Bistros, trattorias and the everyday rooms where Vienna actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Vienna actually eats.
Gasthaus Poeschl on Weihburggasse in Vienna's first district is a Hermann Czech-renovated Beisl turning out the canonical Viennese carte, with Wiener.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Backhendlsalat
Order: Wiener Schnitzel; the Backhendlsalat is the lunch alternative.
Tip: Open Monday to Saturday 12:00-23:00, kitchen to 22:00; book the back room for a quieter table.
Gasthaus Wolf on Grosse Neugasse in Vienna's Wieden cooks classical Beisl plates with a serious offal carte, a wood-panelled side-street room locals book.
Signature: Offal, Beuschel, Wiener Schnitzel
Order: Beuschel; the kitchen's offal handling is what brings the regulars back.
Tip: Dinner only, Monday to Friday from 18:00; the room takes weekends off and books up two weeks ahead.
Gasthaus Ubl on Pressgasse in Vienna's Wieden has been a family-run Beisl for over fifty years, the green-tiled stove and wood-panelled rooms turning out.
Signature: Zwiebelrostbraten, Schinkenfleckerl, Tafelspitz
Order: Zwiebelrostbraten with crisp onions; the kitchen's most-ordered plate.
Tip: Cash only; book by phone because the room is almost always full.
Glacis Beisl inside the MuseumsQuartier on Breite Gasse in Vienna's Neubau cooks classical Viennese plates in a tucked-away bistro with a walnut-shaded.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz
Order: Wiener Schnitzel from the lunchtime carte, with a Pfiff of Gemischter Satz.
Tip: Open daily 12:00 to midnight, kitchen to 22:30; the walled garden under the old walnut trees is the room's best seat.
Figlmueller Baeckerstrasse in Vienna's first district runs the Figlmueller pork-Schnitzel carte across the cobbled square from the original Wollzeile room.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Kaiserschmarrn
Order: The Original Figlmueller Schnitzel; one plate-overhanging cutlet feeds two.
Tip: Open daily 11:30-23:30, kitchen to 22:00; the Schnitzel-plus-Beisl menu also runs a vegan Schnitzel option.
Cafe Anzengruber on Schleifmuehlgasse in Vienna's Freihausviertel has been in Croatian hands since 1949, serving Wiener Schnitzel and one of the city's most.
Signature: Goulash, Wiener Schnitzel
Order: Goulash with bread dumpling; the kitchen's signature.
Tip: Sit in the Schanigarten in summer; the room turns into a football-screening crowd when the Croatian team plays.
Schweizerhaus in Vienna's Prater is the city's most famous beer garden, the Karlovary-style pork Stelze and unfiltered Budvar tap drawing crowds from March.
Signature: Stelze (pork knuckle), Budweiser Budvar
Order: Stelze, the slow-roasted pork knuckle, with sauerkraut and a Krug of Budvar.
Tip: Open mid-March to 31 October only; the Stelze sells out by 21:00 on busy summer evenings.
Vollpension on Schleifmuehlgasse in Vienna's Wieden hires Viennese grandmothers and grandfathers to bake the menu of Strudel, Torten and Mehlspeise.
Signature: Apfelstrudel, Topfengolatschen
Order: Apfelstrudel with vanilla sauce, made that morning by one of the resident grandmothers.
Tip: The dining room fills fast on weekends; the Naschmarkt branch at Stand 343 takes the spillover.
Neni am Naschmarkt at Stand 510 on Vienna's Naschmarkt has been Haya Molcho's flagship since 2009, cooking Israeli and Levantine plates upstairs.
Signature: Shakshuka, Sabich, Hummus
Order: Sabich, fried aubergine with egg and hummus; weekend brunch leans on shakshuka.
Tip: Open Monday to Saturday from breakfast; Sundays the Naschmarkt stalls close but the cafe stays open until 21:00.
Tewa at Stand 672 on Vienna's Naschmarkt cooks organic vegetarian plates with a Levantine accent, named for the Hebrew word for nature, open since 2007.
Signature: Hummus plate, Shakshuka, Falafel
Order: The hummus plate with warm pita; vegan options run the length of the carte.
Tip: The market stand opens earlier than the inside cafe; eat shakshuka outside on weekend mornings.
Ulrich on Sankt-Ulrichs-Platz in Vienna's Neubau cooks all-day plates and a serious weekend brunch, the leafy corner square one of the 7th district's best.
Signature: Breakfast, Modern Viennese brunch
Order: The weekend brunch board with house granola, eggs and the Spittelberg sourdough.
Tip: Open daily from 09:00; book a table on the leafy Sankt-Ulrichs-Platz terrace for weekend brunch.
Huth Gastwirtschaft on Schellinggasse in Vienna's first district cooks Beisl classics in a sober wood-panelled room, the Huth family's quiet.
Signature: Tafelspitz, Wiener Schnitzel, Kaesespaetzle
Order: Tafelspitz with apple horseradish; the kitchen runs it daily.
Tip: Open daily 11:30-23:30, kitchen to 22:30; book a back-room table for a calmer dinner.
