Vienna is world-renowned for its stylish architecture, classical music, a healthy dose of grandeur and, of course, Viennese cuisine. But where can you discover the authentic side of this cuisine? If you don't want to fall into tourist traps, but simply want to dine like the Viennese, we have a number of restaurants and eateries for you that impress us time and time again with their charm, tradition and typical local cuisine. We take you on a date to the best Viennese restaurants with popular traditional dishes - from rustic pubs to modern interpretations of Viennese cuisine. The Vienna Welcome Card entitles you to worthwhile discounts at many of them.

Fromme Helene: traditional Viennese cuisine

The Fromme Helene restaurant in Josefstadt has been serving hungry guests with the best Viennese cuisine for almost 50 years. The interior has hardly changed over the decades and you will be greeted by nostalgic flair, antique wall decorations and solid wooden furniture. The culinary experience begins with a classic liver dumpling or frittata soup before continuing with a varied selection of main courses. Whether traditional Viennese veal schnitzel, old Viennese fried meat or ham dumplings: the portions are large and delicious. Vegetarians can fill their bellies with homemade dumplings, egg dumplings or baked Brie. If you still have room for dessert afterwards, you should definitely order the choux pastry doughnuts to go with your Wiener Melange. 

Hertz & Seele: modern Viennese Heurige

Hertz und Seele aptly describes itself as a mixture of bar and modern wine tavern. In other words, in addition to the exquisite cocktail creations, you can also order the in-house Brettljause, which is completely vegan on request. We particularly recommend the “Sbagliato Burgenländer” with Uhudler Frizzante and the “Nutty Martini” with vodka, espresso, vanilla ice cream and hazelnut. In addition to the Brettljausen snacks with truly fantastic wood-fired bread (including an excellent crispy crust!), first-class hot dishes such as minced pork loaf and vegan steak are also served. There is also a selection of award-winning Austrian wines. You won't find many tourists here; instead, the alternative scene of the hip 1070 district drinks to each other.

By the way: with the Vienna Welcome Card, you get a €20 discount at over 20 The Fork partner restaurants in Vienna.

Buchecker & Sohn: classic dishes from Austria

Attention offal fans: At the rustic inn Buchecker & Sohn, everything revolves around classic cuisine from Vienna and Austria - which is why specialties such as kidneys, brains, sweetbreads and co. are the main players here. Not sure how you feel about this? The offal tapas with various appetizers are perfect for trying out. The team around Franz and Christopher Buchecker also cooks all kinds of other hearty specialties of old Viennese cuisine; the lamb butter schnitzel literally melts in your mouth. The payment options are also genuinely Austrian: On our last visit, card payment was only possible from 50 euros.

DAST Restaurant: tapas in Vienna

Are you on a short trip to Vienna and want to sample the local cuisine - but it's impossible to try all the different delicacies in the limited time available? Then we have a real highlight that won't overstretch your stomach capacity: Daniel Fischer and Stephanie Pache's restaurant - which explains how it got the name DAST - serves all Austrian specialties as tapas. Home-marinated salmon trout, schnitzel, Carinthian Kasnudln (cheese noodles), lentils with smoked meat and more are served in small portions so that you can discover authentic cuisine without bursting your stomach. The concept also applies to dessert: curd cheese dumplings, poppy seed noodles and Powidltascherl come in small bites, so you won't be spoiled for choice. 

Meixners Gastwirtschaft: tradition meets innovation

Meixners Gastwirtschaft in the 10th district is dedicated to traditional Austrian cuisine, but is also open to new interpretations. This Viennese institution was only taken over by Janette and Alexander Civic at the end of 2022. However, the focus is still on uncomplicated hospitality. The menu lists delicacies such as veal tripe, Beuschel and East Tyrolean Schlipfkrapfen, and depending on the season, there are also special highlights such as Martinigansl or chanterelle ragout. By the way, the Malakofftorte tastes like something your (Viennese) grandma used to make - rich, sweet and simply heavenly. Or are you more in the mood for Kaiserschmarrn? Then we'll send you on a walk to Kaiser's, where you can find many different versions of this traditional Austrian dish. And with the Vienna Welcome Card including a discount.

Reznicek: down-to-earth Austrian cuisine

Do extensive menus overwhelm you and do you sometimes need a little time to decide on a dish? Then head to Reznicek in the 9th district: the selection here is manageable, but all dishes are prepared with high-quality ingredients - mostly organic - and lots of love. If you ask Simon Schubert and Julian Lechner how they would describe their restaurant, the answer is “a contemporary Viennese tavern”. The wine selection is far more extensive than the menu: fine wines are served here in Viennese comfort.

Would you rather do without meat? Then Vienna also offers a great selection of fantastic vegetarian restaurants. And if you want to take a stroll between your main course and pastries, you should stroll to one of our favorite coffee houses in Vienna. By the way, for those who are more of a public transport team, the Vienna Welcome Card offers great mobility benefits.