Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
A thick, fluffy pancake torn into bite-sized pieces in the pan and caramelised with butter and sugar, served with stewed plums (Zwetschkenroester), apple sauce, or apricot compote.
Kaiserschmarrn (the Emperor's mess) is said to have been served to Franz Joseph in 1854 when a humble shepherd-style pancake was offered to the imperial table. The name stuck. The dish became a Konditorei and Alpine-hut staple. Figlmueller's Lugeck and Cafe Landtmann both cook the canonical Vienna version with raisins; Kurkonditorei Oberlaa serves the Mehlspeise version with stewed plums on the side.
4 editor picks for Kaiserschmarrn in Vienna, ranked by editorial score. All Vienna signature dishes · Kaiserschmarrn across every city.
Also in: Munich.
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.
Cafe Landtmann on Universitaetsring in Vienna has poured at the Burgtheater corner since 1873, Sigmund Freud's preferred coffeehouse with a long carte.
TipOpen daily 07:30 to midnight; the front-room bench seats face the Burgtheater across the Ring.
Kaiserschmarrn makes more sense with someone from Vienna explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Guided tour · 1 hour
Join a unique cooking class in a Viennese restaurant. Learn to make authentic Viennese dishes like Wiener Schnitzel or traditional Kaiserschmarrn, enjoy the creations ...
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...
