A veal cutlet hammered paper-thin, dredged in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs, then fried in clarified butter until the breading lifts off the meat in a golden hood. The signature plate of the city, served with potato salad, lemon and lingonberries.

The Wiener Schnitzel is documented in Viennese cookbooks from the late 19th century but is older as a court-cuisine technique; the breaded cutlet may have travelled from northern Italy in the cotoletta alla milanese tradition. The veal version is the Austrian protected name; the pork version (Schnitzel Wiener Art) is the cheaper everyday plate. Figlmueller on Wollzeile has hammered the dish since 1905, Lugeck and Meissl & Schadn cook the veal version, Plachutta the canonical veal at Wollzeile.

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