Vienna Bites 2026 - Cuisine, Culture & Character
Dear guests, friends and readers,
My name is Ingeborg and I have been working at the Austria Classic Hotel Vienna since 1988. This year, Vienna is all about cuisine, and the motto is "Vienna Bites – Cuisine, Culture, Character". Of course, this immediately gives me lots of ideas for a new blog! Please follow me on my culinary journey through Vienna – Vienna is absolutely mouth-watering!
The Wiener Schnitzel
One of the most famous dishes is undoubtedly the crispy Wiener Schnitzel.
Here are a few facts (source: Google):
• Historical origin: The name first appeared around 1831, but only became established towards the end of the 19th century.
• Italian connection (legend): It is often claimed that Radetzky brought cotoletta alla Milanese (breaded cutlets) from Lombardy to Vienna. However, there is no historical evidence to support this.
• Development: The dish is a further development of breaded meat dishes that were popular in Vienna in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• Original: A genuine Wiener Schnitzel is made from veal. We Viennese eat it with potato salad and lemon juice makes the greasy breading more digestible.
Sometimes cranberries are added. We never pour sauce over our schnitzel, as this would ruin the crispy breadcrumb coating!
A frequently asked question at reception: ‘Where can I find the best schnitzel in Vienna?’
This question is difficult to answer! When we asked all our receptionists, each one gave a different answer. Here is a collection of all their recommendations. The prices are for a veal Wiener schnitzel with potato salad and are taken directly from the restaurants' menus (as of 09.03.2026). Of course, there are also cheaper versions with pork or chicken, but then it is a Wiener-style schnitzel and not a Wiener schnitzel.
In the 1st district:
Figlmüller €35.80 (sure, it's touristy, but they really know what they're doing!)
Plachutta Gasthaus zur Oper €32.80 (recommended by our lovely regulars)
In the 2nd district, near us:
Praterwirt €32
Gasthaus Hansy €28.40
Gasthaus Nestroy €26.50
Mahlzeit Euro 24,-!!!
In the 7th district:
Schnitzelwirt Neubaugasse – price unknown, as there is no menu online (but a real institution for 50 years!!)
In the 11th district:
Concordia Schlössl(My personal favorite! They have rolled schnitzel in many different variations!) - Euro 24,98
In the 16th district:
Gasthaus Nigls €24.90 (a little outside the city centre, but super friendly staff and a large selection of different schnitzel variations)
Fast food in Vienna
Of course, we also have burgers, pizza and kebabs in Vienna. However, sausages and Leberkäse are particularly popular as quick snacks between meals in Vienna. You can often meet wonderful Viennese originals at the sausage stand. Especially around the corner from the hotel at Mat's sausage stand. Mat's is open until 4 a.m., and the later the night, the more illustrious the crowd! Hungry tourists mingle with slightly tipsy Viennese, eating Käsekrainer or Frankfurter sausages and drinking beer. People quickly become friends, and visitors to the Viennese sausage stand quickly show off their best foreign language skills and shine. International understanding works perfectly at 2 a.m.!
Coffee & cakes
I don't need to say much about Vienna's coffee house tradition. Now that spring is here and temperatures are rising, many coffee houses are setting up their outdoor seating areas again. You can read about the origin of the name ‘Schanigarten’ here.
A festival celebrating culinary delights
My favourite festival in Vienna: the Genussfestival in the Stadtpark. This year it takes place from 8 to 10 May 2026. The entire Stadtpark is filled with stalls offering local delicacies. You can simply buy drinks and food and take a seat on one of the many benches. Or you can bring a blanket from home and make yourself comfortable on the grass. It's a dream when the weather is nice.
Goulash – a classic dish
When you look at Viennese cuisine, it is clearly heavily influenced by Hungarian cuisine. Sometimes I cook a hearty goulash for the hotel staff, and here is my personal recipe for you to try at home:
Serves 4:
1 kg goulash meat (whole piece of beef)
1 kg yellow onions
Oil, tomato paste, paprika powder (I use sweet and hot)
½ litre beef stock (freshly made is good, but a stock cube will do!)
Dried marjoram, 2 bay leaves, whole caraway seeds, salt and pepper
Finely chop the onions and fry them very, very slowly and patiently in oil. This can take up to an hour. The onions should be sweet and translucent. Meanwhile, I cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and fry them very briefly with the onions at the end. The meat does not need to brown.Add the paprika powder and tomato paste (this gives it a nice colour) and fry briefly, otherwise it will become bitter. Pour in the soup, add all the spices and then cook the whole thing on a low heat for at least 2 hours. It is best eaten the next day, because it simply tastes better when reheated! As the saying goes, ‘Only goulash tastes better when reheated!’
With this in mind: happy cooking and bon appétit.
My tip: You can find an absolutely delicious goulash in the 2nd district at "Gasthaus zum Sieg", located at Haidgasse 8. And they only serve goulash there, nothing else
