Sturmi's Profile
Vienna: Help with Tentative Restaurant Itinerary
IMHO this is a question of price for value.
Zum Schwarzen Kameel is a watering hole of the chic and trendy generation 50+, who do not care if the price for their meal is a little bit over the top.
Gaumenspiel is a "bobo" place you could also find in London or Manhattan, and we recently were slightly disappointed with our dining experience there. The food was interesting and quite a pleasure, but the setup is crowded and the service wanting.
BTW: we will test their new "lower cost" next door restaurant called St.Ellas this friday. I will report.
I have been to Martin Stein only once, but enjoyed the dinner very much. The service is relaxed but caring and helpful, the menu is interesting, and the setup is an old inn, renovated to a very restrained modern design. If you want to sample a real tasty prix-fixe menu, Martin Stein and Freyenstein are the two places to go, and you will have two great dinner experiences worth to remember...
One last remark about the Cafes around Hofburg. Demel is worth a visit, no question, but might be crowded. And demel is a pastry shop, not a Kaffeehaus ! The cafe inside the Hofburg is very spacy and more like the other Kaffeehäuser, such as Landtmann, Mozart, Prückel, Griensteidl etc.. The food at Demel might be better, but it is more relaxing to lunch at a Kaffeehaus, simply because you have more space around you...
The cafe at KHM is just another treat. Here you are sitting below the giant cupola of the museum, which gives you a wonderful view and is maybe one of the best museum cafeterias in the world. But: it is nor more a Gerstner cafe ...
http://www.khm.at/en/plan-your-visit/kunsthistorisches-museum/cafe-restaurant/
;-)
Vienna: Help with Tentative Restaurant Itinerary
I would suggest to try Weibel since it is close to your hotel and offers a steady quality and a nice ambiente. Few restaurants are open on Sunday evening, and the only alternatives offering Viennese cuisine located close to your hotel are Plachutta on Wollzeile or Österreicher im MAK. I would rate all these three similar regarding food, but Weibel is the most authentic with a very cozy athmosphere.
Vienna: Help with Tentative Restaurant Itinerary
Now some more detailed answers, in BLOCK LETTERS:
• Saturday: Haas and Haas Teahouse for a late afternoon tea. (We’re going to the Marriage of Figaro at 7pm, and I know we won’t want to wait until after the opera for dinner. Plus, we’re huge afternoon tea fans). GOOD IDEA !!
• Sunday: Weibels Wirtshaus (recommendations on what to order?) or Zum Kaiserlichen Thron
WEIBEL IS A VERY TRADITIONAL RESTAURANT, SERVING THE VIENNESE CLASSICS. NOTHING SPECIAL, BUT A GOOD INTRODUCTION, AND FAIR PRICE/VALUE !
ZUM KAISERLICHEN THRON, OTOH, IS CHINESE CUISINE IN A VERY REFINED WAY, A MULTI-COURSE MENU FOR AT LEAST 4 PERSONS THE BEST WAY TO ENJOY THE FOOD !!
• Monday: Zum Schwarzen Kameel or Gaumenspiel
ZUM SCHWARZEN KAMEEL AGAIN IS MORE TRADITIONAL, BUT THE ORIGINAL FIN-DE-SIECLE AMBIENTE MAKES IT SPECIAL. PRICE LEVEL AS HIGH AS WALTER BAUER...
http://www.kameel.at/download/05_R-Karte_2012_engl.pdf
GAUMENSPIEL MIGHT BE BETTER FOOD, BUT SERVICE AND AMBIENTE ARE LACKING...
• Tuesday: Freyenstein, Bauer (how expensive is it? I couldn’t find a website or menu for it), Zum Finsteren Stern, Kutschker 44, Restaurant Martin Stein (am I right that you can do the prix-fixe menus but you don’t have to?), or Grunauer (how expensive is it?) Do you have a first choice among these? Also, do you have any idea about how much the taxi fare would be for a 17 min ride from the Hotel Konig Von Ungarn to Freyenstein?
WALTER BAUER IS A TRADITIONAL HIGH END RESTAURANT, VERY SMALL, VERY PERSONAL SERVICE, AND EXTREMELY REFINED VIENNESE FOOD. IF YOU CAN AFFORD A SINGLE HIGH-END DINNER, GO THERE !
