Vollpension on Schleifmuehlgasse in Vienna's Wieden hires Viennese grandmothers and grandfathers to bake the menu of Strudel, Torten and Mehlspeise, a social-enterprise cafe that runs a Naschmarkt branch too.
Signature dishes: Apfelstrudel, Topfengolatschen
Must 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.
Address: Schleifmuehlgasse 16, 1040 Wien, Vienna
Neni am Naschmarkt at Stand 510 on Vienna's Naschmarkt has been Haya Molcho's flagship since 2009, cooking Israeli and Levantine plates upstairs while the bar-cafe below opens onto the market.
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 under Eli Kaikov.
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 summer terraces.
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, reliable centre-of-town address since the 1990s.
Signature: Tafelspitz, Wiener Schnitzel, Kaesespaetzle
Order: Tafelspitz with apple horseradish; the kitchen runs it daily.
Tip: Open daily 11:30 to 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 away from Wollzeile's tourist trail.
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 on the same square.
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.
