Feasting in Vienna
After I realised you could get a €15 train ride from Prague to Vienna I had to go, sure it would be rude not to! I have been to Austria before however, it was for a triathlon so needless to say it was an in and out job outside of the main city!
I was really keen to return to Austria as its packed full of history and although traditional Austrian food wouldn’t be my favourite cuisine to eat there is a huge healthy food culture in Vienna with lots of new unique cafes.
How I researched my food spots? Well I mostly used Instagram pages like;
It’s so handy to tap into images directing you to cafes and restaurants where you can visually inspect the menu! I did lots of eating in Vienna just for you guys to give you the breakdown of what’s worth the visit during your short stay. Vienna is slightly expensive, I would say relatively the same as Dublin, most of the places I have listed below were really good value in comparison to some restaurants here.
Where I stayed…
I stayed at the Grand Ferdinand Hotel which I don’t think was worth the price at all.
I would recommend staying at the 25 hours hotel in the Museum Quarter. It’s fairly cheap, great location, nice rooms and great staff. My friends were staying there and It seemed a fair better choice for half the cost!
What I did and was totally worth it…
Definitely visit the Schönbrunn Palace. It’s so interesting and make sure you book in advance online to skip waiting for hours! Afterwards go to the Imperial crypts in the city. I also loved walking around Hofburg Palace area, stop by to admire St. Stephens Cathedral and checking out the Rauthaus.
I wish I had time to go to the Opera here. It’s sounds like a once off experience that I’ll have to come back for.
Where to eat…
I always like to start with my favourite spot which was at a Vegan Ice-cream parlour, Veganista, this place was so good, I wish I could go back! It tasted better than regular ice cream and the flavours where exciting, original and mouth-watering. The ice creams were made with either oat milk, soya milk or rice milk and their sorbets water. I tried a bit of everything from their peanut butter pretzels, to their raspberry brownie almond. The winner was their toasted coconut with candied nuts, I’m salivating here thinking about it! It’s also just around the corner from my next two finds.
Ulrich and Erich are two separate restaurants (brother and sister). I’m not sure how to put it these two spots are just a few metres away from one another and encapsulate atmospheric, cosy and tasty dining! The menu is a nice mix of cuisines from loaded flatbreads to salads, tacos and amazing porridge, these places are definitely worth the visit. We managed to always get a seat here (4 people) but maybe for brunch try reserve a table! Don’t forget to check out their Instagram for epic flat lays!
Figar has a few different locations that all seem equally even when it comes to décor and their menu choice. The cuisine is a nice mix of dishes and definitely Turkish influenced. I had one of the best bowls of porridge there ever, the coconut porridge and I also tried their Turkish eggs which were awesome. It’s a nice place to go for a simple delicious breakfast or lunch. It definitely somewhere I would like to return to and try out more dishes!
Mr& Mrs Feelgood is great spot to get proper healthy food that tastes great! They have a full menu that caters for all types of foodies! I recommend stopping here for lunch or breakfast for fresh, healthy and importantly tasty food.
Motto am Fluss, one of the nicest dinners I’ve had, we reserved a table in the café (upstairs) which over looked the river and is the perfect spot to sit back and let time pass. The menu was great with a huge choice. The breakfast menu is served until 4 and had everything you could think of while the lunch/dinner menu starts at 12. It has simple tasty dishes with loads of vegetarian options. I tired 4 dishes which were all flavoursome and wholesome! There is a restaurant downstairs if you are looking for something a little fancier – great setting and good website for making bookings.
Motto, we booked here for NYE as it was recommended for a great dinner and drinks spot. The food was so delicious. We got a mix of starters and desserts which were all better than the next, I managed to start a fork war with my sister! The cocktails were too easy to sip, unusual and humorously titled, with a great bar man who kept us full of suggestions and tips about our stay. When we were leaving he was sad no one got the steak as it’s known for being the best in Vienna (the chilli chocolate steak) so if steak is your thing you might want to check this place out! The décor is also very cool!
Klyo is next on my list. Set looking out onto the river, this trendy spot is a favourite for the Viennese. They have a good size menu with plenty of choices between protein pancakes, avocado on toast, smoothies and more. They serve breakfast up until 22.30 and stay open until 1 am so whether its morning noon or night they have options for all. The dinner menu looked delicious too. I would recommend booking this spot before you go just in case which you can do on their website.
Parémi, for the best bakery situation you will ever find yourself in! Near the central area it’s the best place to go rest your feet and just enjoy a croissant. You’ll be returning day after day during your stay so make sure you take note of this little gem!
The Guest House Vienna. Their café was such a gem of a find, It was situated beside the Mozart café and Sacher Wien café which are bombarded with queues outside (like the café central) with no queue and a nice seat at the bar I got served up some delicious snacks and sweet from their bakery (healthy and unhealthy options) and by the looks of it (on Instagram) it was definitely much nicer than anything we would have gotten in the typical tourist cafes you queue for! If you’re in that area its worth a sit down and a spot of lunch. The lentil hummus with avocado bread was unreal! Zach got a hot chocolate and a peanut brownie that I may have had a taste or two of and it was a 10/10!
A place that kept popping up on all the healthy spots to try out was the Health kitchen, which I just would not recommend, so don’t waste your time. I tried a bit of everyone’s dish and it just lacked any flavour (we were all disappointed with our dishes – which was 5 different things).
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Other places I would have loved to have tried…
- Sca 33- A restaurant with an ever changing menu depending on what in- fresh organic in a homemade style.
- Neni – Middle Eastern style
- Miznon – casual middle eastern style
- Mercado – Asian style dinner place
- Tian – Michelin style vegetarian restaurant
- Swing – Veggie Burger place
- Joseph – Bagel/Bakery/healthy goods too
- Blue mustard – for a fancy night out( more Michelin style food)but its supposedly an eating experience
- Hungry Guy – stuffed pitas
- Simple Raw Bakery