THE FOOD AT ALL THE OTHER LISTED PLACES IS ALSO EXCELLENT AND INVENTIVE, BUT SOMEWHAT LESS EXPENSIVE THAN WALTER BAUER.
THE ONLY PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE PRIX-FIXE MENU IS FREYENSTEIN, BUT IT IS ALSO THE ONE WITH THE BEST PRICE/VALUE RATIO...
Since we’re planning on having fairly large dinners, I’m thinking light lunches, perhaps Kaffeehaus per Sturmi’s suggestion or patisseries.
• Sunday: We’ll probably visit the Hofburg (Café Hofburg for lunch?) and, or the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Gerstner Cafe?)
GOOD CHOICES !!
• Monday: We’ll probably visit the Belvedere. Any suggestions for lunch? Sturmi recommended the beisl Gasthaus Sperl to another Chowhounder. Would that suit us, or might it be too heavy given our dinner plans?
GASTHAUS SPERL, A REAL DOWN-TO-EARTH VIENNESE BEISL, OFFERS ALSO SMALL SNACKS (SALADS, SOUPS, GOULASH) AND VEGETARIAN DISHES ("Geröstete Knödel mit Ei und Blattsalat, Eiernockerl mit Schnittlauch und Blattsalat "). LUNCHING IN THEIR COURTYARD IS A PLEASURE ON A SUNNY DAY AND IS A GREAT WAY TO RELAX AFTER A VISIT TO THE BELVEDERE !!
• Tuesday: We’re planning on the Schonbrunn. Café Residenz for lunch?
YES, THIS IS A GOOD CHOICE. THERE ARE ACTUALLY SEVERAL CAFES AT SCHÖNBRUNN:
The RESIDENZ, the PARKCAFE and the CAFE GLORIETTE:
http://www.cafe-residenz.at/en/cafe-and-rerstaurant-residenz/
http://www.landtmann-parkcafe.at/en/parkcafe/
http://www.gloriette-cafe.at/en/home.html
Vienna: Help with Tentative Restaurant Itinerary
I am currently on a gourmet trip through northern Italy and can use my iphone only, which reduces my abilizy to reply somewhat.
Two early comments: your schedule is quite reasonable !
The only slightly more expensive place is Walter Bauer, but is worth every cent.
A taxi from your hotel to Freyenstein might be around 15 €, and much less if you walk to a taxi queue at Am Hof. But it is much more fun to ride with a tram ! Walk to Schottentor and take Nr. 40 or 41 til Gersthof.
Will come back to you after our return on Monday.
Sunday Night Business Dinner in Vienna
I suggest either Plachutta on Wollzeile or Österreicher im MAK !
Sunday Night Business Dinner in Vienna
Sunday evening is tough.
Plachutta on Wollzeile and Österreicher im MAK cometo my mind, and of course most of the Kaffeehäuser will be open...
Vienna - Eating near Praterstern
The bobos are the "bourgeous bohemien". I was not aware that this neologism is not familiar any more. It was created in 2000 by David Brooks of the New York Times. But maybe these social typologies arrive later and stay longer over here....
http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/526/bobos-in-paradise
What I wanted to point out about Schöne Perle is that this as just another example of a new trend, where new restaurants open in a style and with a cuisine that tries to cultivate traditional beisl cuisine. Another good example is Gasthaus Wolf in Große Neugasse.
Of course there are even more old traditiional beisls, such as the Gasthaus Hansy right on Praterstern, and I recommend to visit Schöne Perle as well as Hansy to find out about the difference between these two categories of beisl...
Vienna - Eating near Praterstern
There are very few real fancy restaurants in Vienna, and it is quite easy to avoid these. Praterstern, OTOH is not that bad an area. There is the Tempel, as you noted, but there is also a quite decent Mexican place, Tacos Lopez ( http://www.tacoslopez.at/, menu in German and Spanish), and there is an old an venerable Viennese beisl right on Praterstern: the Gasthaus Hansy http://www.hansy-braeu.at/
There is an another area closeby with quite a few remarkable restaurants: The Karmelitermarkt.
