Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»
Hauptspeise
Main course or entree - fish, meat or vegetarisch (vegetarian).
»
Kindermenü
Two-or three-course kids' menu; sometimes includes a soft drink.
»
Laktosefrei/Glutenfrei
Lactose /gluten free.
»
Mittagstisch/Mittagsmenü
Fixed lunch menu; usually two courses, with a soup or salad followed by a main.
»
Nachtisch
Dessert, sometimes followed by coffee or a glass of schnapps.
»
Speisekarte
À la carte menu.
»
Tagesteller
Good-value dish of the day; generally only served at lunchtime.
»
Vorspeise
Starter, appetiser.
»
Weinkarte
Wine list.
LUNCHTIME SAVER
Take the lead of locals and save euros by making lunch your main meal of the day. Most restaurants offer an in-
expensive
Tagesteller
(day special) or
Mittagsmenü
(lunch menu), which can cost as little as €6.50 for two
courses.
Etiquette
»
Table reservations
Booking is highly advisable to snag a table at popular and top-end restaurants, especially in peak
season. Call around a week in advance.
»
Menus
English menus are not a given, though you'll often find them in city hot spots like Salzburg and Vienna and
in ski resorts. If in doubt, there's usually a waiter/waitress who can translate.
»
Bon appétit
Dining with a group of Austrians? It's polite to wish them
guten Appetit
or
Mahlzeit
before digging in.
»
Water
You can try your luck by asking for complimentary tap water
(Leitungswasser)
, but it's not really the done
thing, especially in upmarket places. Go local and order
stilles
(still) or
prickelndes
(sparkling)
Mineralwasser
(mineral
water).
»
Dress
Smart casual is the way to go in fancier establishments, where the locals dress up for dinner. In more relaxed
places, jeans, trainers (sneakers) and T-shirts are fine.
»
Paying
Zahlen, bitte
or
die Rechnung, bitte
are the magic words if you want to pay.
»
Tipping
Around 10% is customary if you were satisfied with the service. Add the bill and tip together and hand it
over waiter/waitress by saying
stimmt so
(keep the change).
