What to Eat in Vienna: Local Dishes, Where Locals Eat & the Best Food Tours

The short version: in Vienna, eat a Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz (boiled beef with its broth), a Käsekrainer sausage from a Würstelstand late at night, and Sachertorte with coffee in a grand café. For schnitzel go to Figlmüller in the old town or Glacis Beisl by the MuseumsQuartier; for Tafelspitz, Plachutta on Wollzeile. Drink Grüner Veltliner and Wiener Gemischter Satz, ideally at a heuriger, the wine taverns in the vineyards of Grinzing and Stammersdorf. And if you only have a weekend, a guided food tour is the shortcut through the markets, cafés and sausage stands. Below: what to eat, exactly where to eat it, what to drink, and the food experiences worth booking.

What to eat in Vienna, and where to eat it

Where to eat in Vienna

The rule for eating well in Vienna: look for a Beisl, the city’s traditional neighbourhood restaurant, with wood panelling, a short menu of Viennese classics and a daily special. Lunch is the value meal, and many places serve a cheaper set lunch on weekdays. Viennese life also runs through its coffee houses, where one coffee buys you a table for as long as you want, and its sausage stands, which the city registered as intangible cultural heritage with UNESCO in 2024.

Innere Stadt: the old town

The first district inside the Ring is where the classics are. Figlmüller has served its schnitzel on Wollzeile since 1905, with a second restaurant around the corner on Bäckerstraße; both take reservations, which you will want. For Tafelspitz, Plachutta Wollzeile is the restaurant of the family the tourist board calls the Tafelspitz dynasty, and they serve several less common cuts too. On the Ring, Meissl & Schadn brings boiled beef to the table from a cart: Tafelspitz, brisket and tongue. For a schnitzel or a goulash in a real Beisl, Beim Czaak on Postgasse opens in the evenings, Monday to Saturday. Lugeck does contemporary versions of schnitzel and Tafelspitz, at around 55 euros a head for two courses and a drink. And for a quick, cheap snack, the open sandwiches at Trześniewski are a Viennese institution.

Naschmarkt and Wieden

Around the Naschmarkt, the 4th district of Wieden is full of good Beisln. Ubl on Preßgasse serves Wiener Schnitzel, roast liver, beef shin and blood sausage; it opens Wednesday to Sunday, for lunch and dinner. Café Anzengruber is a café in name only: a beer-drinking Beisl that opens at 16:00, known for slow-roasted goulash and a schnitzel with cult status. Gasthaus Wolf is praised for its Viennese cooking and its old bar in front, and opens on weekday evenings. In the market itself, Zur Eisernen Zeit cooks traditional Viennese food and Umar is the fish restaurant often ranked among the city’s best. Just across the Wienzeile, Café Sperl has been open since 1880, with billiard tables, piles of newspapers and its own Sperltorte.

Leopoldstadt and the Karmelitermarkt

Across the Danube Canal, the 2nd district is relaxed and residential, centred on the Karmelitermarkt. Zum Friedensrichter, on the canal, is a Beisl that specialises in breaded and fried dishes, schnitzel above all, and opens on weekday afternoons and evenings. On Praterstraße, Praterwirt serves Pinzgauer Kasnockerl (cheese dumplings) for about 10 euros and schnitzel or veal goulash for about 23. Near the market, Schöne Perle is a bistro reinterpreting Viennese classics, and Skopik & Lohn serves small dishes and cocktails with an outdoor area. For wine, Schank zum Reichsapfel is a heuriger in the city, with wine and a heuriger buffet.

Neubau and Spittelberg

The 7th district, behind the MuseumsQuartier, is the city’s creative quarter, with the cobbled lanes of Spittelberg at its edge. Glacis Beisl is set in the MuseumsQuartier and mixes Beisl tradition with modern cooking: order the Wiener Schnitzel or the beef goulash, at around 30 to 45 euros for two courses, with cheaper daily specials. For breakfast, Erich serves it until 16:00, with most dishes under 15 euros. And for a late sausage, Hermann’s Würstelstand serves Bosna, from classic to vegan, from a stand inside an underground car park.

Josefstadt

The 8th district is quiet, elegant and very Viennese. Café Eiles, on the corner by the Ring, is a renovated traditional coffee house with a food menu worth a look, open from early morning to midnight. For a sausage made from certified organic meat, go to Wiener Würstelstand on Pfeilgasse, which also does a vegan Bosna.

The heurigen: Grinzing, Nussdorf and Stammersdorf

Vienna has working vineyards inside its city limits, and the place to drink its wine is a heuriger, a winemaker’s tavern serving its own wine with a cold and hot buffet. On the north-west edge of the city, in the 19th district, Mayer am Pfarrplatz in Heiligenstadt has live music daily from 19:00, and Feuerwehr Wagner on Grinzinger Straße opens in the afternoons. Up in the vineyards, Wieninger am Nussberg opens from April to October in good weather, with the city at your feet. Across the Danube in Stammersdorf and Jedlersdorf, in the 21st district, Heuriger Wieninger and Christ are two of the names on the tourist board’s list, and the old cellar lane, the Stammersdorfer Kellergasse, has small taverns such as Zum Gustl. Heurigen open on their own seasonal schedules, so check the day before you go.