Plachutta Hietzing serves the family's canonical Tafelspitz across town in 1130 Hietzing, an opera-quiet 13th-district room that draws Schoenbrunn locals.
Signature: Tafelspitz, Beuschel
Order: Tafelspitz with the full set of sides; the cut of the day is the recommended order.
Tip: A quieter Tafelspitz alternative to Wollzeile, especially at lunch; the 1130 postcode makes parking easier too.
Labstelle on Lugeck in Vienna's first district cooks a regional, seasonal carte under a vaulted brick ceiling, a quieter alternative to the schnitzel rooms.
Signature: Modern Austrian tasting, Seasonal courses
Order: The five-course seasonal menu; the kitchen rebuilds it monthly.
Tip: The walled inner courtyard is the room's summer-evening seat; book ahead for Friday and Saturday.
Reinthaler's on Dorotheergasse off Graben is an old-school Beisl with no closing day, the kitchen running 11:00-22:30 and the parlour bright with locals.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Beuschel, Tafelspitz
Order: Wiener Schnitzel with parsley potatoes and a Spritzer to drink.
Tip: Open every day with no closing day; phone reservations preferred between 09:00 and 12:00.
Gasthaus Kopp on Engerthstrasse in Brigittenau is a family-run Beisl since 1978, the room serving plate-overhanging Schnitzel at neighbourhood prices.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Beuschel, Backhendl
Order: Wiener Schnitzel with the warm potato salad, Beuschel for old-Vienna offal lovers.
Tip: Cash preferred; the lunch menu is the best-value plate in the district.
Reznicek on Reznicekgasse in Alsergrund is Simon Schubert and Julian Lechner's modern Wirtshaus, swapping the card each season alongside a serious wine list.
Signature: Seasonal Austrian carte, Backhendl, Schmankerlpfanne
Order: Whatever roast is on the card; the wine list is deeper than most Beisl in the district.
Tip: Mid-week dinner is easier to book than weekends; closed Sundays.
Cafe Englaender on Postgasse in the first district is a coffee-house-restaurant with 90 Falstaff points, the room a meeting place for the arts crowd.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, Sachertorte
Order: Wiener Schnitzel for the classics-leaning card; the daily Mittagsmenue is the value play.
Tip: The sister Cafe Englaender at Praterstern 9 in the 2nd district runs the same kitchen, easier to walk in on a busy weekend night.
Stuwer on Stuwerstrasse in Leopoldstadt is a new-Vienna Beisl that mixes Backhendl and Schnitzel with grilled pulpo for the local Prater crowd.
Signature: Backhendl, Zucchini Cannelloni, Topfenknoedel
Order: The Backhendl for traditionalists; the grilled pulpo for the modern card.
Tip: The terrace tables face quiet Stuwerstrasse in summer; an easy walk from Praterstern.
Salm Braeu on Rennweg brews its own beer inside the Salesianer monastery vaults, the kitchen serving pork knuckle and Schnitzel with the house lager.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Pork knuckle, House-brewed lager
Order: Schweinshaxe with house Helles lager; the New England Pale Ale rotates seasonally.
Tip: Open daily 11:00-23:00; the vaulted-cellar tables behind the kitchen feel furthest from the Belvedere foot traffic.
Schnitzelwirt on Neubaugasse in Neubau is a green-tiled-stove old-school Schnitzel room, the portions famously twice the standard size at bargain prices.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Cordon Bleu, Don Carlos schnitzel
Order: The classic Wiener Schnitzel or the filled Don Carlos with ham, mushrooms and peppers.
Tip: Tue-Sat 10:45-21:30, closed Sun-Mon and holidays; the garden seats open in warm months.
Kolar on Kleeblattgasse in the first district is a small Beisl that lands on every local Beisl shortlist, the back parlour and bar room each their own crowd.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Goulash, Daily Mittagsmenue
Order: The Wiener Schnitzel and a house Spritzer; the lunch menu is the daily-value play.
Tip: The bar at the front is the locals' room; the dining bench at the back takes reservations.
Pfarrwirt on Pfarrplatz in Heiligenstadt claims to be Vienna's oldest inn, the courtyard kitchen serving classic Austrian plates next to the village church.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, Game in season
Order: Tafelspitz with apple-horseradish and creamed spinach, or the seasonal game card in autumn.
Tip: Daily 12:00-24:00; the Schanigarten under the chestnut trees is the room's summer seat.
Servitenwirt on Servitengasse in Alsergrund sits across from the Servitenkirche, the church-square terrace among Vienna's quietest summer Schanigartens.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Goulash, Backhendl
Order: Wiener Schnitzel with cucumber salad, then a Topfenstrudel for dessert.
Tip: The terrace under the church plane trees is the room's headline seat; come on a weekday lunch.
Am Nordpol 3 on Nordpolstrasse in Brigittenau is a Bohemian-Viennese gem near the Augarten, the painted dining room famous for its plate-sized Schnitzel.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Bohemian dumplings, Beef goulash
Order: Wiener Schnitzel with bread dumplings and warm cabbage salad.
Tip: A 15-minute walk from Schottenring U-Bahn; the bar room runs later than the dining room.