Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
meal, at lunchtime). As you ponder the Eastern European specialties on menus, remember
that Vienna's diverse empire may be no more, but its flavors linger.
While cuisines are routinely named for countries, Vienna claims to be the only
city
with
acuisineofitsown:Viennasoupscomewithfillings(semolinadumpling,liverdumpling,or
pancake slices).
Gulasch
is a beef ragout based on a traditional Hungarian shepherd's soup
(spiced with onion and paprika). Of course, Wiener schnitzel is traditionally a breaded and
fried veal cutlet (though pork is more common these days). Another meat specialty is boiled
beef
(Tafelspitz).
While you're sure to have
Apfelstrudel,
try
Topfenstrudel,
too (wafer-thin
strudel pastry filled with sweet cheese and raisins). The
dag
you see in some prices stands
for “decigram” (10 grams). Therefore,
10 dag
is 100 grams, or about a quarter-pound.
On nearly every corner, you can find a colorful
Beisl
(BYE-zul). These uniquely Vien-
nesetavernsareacharacteristiccrossbetweenanEnglishpubandaFrenchbrasserie—filled
withpoetryteachersandtheirstudents,coupleslovingwithouttouching,housewivesontheir
way home from cello lessons, and waiters who enjoy serving hearty food and drinks at an
affordable price. Ask at your hotel for a good
Beisl.
(Beware: Despite non-smoking laws,
Beisls
may still be quite smoky; fortunately, most have outdoor seating.
For hardcore Viennese cuisine, drop by a
Würstelstand
. The local hot-dog stand is a fix-
ture on city squares throughout the old center, serving a variety of hot dogs and pickled side
dishes with a warm corner-meeting-place atmosphere. Be adventurous: Generally, the dark-
er the weenie, the spicier it is. Key words: Key words:
Weisswurst
—boiled white sausage;
Bosna
—withonionsandcurry;
Käsekrainer
—withmeltedcheeseinside;
Debreziner
—spicy
Hungarian;
Frankfurter
—our weenie;
frische
—fresh;
Kren
—horseradish; and
Senf
—mus-
tard (ask for
süss
—sweet, or
scharf
—sharp). Only a tourist puts the sausage in a bun like
a hot dog. Munch alternately between the meat and the bread (“that's why you have two
hands”), and you'll look like a native.
Two other don't-miss Viennese institutions, its cafés and wine gardens, are covered un-
(See “Restaurants in Central Vienna” map,
here
.)
Each of these eateries is within about a five-minute walk of the cathedral (U-1 or U-3:
Stephansplatz).
GigerlStadtheuriger
offersafun,near-
Heuriger
winecellarexperiencewithoutleaving
thecitycenter.Justpointtowhatlooksgood.Foodissoldbythepieceorweight;100grams
(10dag)
isaboutaquarter-pound(cheeseandcoldmeatscostabout€3per100grams,salads
are about €2 per 100 grams; price sheet posted on wall to right of buffet line). The
Kar-
ree
pork with herbs is particularly tasty and tender. They also have entrées, spinach strudel,
quiche,
Apfelstrudel,
and, of course, casks of new and local wines (sold by the
Achtel,
about
