There are so many food specialties to try out in Vienna, so I’ve made you a list of the most famous and tasty ones !
If you are coming to Austria, you cannot miss the food culture there.
Whether it is apfelstrudel, wiener schnitzel or kaiserschmarrn, I’ll list here what specialties you can find and where to try them.
Vienna’s and Austria’s most world-famous dish is definitely the Wiener Schnitzel. This dish was born in Vienna (hence the name, because Vienna in Austrian is Wien). It is a breaded thin veal escalope pan-fried in butter, served with a slice of lemon and parsley. However today you can find wiener schnitzel made with chicken, pork, or even turkey (displayed on the first picture below).
Another Austrian delicacy is the Käsespätzle : soft egg noodles or tiny dumplings (spätzle) baked in the oven with cheese and topped with fried onion (see third picture below).
Other savoury specialties include :
- Tafelspitz : It is a tailpiece of beef cooked in a broth with root vegetables, sliced and usually served with a side of apples and horseradish.
- Austrian goulash : Beef and onions in a tomato-based sauce flavoured with paprika (different from the Hungarian goulash which contains bell peppers and/or potatoes.
- Wiener würstel : It is a thin parboiled sausage made with pork and beef, smoked before serving.
- Erdäpfelsalat : This Austrian-style potato salad is prepared with white wine vinegar, a bit of mustard, red onions and chives.
Dessert and café culture are a way of living in Vienna, raised to an art form. You will find coffee houses everywhere, and in restaurants there is even a “warm desserts” page on the menu ! I’ll list here the must-tries when in Vienna.
- Apfelstrudel : THE national dessert, on the menu of every café or restaurant in Vienna. This dessert consists of a thin, crisp pastry filled with apples, sugar, raisins, cinnamon, rum, lemon and sometimes cloves and walnuts. This rolled pastry is usually served warm, dusted with powdered sugar and accompanied by vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce.
- Topfenstrudel (cream cheese strudel) is somewhat similar to apfelstrudel. It’s made from the same delicate dough as the apfelstrudel or any other strudel. But instead the filling is sweetened curd cheese and raisins, giving it a flavor akin to cheesecake (last photo below).
- Kaiserschmarrn : You will be able to try this popular one as well in every restaurant ! These are essentially light, fluffy pancakes (often with rum-soaked raisins) cut into small pieces and dusted with powdered sugar. Traditionally served hot with a plum sauce, they can also be made with other fruits (picture 1 and 2 here).
- Sachertorte : This is an iconic cake invented in 1832, by Franz Sacher. It consists of a dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam and coated in dark chocolate icing. Hotel Sacher is the only place where you can taste the authentic sachertorte, which comes with a trademark in chocolate applied on the cake.
- Manner Wafers : A classic Viennese treat invented in the 1890s by the confectioner Josef Manner. The Original Neopolitan is the classic version: five layers of wafers filled with four layers of sweet hazelnut cocoa cream.
- Mozart balls : The most famous sweet from Austria. These are small chocolate balls containing a combination of nougat and marzipan (it is a typical gift and souvenirs when traveling to Austria).
- Wiener Melange : The typical drink not to be missed, which consists of a shot of espresso topped with hot milk and milk foam.
Prices in Vienna are not cheap but can be affordable is you know where to look : in restaurants and coffee houses, a wiener schnitzel or tafelspitz will be around 25€, whereas desserts will be between 8-10€. But if you go in bakeries or if you opt for a pita at Miznon (see below) prices will be lower.
I will list two of the best restaurants I tried during my stay and that I would recommend :
- Zur eisernen Zeit : I had a perfect wiener schnitzel there and exquisite kaiserschmarrn for a total of 33€ and it was the best of my entire stay (Pictures 1 to 3 below).
- Gösser Bierklinik : This is where I tried the Käsespätzle and it was delicious and just sooo comforting ! (see last picture here)
If you are looking for easier and more affordable lunch options, I can recommend those three places :
- Miznon : This one is not a traditional viennese restaurant, rather a Mediterranean eatery serving delicious pitas. They are prepared with tasty and fresh produce, for roughly 13€.
- Pitawerk : If you plan on visiting Schönbrunn, you can stop at Pitawerk on your way there. This place serves traditional Bosnian pitas for 6€ and the portions are quite generous. These are rolled pastries filled with either meat, potatoes, spinach or cheese.
- Josef Brot : These bakeries are in numerous locations in Vienna and their little brot (bread) are just too good !
Of course, one cannot visit Vienna without experiencing the café scene here ! Coffee culture is raised to an art form almost and the café even have a menu page only for wam desserts ! From the classy setting to the tasteful interior design, including the endless coffee and dessert list, everything is there for you to spend a whole day there ! Here is a selection of some of the best ones :
- Café central : This famous café running since 1876 and frequented by Freud or Trotzki among many others, has the best apfelstrudel I tried during my stay, and the whole atmosphere is worth a visit. Their desserts are around 8-10€ and it is open from 8am to 10pm.
- Café Landtmann : Opened in 1873 by Franz Landtmann, it was to be the most elegant in the city. To this day, it is still one of the most renowned in Vienna. It was the preferred coffeehouse of Freud, Mahler and many other thinkers, artists and politicians.
- Demel : This one has been a cultural and culinary institution since 1786. I personally couldn’t try it as it was closed when I was in the area.
That’s it for my recommendations on the food specialties to try out in Austria. I had a wonderful time trying all the best food specialties in Vienna and I’m sure you will too !
If you plan on visiting Vienna any time soon, check out my four days Vienna itinerary , or this article detailing everything you need to know before you visit Austria.
If you need a custom itinerary, you can fill this form and I’ll make your own personalised itinerary.