Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Free-range chicken jointed into eight, dredged in flour, egg and Semmelbroesel, fried in clarified butter or pork lard until the breading puffs and crisps. Served with parsley potatoes, cucumber salad and lemon.
Backhendl was an aristocratic dish in the 18th and 19th centuries when chicken was a luxury; it became the Sunday plate of the Wiener bourgeoisie and a Heuriger staple. The Schweizerhaus in the Prater still cooks the canonical free-range version with potato salad; Plachutta runs the classical bone-in eight-piece preparation.
4 editor picks for Backhendl in Vienna, ranked by editorial score. All Vienna signature dishes · Backhendl across every city.
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.
OrderStelze, the slow-roasted pork knuckle, with sauerkraut and a Krug of Budvar.
TipOpen mid-March to 31 October only; the Stelze sells out by 21:00 on busy summer evenings.
Plachutta on Wollzeile in Vienna is the canonical Tafelspitz address, the boiled-beef pot served in copper pans with rösti, apple horseradish.
OrderTafelspitz vom Schulterscherzel; the cut Franz Joseph is said to have favoured.
TipOpen daily 11:30-23:30; the kitchen runs lunch through dinner without a break.
Figlmueller has hammered Vienna's most famous Schnitzel on Wollzeile since 1905, a plate-overhanging pork cutlet fried in three fats and served.
OrderThe Original Figlmueller Schnitzel; one is plenty for two appetites.
TipBook ahead; the room runs at capacity from 11:00 every day, kitchen closes at 21:30.
Lugeck on Lugeck square in Vienna's first district is the Figlmueller family's wider-menu room: the original veal Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, Backhendl and steaks.
OrderWiener Schnitzel vom Kalb; the veal version is what the dish was originally meant.
TipLess of a crush than the two pork outlets around the corner; book the Schnitzel Academy upstairs to learn the technique.
Backhendl makes more sense with someone from Vienna explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Guided tour · 2h 30m
Experience Austrian food culture on this guided walking tour in Vienna. Enjoy tastings of ham, wine, pralines, and other Austrian delicacies in a Viennese Palais and a...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste your way through the heart of Austria on a guided culinary journey. Savor Wiener Schnitzel, warm apple strudel and schnapps while uncovering the hidden gems of V...
Guided tour · 2.5 hours
Discover downtown Vienna and embark on a brunch tour with a difference Experience the best of all breakfast and lunch combinations on this 2,5h tour. Indulge in the ci...