There is an upscale - maybe even somewhat fancy - place: the Vincent http://www.restaurant-vincent.at/
and a new style beisl, the Schöne Perle, http://www.schoene-perle.at/gasthaus/engl/
Being a BoBo style place, the Schöne Perle even has a multilingual website (German/English/italian) !
BTW:
Dont be afraid of places without menues in English. Most waiters will speak some English, and some are even quite fluent. Many waiters are not from Vienna, but from Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia , Poland or Germany, and are not only multilingual, their English might be better than their German !!
And: the Praterstern is a major hub of public transport. There is an underground station of the U2 line, which is a VERY convenient way to travel through the city !! You can easily take the U2 and go to most places of interest, like the Museumsquartier, the Staatsoper or the Musikverein, the Konzerthaus etc., etc...
Vienna and Salzburg report
Hello ChinaCat,
Great report !!
I like your enthusiasm for the local variety of asparagus, and would like to add some more info:
The source is the "Marchfeld", a large plain east of Vienna. The asparagus from Marchfeld, "Marchfeldspargel", is a "protected geographical indication" PGI, which is one of the three EU schemes to protect names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs.
http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/schemes/index_en.htm
http://www.marchfeldspargel.at/cms/
This year the asparagus is especially tasty and tender, owning to the fine spring weather. Unfortunatly the season might also end soon because of the warm weather, so come and enjoy ASAP !!
Vienna: have 2 dinners picked out, need advice for 3rd
The price levels at these restaurants are about the same.
The 8 small-courses tasting menu at Freyenstein is Euro 39 (no changes possible, you eat what is on the menu !),
the four 4-course menues at Martin Stein are 46 to 50 Euro,
a 5 course menu at Kutschker 44 is Euro 42.30.
Zum Finsteren Stern is offering a six-course tasting menu for Euro 52, which is slightly more but worth every cent.
You pay twice as much at Steirereck...
Reservation is a must at all of these places, especially for Zum Finsteren Stern and Freyenstein when outdoor dining is possible. Their outdoor setups are very popular. Also these two restaurants will always reserve an indoor and an outdoor table for you, since the weather might change fast...
Vienna: Post-opera dining options
No, not Buddha, maybe better: Budai !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai
;-)
Vienna: have 2 dinners picked out, need advice for 3rd
Great plan.
My first suggestion is Zum Finsteren Stern. If the weather stays the way it is right now, you would be able to sit in their outdoor setup on one of the most beautiful baroque style piazzas of Vienna. But even when sitting only in the no-frills 18th centuries basement you will get quite a different experience than at Steierereck and Rudis. Ella de Silva´s cuisine is an intesting blend of Viennese, Mediterrean and Asian, but with a very personal style and never repeats itself...
Sorry, no website...
Alternatively you might try Martin Stein, Freyenstein or Kutschker44.
Martin Stein is a small, modern restaurant located in the historic building of an old inn. It is run by a young couple (the Steins) and specializes in "sous-vide" preparation of Viennese classics. The ambiente might not be that spectacular, but the food is first class.
http://www.martin-stein.at/index.php?article_id=30&clang=0
Freyenstein is located in an old beisl, re-used without much of renovation, and has a large garden, which has been used for outdoor dining for at least 100 years. The chef Meinrad Neunkirchner is a great chef and collector of wild herbs. He presents - only - a tasting menu of 8 small courses, always two of these served side by side. The combination of tastes is remarkable, and all for Euro 39,- !!http://www.freyenstein.at/speisekarte/
Kutschker44 is a laid-back lounge-style restaurant, where the chef Georg Stadtthaler has his iron griddle right in the center of the restaurant. His style is also unique, Georg has worked with all the great Austrian masters (Gerer, Österreicher, Petz), and presents Viennese classics as well as own inventions. Nice outddor setup, it is a shame that noise from nearby traffic on Gentzgasse spoils the romantic atmosphere a little bit.
http://www.kutschker44.at/download/karten/speisekarte.pdf
Vienna: Post-opera dining options
Hi Desidero,
These are quite reasonable requests. Let us see if I can help..
