Viennese menus are written in a mix of German and local dialect, and a few of the names give no hint of what arrives on the plate. This guide explains the dishes you are most likely to meet, in the order you would eat them, so you can order with confidence in a coffee house, a traditional Beisl or a wine tavern.
Savoury classics
Wiener Schnitzel
By tradition a Wiener Schnitzel is made from veal, pounded thin, breaded and fried in fat until the crust puffs away from the meat. Menus that offer a pork version must label it “Schnitzel vom Schwein” or similar. It comes with a lemon wedge, usually with potato salad or parsley potatoes. Do not press the lemon onto the whole plate, as it softens the crust.
Tafelspitz
Boiled beef, served in its broth with apple-horseradish sauce, chive sauce and roasted potatoes. It was the favourite dish of Emperor Franz Joseph and remains the formal Sunday dish of the city. Gentle in flavour, it suits anyone who finds the fried dishes heavy.
Zwiebelrostbraten and Gulasch
Zwiebelrostbraten is a pan-seared beef slice in gravy topped with crisp fried onions. Viennese Gulasch is a paprika-and-onion beef stew, usually served with bread or Semmelknödel (bread dumplings). Both are staples of traditional Beisl restaurants.
Backhendl, Beuschel and Käsespätzle
Backhendl is breaded fried chicken, the lighter cousin of the schnitzel and a fixture at wine taverns. Beuschel is a ragout of veal lung and heart in a sour cream sauce, an acquired taste that locals love. Käsespätzle, small dumplings baked with mountain cheese and fried onions, is the best-known vegetarian main course.
Würstelstand snacks
The sausage stand is a city institution that works at any hour. Käsekrainer is a sausage filled with cheese, Frankfurter is the plain boiled one, and Bosna is a spiced bratwurst in a toasted bun. Ask for “süß” (sweet) or “scharf” (hot) mustard.
Soups and sides
Soup is rarely an afterthought here. Look for Frittatensuppe (beef broth with strips of pancake), Leberknödelsuppe (liver dumpling soup) and Erdäpfelsuppe (potato soup). Erdäpfel means potato, and Erdäpfelsalat, the lukewarm vinegar-dressed potato salad, is the standard side for schnitzel.
Desserts
- Sachertorte: dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam, glazed in dark chocolate and served with unsweetened whipped cream.
- Apfelstrudel: thin pastry rolled around spiced apple, raisins and breadcrumbs, often served warm with vanilla sauce.
- Kaiserschmarrn: a fluffy shredded pancake with raisins, dusted with sugar and served with plum compote. It is large, so share it.
- Palatschinken: thin crepes filled with apricot jam or chocolate sauce.
- Marillenknödel: apricot dumplings in a potato or curd dough, rolled in buttered crumbs. They are a summer speciality.
How to order like a local
Many traditional restaurants offer a weekday lunch menu (Mittagsmenü) with a soup and a main course, which is usually the best value of the day. Tap water is excellent and is served free in coffee houses, while in restaurants you can ask for “Leitungswasser”. Service is included in the bill in principle, but rounding up is the custom. Prices and menus change, so check current menus before you go.
Pair your meal with a coffee house visit: see our guide to Vienna coffee house culture, and for the wine side of the table read our Heuriger guide.
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I’m Andrea, a travel writer based between Vienna and the Croatian coast, and I’ve been exploring both countries in depth for the past 10 years.
I’ve taken 50+ solo trips across Austria, Croatia, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Italy and the wider Balkans, and I speak German, Croatian and English fluently, which means I get to have conversations most tourists never do. I know which Viennese coffee house the locals actually go to (hint: not the famous ones), and I know the Dalmatian islands well enough to tell you which ferry to take and which to avoid.
My writing is grounded in lived experience: I’ve navigated Austrian bureaucracy as a resident, hiked the Julian Alps in September when the crowds have gone, and eaten my way through Dubrovnik’s back streets at midnight. I cover Central Europe and the Adriatic for solo travellers who want something more than a highlight reel.
I also write in depth about Vienna and Austria at allaboutvienna.com, where you’ll find everything from neighbourhood guides to seasonal event coverage and expat tips.
When I’m not writing I’m usually hiking, swimming in the Adriatic, or arguing about which city makes better coffee. (It’s Vienna. It’s always Vienna.)