Gasthaus Wolf

Don’t be deceived by the strangely puritan furnishings – a taxidermied cow’s head here, a Virgin Mary painting there – Gasthaus Wolf is a popular neighborhood restaurant in Vienna’s elegant District 4. Of the two wood-paneled halls, the dining room is in the back, while the front is reserved for customers who stick to beers and wine. Things can get loud and lively; it’s here that you might fall into a conversation with a retired tennis professional or the local gentleman who dropped in with his cavapoo for a night cap.

The dishes, meat-heavy of course, are consistently excellent. Spreadable pork fat with rye; roasted discs of blood sausage (Blunzenradl) with bean salad; beef tartare; three kinds of schnitzels; knödels; slow-cooked duck layered with braised red cabbage. The wine list is local and well curated, featuring top producers such as Weninger and Uwe Schiefer. €17-23 mains. Closed on the weekend!