1. You are right: many restaurants will already be half empty at 10 p.m., and while you might get a meal, you might be the only one still eating..
2. But there is hope: Many cafes and beisl are visited less for eating, but more for drinking and having fun. There are a few wine bars where you can sit at the bar among the crowd, and these bars will be quite densely packed after 10 p.m., and of course reservation of a seat at the bar is not possible. The best bar food is currently served at the Wein&Co bars, the one on Stephansplatz is the closest to the opera. But you might just get the first glass when standing room is available only, and wait for the next free seat...
2. Another choice would be one of the Kaffeehäuser, such as the Cafe Mozart right behind the Opera, or one of the other cafes, Some close at 8 p.m., but many stay open until midnight or longer.
3. All of the Kaffeehäuser have some food, and you will be part of the crowd when dining there, although do not expect that anybody will notice you. Viennese are NOT socializing with people they do not know. This is different at the wine bars, which are very much also single bars where people go to meet and find new friends...
So, as a first choice, I would recommend the Wein&Co at Stephansplatz, or the Meinl wine bar, or Fino on Wildpretmarkt, or Unger&Klein at Rudolfsplatz, or the Le Cru champagne bar on Petersplatz, just to name the wine bars which come to my mind right away.
Vienna - looking for a reasonably priced traditional restaurant near Neubau
Hello HugoRune,
Welcome to this board !! And thanks a lot for your contribution, which is not only valuable but right on the spot !!
I hope that you will chime in again and help me to guide our fellow chowhounds to the right spots here in town.
;-)
Vienna - looking for a reasonably priced traditional restaurant near Neubau
You are right in the middle of dozens of low-cost eating opportunities. Kaiserstrasse is a residential area with a lot of small cafes, beisl, sushi places, chinese restaurants etc.
For Viennese food try the Phönixhof on Neustiftgasse and the Altwiener Gastwirtschaft Schilling on Burggasse. Schilling is right around the corner from your hostel and is open every day from 11 a.m. till midnight. A great place for authentic Viennese food, and also serving a lower cost dish of the day for lunch.
http://www.phoenixhof.at/
http://www.schilling-wirt.at/
For ethnic food I recommend the Pizzerias I Terroni, I Ragazzi and I Carusi, the many Indian restaurants on Burggasse, and the Japanese grill Hidori.
http://www.iragazzi.at
http://www.iterroni.at/
http://icarusi.at/
http://www.zuminder.at/en/about_us.html
http://homepage.univie.ac.at/horst.prillinger/inder/
http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant_Review-g190454-d1071363-Reviews-Hidori-Vienna.html
Right in Kaiserstrasse is a new steak house called Flatschers, which also has wraps and high-end burgers, and a very good Chinese dim sum place called Lucky Buddha.
http://www.flatschers.at/
http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant_Review-g190454-d694473-Reviews-Lucky_Buddha-Vienna.html
But there is more. These places are just the ones I have visited myself...
The Schönbrunn area is more difficult. There are two branches of the Landtmann chain inside the palace area, the Parkcafe and the Cafe Residenz, and the Cafe Gloriette in the most spectacular location overviewing the park. But expect all very crowded with lot of tourists...
http://www.gloriette-cafe.at/home.html
http://landtmann.at/
Outside the park and zoo area there are restaurants and cafes in Hietzing around the old church and along the Hietzinger Am Platz and Hietzinger Hauptstrasse.
Regarding lunch spots in the city I would recommend to search earlier posts. There is a lot...
Vienna and Wachau (Danube) Report
Gmoakeller is also only a few steps away, but closed on sundays and holidays...
And yes, I have recommended Damoa before. But usually I only recommend Asian places on request, since I am of the opinion that the Asian places here in town are just average, only a very few, such as Zum kaiserlichen Thron in Andreasgasse, are worth a detour...
We like Damoa because it is a. open everday until 10:30 p.m. and b. close to the Village Cinemas center, which is on top of the Thalia bookstore, which is remarkable because of its unusual opening hours due to its proximity to the Wien-Mitte train station: open everyday until 9 p.m. We usually combine a visit to the movies with a trip to the bookstore and a late thai food dinner at Damoa !
Vienna and Wachau (Danube) Report
Thank you very much for your detailed report !!
