Top 5: Foods to Try in Vienna

Foodies, locals and tourists of Vienna, Austria, know the city’s wealth of culture doesn’t end at art history and architecture. The capital city boasts some of the finest cafes and restaurants in the country offering classic, traditional, must-try Viennese cuisine.

Wiener Schnitzel

Wiener schnitzel is a quintessential Viennese cuisine prepared in a variety of methods. Typical Viennese schnitzel is a cutlet of meat — originally veal, but now more popularly pork or wiener — pounded into a thin filet, coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried until crispy golden brown. Expect a large portion of fried meat is served with heaping portions of potato salad and lemon. Nowadays, most Austrians use pork for schnitzel, but restaurants must clearly state on the menu.

Tafelspitz

Picture Salisbury steak meets beef stew and you have tafelspitz, a popular Viennese dish found in Austria and Bavaria. Tafelspitz is beef or veal boiled in broth and served with minced apples, horseradish and roasted vegetables. This classic dish is an Austrian favorite and can be found throughout the city of Vienna.

Goulash

This classic Hungarian dish, goulash is a Viennese favorite and must try on your next trip. The soup consists of meat, vegetables, potatoes, paprika and noodles. Goulash is the ultimate comfort food on a cold day, dating back to medieval times.

Wiener Würstel

Viennese sausage, or wiener würstel, is a special kind of sausage made from pork and beef. The traditional dish is also called Frankfurter Würstel and can be found in a can or jar, similar to the American hot dog. Würstels can be eaten smoked on a bun or in a variety of ways depending on the restaurant and region.

Desserts and Viennese Coffee

A trip to Vienna without stopping in a café for coffee and dessert would truly be a waste. The opulent cafés and historic spaces hosting the likes of Sigmund Freud and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart still stand today serving Viennese coffee and pastries.

Enjoy a sachertorte — a rich chocolate tort with apricot filling or opt for the world-famous apfelstrudel. Apple strudel is a light, flaky pastry with sweet apples and cream and a traditional Austrian dessert. Indulge in some dessert in the greatest and oldest cafés in the city including Café Pruckel, Café Landtmann, Café Sperl and Café Central.