A Guide to Viennese Cuisine

Austrians like their food and Vienna is at the heart of this gastronomic love affair.  The uniqueness of Viennese cuisine stems from its time as capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Like the city itself, both western and eastern European influences came from across its vast empire making a considerable imprint on its national cuisine.

The Wiener schnitzel
The famous Wiener schnitzel is a menu staple. A cutlet of veal pounded thinly, crumbed, and fried. It is usually served as big as your head, with a side of potato salad and a wedge of lemon to squeeze over the meat. Delicious.

Wiener Saftgulasch
An influence from Hungary, Austrian goulash is similar to its eastern counterpart but more like a stew. It’s made with any type of meat, spiced with paprika and served with dumplings, potatoes, spätzle, rice, noodles or bread to soak up the sauce. The Gulaschmuseum, a restaurant in Vienna serves 15 different types of goulash including a dessert. Try the Fiakergulasch, a typical Viennese variety consisting of a beef goulash with a Frankfurter sausage, a gherkin and a fried egg on top.

Tafelspitz
Another Viennese speciality is Tafelspitz, a piece of lean, boiled beef traditionally served with potatoes which have been mashed then fried, horseradish, schnittlauchsauce – a sauce of chives with mayonnaise and old bread, and apfelkren – a mixture of horseradish, cream and apple.

Exploring the café culture
The café scene is a major part of life in Vienna and is the perfect way to spend an idle hour. The Viennese do coffee and cake like the English do tea and scones and there are some amazing cakes and pastries on offer as well as some beautiful cafes to sample them in.

Coffee
Austria is often credited with bringing coffee to Europe after bags of beans were left behind by the Turkish after the Battle of Vienna in 1683. All the usual suspects are served as well as traditional Viennese coffees like melange, fiaker – coffee with a shot of rum and whipped cream on top, and einspänner – a strong, black coffee in a high glass with a dash of whipped cream.

Sachertorte
Created by 16-year old apprentice Franz Sacher in 1832, the Sachertorte is a city icon. It is a dense chocolate cake with layers of apricot jam, covered in dark chocolate icing and served with whipped cream. The recipe is a secret and the ownership still debateable so for the authentic Sachertorte visit either of the rivals, Café Sacher or Café Demel.

Kaiserschmarrn
Originally prepared for Emperor Francis Joseph I. ‘Kaiser’ meaning Emperor and ‘schmarrn’ meaning mess or mish-mash, Kaiserschmarrn is a light pancake shredded up and served in a messy pile. It is usually dusted with powdered sugar and served with hot apple or plum sauce.

Apfelstrudel
The deliciously famous apple strudel became popular in the 18^th century during the Hapsburg Empire and is considered a national dish. The strudel pasty is filled with apple, cinnamon, raisins and bread crumbs then baked. With cream or custard on the side it’s a perfect winter dessert. The strudel fun doesn’t stop there there’s millirahmstrudel, milk cream strudel or topfenstrudel with a quark cheese filling to also try.

Now that you know what to order, find the best restaurants in Vienna.