Your observation about the poor coffee in Viennese Kaffeehäuser is quite true. OTOH you have to consider that these places are NOT for drinking coffee, but rather for spending the day. They are a kind of social institutions, and decided a long time ago to forfeit on the quality of the coffee in order to stay profitable...
Good coffee is available in espresso bars and - gelaterias !! Most of the gelaterias in town are operated by Italian families. Not migrants from Italy, but families from the Trento region who come into town only for the summer season and return home in early October. And there you can get not only wonderful freshly prepared icecream, but also good Italian espresso, macchiato, cappucino, caffe latte, corretto, affogato etc....
No need to get the abominable expensive black brew they call "coffee" at Starbucks !
There are also a few roasters in town, such as Alt Wien on Schleifmühlgasse. But most of these are outside the areas a tourist would visit.
http://www.altwien.at/en/index.html
And back to the Hotel Hilton: there is an Asian restaurant right in the passageway behind the hotel. The Damoa serves great Thai and Korean food as well as sushi, a good alternative to the boring food inside the hotel...
http://www.damoa.at/
A few days in Vienna - trying to narrow down board recommendations - looking for a list of the best
All of these restaurants, even the small Rudi´s Beisl, have a great wine list.
I have seen ordering people mature Bordeauxs and Riojas at Rudis, and of course he also offers great Austrian vintages. In all these places I would stick to Austrian wine, since the whites have always been world class and the reds, thanks to global warming, are now beating also the competition at tastings. I definitely recommend reds from the Burgenland region, especially the Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch wines, which are autochthonous single grape wines providing great taste without any blending. The red cuvees from Burgenland are the expensive ones, but they do not beat the mature Zweigelt from Umathum or the Blaufränkisch from Krutzler...
If you want to sample wine by the glass in a wine bar, I recommend either the very crowded Wein&Co bars, but also the wine bar of Meinl am Graben and Unger&Klein on Rudolfsplatz.
Regarding Meierei: yes, the kitchen is the one from Steirereck, but the dishes are not of the same class. OTOH, the location of the Meierei with a great view over the Stadtpark makes lunching there an experience of its own !!
You will find that Vienna is a great city for chowhounds. And: my list is hugely subjective, the choice of places to go is large, and you will find bad food and poor service in high end restaurants, and great food, wine and service in simple neighbourhood beisl. Vienna currently is spared the more aggressive consequences of the economic troubles found elsewhere, unemployment is low, consumer spending is high. Tourism is just a minor trade in town, and only a few restaurants are catering only to tourists. But still, most waiters will speak some English, and you will find waiters speaking English fluently in places you would not expect.
Enjoy you stay !
A few days in Vienna - trying to narrow down board recommendations - looking for a list of the best
Best traditional Viennese place:
Restaurant Eckel in Sievering. This old style / very bourgeois restaurant breathes the air of old Vienna, and service and food are perfect. http://www.restauranteckel.at
Best old-style Beisel with Viennese food:
Rudi´s Beisl. Simple food, low price, but the quality !! To die for...
http://rudisbeisl.at/speisekarte.pdf
Best inventive new Viennese cuisine:
This is more complicated, there is a short list of places with same, high quality:
Gaumenspiel, Martin Stein, Freyenstein,Holy Moly and Zum finsteren Stern are our favorites, and I would recommend Freyenstein for an exquisite 8 course tasting menu for Eur 39. Two courses are always served side-by-side, very small servings. Unbeatable. But you have to eat what you get, no extras, no exchanges.
http://www.freyenstein.at/
Best high end places (would be useful to know where on the traditional/ inventive spectrum they fall - and, indeed, to what extent the cooking shows Viennese rather than international influences). There is now a single spot deserving this rating: Steirereck
It is Austrian as well as very inventive. Take the 6-course tasting menu for dinner, it is worthhwile.
http://steirereck.at/en/restaurant/menu/pdf/steirereck_menu_engl.pdf
Best pastisserie / cake place
high end: Demel
best price/performace: Aida
Best Viennese snack stand/ hole in the wall
Bitzinger at Albertina for hot sausages
Trzesniewski for canapés
Zum Schwarzen Kameel for canapés, sandwiches and boiled ham with horseradish.
