vienna. It works a bit like a last minute hotel booking site. You can generally book up to four weeks in advance and get a 25-30 per cent discount off your restaurant bill. Find out more about the Vienna restaurants booking tool.
go to Vienna Coffeehouses - Favourites in My Hometown
visit Cake Shops Vienna - From Imperial Bakery to Vegan Pastry
explore our choice of Vienna Wineries - Guide And Map By Two Natives
some tips of kosher restaurants in Jewish Vienna - Map, Top Sights, Where to Eat, And Walking Tours
find out about the best halal eateries in Halal Holiday Vienna - Guide for Muslim Travellers
go to What To Do In Vienna