Quick picks

• Classic Viennese dinner: Figlmüller or Glacis Beisl for schnitzel, Ubl in Wieden for a real Beisl.
• Cheap and fast: a Käsekrainer at Bitzinger by the Albertina, open sandwiches at Trześniewski.
• Special night: Tafelspitz from the cart at Meissl & Schadn, or a summer evening at a heuriger in Nussdorf.
• Best for the signature dish: Figlmüller for schnitzel, Plachutta for Tafelspitz, Café Sacher for Sachertorte.

Names link to Google Maps for directions. We checked these places in October 2026. Opening days change, especially out of season, so check before you go.

The markets

The Naschmarkt, along the Wienzeile between Karlsplatz and Kettenbrückengasse, is Vienna’s big market: around 130 stalls of fruit and vegetables, fish, meat, cheese, vinegar, wine, coffee, spices and Oriental specialities, plus a market hall of regional producers and dozens of places to eat. The stalls open Monday to Saturday from 6:00 (many close around 18:00 to 19:00), the market is closed on Sundays, and on Fridays and Saturdays a farmers’ market sells local produce. On Saturday mornings, the flea market on Kettenbrückengasse runs from 6:30 to 14:00. For cheese and a glass of wine at the market, stop at Urbanek, a fine-food and cheese shop that is also a well-known wine bar.

The Karmelitermarkt in Leopoldstadt is the locals’ market: smaller, calmer and good for a Saturday morning, with a farmers’ market on Fridays and Saturdays and long-established stalls such as the Gumprecht horse butcher. It opens Monday to Friday from 6:00 to 21:00 and on Saturday until 17:00. Have breakfast at Café Einfahrt on the market’s edge, known for long weekend breakfasts.

What to drink in Vienna

Most Viennese wine, about 85 percent, is white. Grüner Veltliner, Austria’s peppery, fresh signature grape, is the one to order, and Wiener Gemischter Satz is the city’s own: a field blend of at least three grape varieties grown, picked and fermented together, now protected as a DAC. In autumn, look for Sturm, grape juice that has just started fermenting, and all year, the Spritzer, half white wine and half sparkling water. Beer comes as a Pfiff, a Seidl or a Krügerl, from small to large. For Austrian wine in the city, Contor in Leopoldstadt is a wine bar and shop focused on Austrian wines, Vinifero on Karmeliterplatz pours natural wine, and Urbanek at the Naschmarkt pairs wine with cheese. And the coffee: order a Melange (espresso with steamed milk and foam) in a coffee house such as Café Prückel, with its 1950s interior, or Café Landtmann on the Ring. Café Sacher serves its Original Sacher-Torte with whipped cream for 11.50 euros and recommends booking a table. To visit the vineyards with a guide, see our Vienna wine tours.

Food experiences to book in Vienna

Vienna’s food culture lives in places that are easy to walk past: the right sausage stand, the Beisl without a sign, the market stall with the best cheese. A food tour pays off on a short visit: a local guide takes you through the Naschmarkt, a coffee house and a few classic stops in a few hours and explains what you are eating. A coffee house tour or a strudel and schnitzel cooking class are good alternatives. These are the best-rated options on GetYourGuide.

Our pick: the Taste of Vienna: Full-Meal Austrian Food Tour, rated 4.8 (179) on GetYourGuide.

Ratings as shown on GetYourGuide in October 2026. Check the listing for live prices and availability.

Food day trips from Vienna

The best food day trip starts inside the city: take public transport to Grinzing, Nussdorf or Stammersdorf, walk through the vineyards and stop at a heuriger. Further out, the Wachau valley on the Danube, home of some of Austria’s best Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, is an easy day out by train or on a guided tour. See our Vienna wine tours.

Frequently asked questions

What is the one dish to eat in Vienna?

Wiener Schnitzel, a thin breaded veal cutlet with potato salad. Figlmüller in the old town and Glacis Beisl in the MuseumsQuartier are the easiest places to start. Tafelspitz at Plachutta is the close second.

Where do locals eat in Vienna?

In Beisln like Ubl and Gasthaus Wolf in Wieden or Zum Friedensrichter in Leopoldstadt, at the Karmelitermarkt on Saturday morning, and at the heurigen in the vineyards on summer evenings.

Where can I eat cheaply in Vienna?

At a sausage stand such as Bitzinger by the Albertina or Würstelstand LEO, the city’s oldest; at Trześniewski for open sandwiches; and at Praterwirt, where Kasnockerl cost around 10 euros. Weekday lunch specials are the best-value restaurant meals.

Do I need to book restaurants in Vienna?

For Figlmüller, Plachutta and Meissl & Schadn, yes, especially at weekends, and Café Sacher recommends booking a table. Sausage stands, market stalls and most coffee houses take no bookings.

Which coffee house should I go to?

For Sachertorte, Café Sacher or Demel. For the classic coffee-house atmosphere, Café Sperl, Café Prückel or Café Landtmann. Café Central, the most famous, closed for renovation in March 2026 with reopening planned for autumn 2026, and ran a pop-up called Decentral at Palais Harrach on Freyung in the meantime, so check before you go.

Is a Vienna food tour worth it?

Yes, if you have two or three days: in a few hours you see the Naschmarkt, taste a sausage, a schnitzel and a cake, and learn where to eat for the rest of your stay. Compare them above.

Plan your Vienna food trip

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