Porcus for everything made from pork: http://www.porcus.at/?page_id=26
Best breakfast
Haas & Haas Stephansplatz
Best light lunch
Wein&Co Stephansplatz. Christian Petz is the chef in charge !!
Best wine list (looking for good Austrian wine, preferably with some age, and modest mark-ups)
Best coffee - in this case I've no objection to Italian or New Zealand!
Hard choice. Austrian wines are not that expensive, and all the better restaurants have a great selection. But since it has not yet been mentioned: Silvio Nickol in Palais Coburg is a high-end nouvelle cuisine place with the best wine list in town. The food is high end international. And the wine list is remarkable: All of Austria, and most of France...
http://www.coburg.at/_en/index.php?page=restaurant-2
Vienna: Need help choosing restaurant - Calling Strumi!
I love Asian cuisine, especially Vietnamese and Thai.
If you want upscale Asian go to Sinohouse or to Goldene Zeiten, both in the inner city. More authentic Szechuan cuisine can bei found in the Imperial Furniture Depot on Andreasgasse, and their place is called fittingly "Zum kaiserlichen Thron" (at the imperial throne).
http://www.zumkaiserlichenthron.at/
Vienna can give you great ethnic food, but most of these places are outside the city: we like the Iranian Hatam grill on Währingerstrasse, the Vietnamese place Hanoi Express on Sechsschimmelgasse or the Good Morning Vietnam on Märzstrasse (both no holes in the wall !!), the Issaan Thai on Gumpendorferstrasse (yes, a hole in the wall...) and for dim sum the Lucky Buddha and Happy Buddha located close to each other on Gürtel and Kaiserstrasse.
http://happybuddha.co.at/
http://www.tripadvisor.de/Restaurant_Review-g190454-d694473-Reviews-Lucky_Buddha-Vienna.html
For great Italian food we prefer the smaller places found outside the city. Every quarter as his favorite Italian, and not all of the them are operated by Turks or Serbs. There are a few "real" Italians in town !!
In the inner city there is a small upscale Italian on Dorotheergasse: Melagrano
The same family has another place close to Hofburg Palace.
http://www.ilmelograno.at/ristorante_home.html
http://www.osteria-datri.at/
BTW: there is a great new vegetarian place quite close to your hotel: Tian
http://www.tian-vienna.com/
Vienna: Need help choosing restaurant - Calling Strumi!
Hi anonj,
Why are you avoiding Viennese food ?
Cantinetta Antinori is just another Tuscan place, nothing special, and Patara is a fancy and quite expensive Thai restaurant, and Da CApo is an average Italian Pizzeria/Trattoria.
When in Vienna eat Viennese food ! In the vicinity of your hotel I would suggest Gasthaus Pöschl on Weihburggasse (i recommend the "Naturschnitzel mit Reis"), Reinthaler´s Beisl in Dorotheergasse or - for a more high end Viennese restaurant - the König von Ungarn in Schulerstrasse, and - of course - the non-smoking section of Wein&Co Stephansplatz.
Meierei is a great place for Easter Monday, and Motto am Fluss is also a good choice. And of course: Reservation is a must at most restaurants during the busy Easter holidays.
For your kids I recommend that they check the scene along the Donaukanal, like Tel Aviv beach and Hermanns Strandbar or the Flex club: http://flex.at/flex_frontend/index.php?selected=programm
If the weather is too cold for outdoor dining the kids could also check the scene along the Gürtel around the Chelsea club: http://www.chelsea.co.at/
Budapest--Vienna--Prague
Here is a list of free WLAN spots, organized by Freewave, which also offers the Freewave iPhone App:
http://www.freewave.at/en/hotspots/
Many cafes and restaurants are offering this kind of free WLAN access.
Budapest--Vienna--Prague
No and no. I just like to eat out...
And I love to use the chowhound boards when travelling !!
;-)
BTW: once you have a more detailed schedule for you Vienna visit, let me know.
Vienna: Need help choosing restaurant - Calling Strumi!
Easter Monday is not a bank holiday. It is a holiday for everybody.
