Best Restaurants in Vienna
Austrian capital Vienna is not only beautiful city with vast number of historical buildings and museums, it is also cosmopolitan city with lots of influences from different parts of the world. So, if you plan to visit Vienna you should visit some of these restaurants because in my opinion, they are worth it.
Steirereck
Vienna’s most famous restaurant, once in the third bezirk (district), now situated among Stadtpark between Intercontinental and Hilton at the site of an old dairy. Owners, family Reitbauer, turned Steirereck in real culinary empire with two Michelin stars. Tasting menus of six or seven courses cost 125 and 135 Euros. If you want to pair your meals with glass of wine per course you will have to ad 69 or 75 Euros. Fine price, but when you know that the tea will be prepared from the leaves ripped before you, that the cheese list has 150 items, and that only Coburg surpassed their phenomenal wine list, price is actually funny. In addition, most of the meat (duck, goose, lamb…) in Steirereck is crafted from their estates in Pogusch. Steirereck has exceptional service, atmosphere and probably the best modern Austrian cuisine in the world so rightly highlighted as the number one restaurant in Vienna. If you go there, be sure to ask for a visit of cellar with more than 35 thousand bottles. Steirereck does not work on weekends and you should plan your visit several weeks ahead.
© Palais Coburg
Coburg
Restaurant in a luxury apartment hotel at Coburg boasts with a high international cuisine. The food is superb (and expensive), and it comes from the kitchen of Christian Petz, another Viennese culinary magician. No matter in which of the two restaurants within the Coburg you eat, you should go there primarily due to esoteric wines from their cellar. Bottles from the 1700’s and the most expensive new wines excellently complement superb culinary offer. In addition, in the bistro you can enjoy the light menus and in a Dom Perignon Lounge bar you can drink champagne by the glass and in the evening enjoy a selection of fine wines. If you prefer your privacy you can hire rooms for private dining.
© David M. Peters
Zum Schwarzen Kameel
If you visit a black camel, be ready to be welcomed in the imperial style. Their head waiter looks like a young Franz Joseph, and carries a similar uniform. The restaurant offers international cuisine, but now in trend is cabbage, geese and other similar traditional Austrian food. One of the most interesting places to eat in Vienna has great wine cellar. The restaurant is almost 400 years owned by the same family, and although only 11 tables, it is very popular. If you want a typical Viennese meal drop by for a potato soup or a light fish dish. In Vienna, you will hardly find a better meals for around 30 Euros. They offer for 78 Euros and 5 courses menu for 90 Euros. If you want a glass of wine with each course you will pay extra 26 or 32 Euros.
Österreicher im MAK
Former Steirereck chef Helmut Österreicher now runs one of the trendiest restaurants in Vienna, situated in the Museum of Applied Arts MAK. You can dine superb food in the interpretation of the famous chef, which is very affordable. No food costs more than 21 Euros, and at 6PM Österreicher begins serving Austrian specialties with two menus, traditional and the modern. You can taste the traditional ‘krautflenkerl‘ or chicken in cream sauce with peppers, the choice is up to you, both very tasty. Österreicher changes menu whenever they get inspiration. Excellent spicy carrot soup with a couple of shrimp inside, something that only Österreicher can imagine. Österreicher im MAK since the opening in the 2006 is gathering Viennese intellectuals, young artists and of course, museum guests which often do not know that for a small amount of money they can have a lunch prepared by one of the best Austrian chefs.
Do & Co.
The most interesting place (think of a location, and then only partially the kitchen) for dining in Vienna is located at about the height of the cathedral bells of St. Stephen, on the seventh floor of the Hotel Do & Co. Before going for a meal with a view at the cathedral, you can drink a cocktail in the Onyx bar on the sixth floor, and then you can go into a culinary adventure. Do & Co. offers wok dishes, terrific sushi and sashimi, of course Austrian cuisine, and a kebab! The owners are of Turkish origin. Actually it does not matter where are they from, it is more important that the Do & Co. on Stephansplatz has subsidiaries in Albertina and Munich (at BMW Welt), bars in Vienna, Wattens, and London, as well as catering for official Austrian Airlines, one of the best in the world. Anyway, going to the seventh floor of the futuristic hotel building is worth it because the food is good and the clientele is typically Viennese cream. Since it can be crowded you may want to reserve a table in advance.
Fabios
Popular restaurant with a large bar. Very well publicized and considered the best Italian restaurant in Vienna (along Cantinetta Antinori). Fabios is a favorite gathering place of young Viennese and media stars. Atmosphere is always great, thanks primarily to boss Fabio Giacobellu. Food is not expensive, most dishes cost less than 30 Euros, and you can find the exotic dishes like the warm goat cheese, potatoes with polenta and pickled eggs, but Italian restaurants can be found everywhere anyway, so you can decide whether they are worth a visit.
Julius Meinl am Graben – Gourmet Heaven
Julius Meinl am Graben
Gourmet empire Julius Meinl is situated in the center of Vienna. Founded in 1862 as the official caterer of the Habsburgs, the same place today is a gourmet restaurant and shop. Unlike most of the average stores from Meinl chain which are opened across Europe, this in Graben is something different. In best gourmet shop in Austria (and certainly beyond) can be found almost everything you want.
From a fantastic selection of sweets and chocolates, a variety of coffees and teas, hundreds of varieties of cheese, a large selection of dried and fresh meat, choice of the best spices all over the world and of course all kinds of delicacies such as truffles, caviar, salmon, etc, a total of more than 16,000 items.
To find a similarly equipped shop you should go to nearest Paris or London. In the basement there is a wine bar and wine shop with probably the best selection of wines in Austria. On the first floor is one of the best Viennese restaurants, a popular lunch spot, which offers a view along the Graben.
In addition to shops, there is a Meinl Cafe where the coffee is prepared in 35 different ways, from the classic espresso to the Turkish coffee. There is a Meinl To Go where you can take your dishes to go. Definitely place which every gourmet should visit.