Schwarzes Kameel will be closed., they are open Monday to Saturday. Sunday and holidays they stay closed. http://www.kameel.at/
Wein&Co will be open, but not for lunch, they open every working day at 10 a.m., but sundays and holidays later, on 3 p.m., and stay open till midnight.
http://www.weinco.at/standorte/alle-standorte/9311
Demel is open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
http://www.demel.at/en/frames/index_wien.htm
Budapest--Vienna--Prague
No flaming at all ! You are completely right in all points. The inner city is more expensive and has a high rate of mediocre tourist traps.
OTOH Gaumenspiel and Meixner each are just examples of a certain type of restaurant with many more all over town:
Gaumenspiel is the modern, inventive, casual "BoBo" style restaurant with what many might call "fusion cuisine", using elements of classic Viennese cuisine mixed with elements from French, Italian, Spanish and Asian cuisine. Similar restaurants are Zum Finsteren Stern, Kutschker44, Vincent, Martin Stein (!!), Hohensinn, Wiener Salon, Hollmanns Salon, Hansen, Vetsibül, Holy Moly and Motto am Fluss. And there are more...
Walter Bauer, Artner, Mraz&Sohn as well as Silvio Nickol are the same type, but more expensive.
A class of its own is the Steirereck, presenting basically a very modern type of Austrian cuisine.
Meixner is a good example of a classic Viennese "beisl", which can be quite down-to-earth, seedy and smelling, but still have classic Viennese food to die for, or more elegant, refined and still good value for you money: Beside Meixner I recommend Rudi´s Beisl, Gmoakeller, Hedrich, Haas Beisl, Beim Czaak, Zum Scherer, Glacisbeisl, Restaurant Sperl, Phönixhof, Zur Goldenen Glocke, Zum Recnizek, Grünauer, Gasthaus Pöschl, Reinthaler´s Beisl, Gasthaus Reinthaler, Schnattl, Zur schönen Perle, Zum weissen Tiger, Altwiener Gastwirtschaft Schilling, Kolonitzbeisl, Gasthaus Heidinger, etc., etc....
This list is arbitrary and was generated randomly just as the different names came into my mind...
And yes, a few of these restaurants are right in the city center, such as Gasthaus Pöschl, Zum Finsteren Stern, Hansen, Vestibül, Hedrich, Reinthaler´s Beisl, Gasthaus Reinthaler, Zum Scherer and Beim Czaak...
This is what makes recommendations so difficult. There are just very few real unique places, such as Steirereck. The rest is more exchangeable, less worth a detour...
Budapest--Vienna--Prague
KittyOl
Please be aware that my lists just covers the places within walking distance. Once you know more about your activities while in town I can give more specific hints where to eat after/before visiting a museum/opera/concert.
Late night eats in Vienna
No problem. There is quite a selection for dining after midnight:
1. A Würstelstand: dozens of kiosks all over town are selling hot sausages, or kebap, or fried noodles...
2. Motto: Motto am Fluss and the original Motto on Schönbrunnerstrasse are traditional spots of late dining. Open until 2 a.m., on weekends until 4 a.m.
http://www.motto.at/motto/
3. Cafe Drechsler: this Kaffeehaus on Naschmarkt used to be the watering hole of the wholesale merchants delivering the food for the market. Times are changing, but Cafe Drechsler is still there: Open 23 hours a day, 3 a.m. to 2 a.m, only sunday they close between midnight an 8 a.m.
monday. http://www.cafedrechsler.at/en/home.php
4. Cafe Europa, another overnight cafe, opens 9 a.m., closes 5 a.m.
http://www.europa-lager.at/4/10/
5. Livingstone.: A colonial style bar and restaurant, open every day until 2 a.m., great steaks
http://www.livingstone.at/de/livingstone/livingstone-kulinarik
Vienna meal pre/post opera -- suggestions please?
Should read:
A less expensive alternative might be the "Gasthaus zur Oper", which is just a few steps away and offers classic Viennese cuisine, open until 0:15 a.m. , the KITCHEN closes at 11:15 p.m.
Sorry for the ommission...
Budapest--Vienna--Prague
KittyO,
This is a good timing and a very good location.
You might be aware that on top of the Sofitel is one of the few high-end restaurants still in existence in Vienna. The "Le Loft", on the other hand, is a strictly French/Alsacian cuisine place. And you may enjoy the same spectacular view over town by just visiting the bar, which I herewith strongly recommend.
For casual lunching there is a mediterrean restaurant in the shopping mall located in the same building, called "Neni im Zweiten". Great for falafel and mezze, but also offering steaks and lamb chops.
BTW: the address of the Sofitel Vienna Hotel is "Praterstrasse 1", but actually it is located at the beginning of Taborstrasse. They chose "Praterstrasse" because it sounds better...
Now for some Viennese cuisine within walking distance from your hotel:
Beim Czaak is the closest beisl. It is a very old place, operated by the same family since 4 generations, and will give you an authentic experience of simple Viennese food, such as boiled beef, fried blood sausage or Wiener Schnitzel.
http://www.czaak.com/inhalt/menu_en.html
And just around the corner from Beim Czaak is one of the best in Vienna, a real left over from the golden days of the past, but operated with the best quality of food and service:
Walter Bauer
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g190454-d714245-Reviews-Walter_Bauer-Vienna.html
But if you just want classic Viennese cuisine at best quality (better than at Beim Czaak, but also more expensive), go to Plachutta on Wollzeile.
http://www.plachutta.at/index.php?id=25&L=1
Another area quite close to your hotel and with a nice arrangement of restaurants is the Judenplatz, which is dominated by the Holocaust memorial. There you will find Ella´s, a high-end mediterrean restaurant, and Zum Scherer und Gustl Bauer, two Viennese beisl with a long history. Just around the corner is Ofenloch, another Viennese restaurant with more touristy flavor...
http://www.ellas.at/TCgi/TCgi.cgi?Target=home&lang=en
The best Kaffeehauser closest to you Hotel are the Cafe Engländer, the Cafe Prückel and the Cafe Diglas, all located in the same area at Wollzeile. And if you want to sample cakes and pastries as well as some nice coffee, go to Aida on Rotenturmstrasse. Nearby is also the Gelateria on Schwedenplatz, with a great selection of ice cream, and the more modern Eisgreissler on Rotenturmstrasse, with organic and vegan ice cream varieties...
http://www.eis-greissler.at/
There is even a seafood area close by: the Marc Aurelstrasse. There are several high-end seafood restaurants, Aurelius, Kornat, both offering Croatian cuisine, and Le Salzgries, offering authentic French brasserie cuisine (oops: Le Salzgries is closed April 1-9 !).
http://www.kornat.at/index.php?lang=en
So, these are just the recommended places within walking distance from your hotel...
No, wait: I forgot to mention the two ship-based restaurants just in front of your hotel:
The Motto am Fluss and the Holy Moly am Badeschiff are both very chic and trendy places, the food is quite good, but not classic Viennese cuisine. They will both be quite crowded these days, but you might get a table at the bar or in the bistro area of Motto am Fluss even without a reservation.
http://www.motto.at/mottoamfluss/
http://www.badeschiff.at/jart/prj3/badeschiff/main.jart?rel=de&content-id=1272064234969&reserve-mode=active
Vienna: Need help choosing restaurant - Calling Strumi!
Heinzle definitely is the superior place, with now 14 points and a toque in Gault Millau 2012, whereas the Kirchenwirt is just mentioned and not rated in Gault Millau...
http://gaultmillau.at/suche/restaurants?post=YTo2OntzOjQ6InNlbnQiO3M6MToiMSI7czoxMjoic2hvd19kZXRhaWxzIjtzOjA6IiI7czo0OiJuYW1lIjtzOjA6IiI7czo4OiJjYXRlZ29yeSI7czowOiIiO3M6NjoicmVnaW9uIjtzOjA6IiI7czo3OiJwbHpfb3J0IjtzOjE0OiJXZWlzc2Vua2lyY2hlbiI7fQ==
Of course this also makes a difference in guest frequency. Whereas you have to get an early reservation at the very popular Heinzle, you may just drop in at Kirchenwirt !
BTW: there might not be a big difference in the price level, Heinzle is offering main course starting at 10 Euro !
;-)
