Looking for a wallet-friendly Viennese family restaurant where tourists rarely set foot? You won’t even need to walk far from the city center for Kolonitz Beisl, a deeply local eating and drinking joint in District 3, near the charming Radetzkyplatz. The inside is cozy and unfussy, fitted with a weathered bar counter, rustic wooden furnishings, and old beer advertisements.

The service is kind, the dishes very tasty. Highlights are the lentil stew with pork cracklings and two voluminous dumplings; the ham noodles (schinkenfleckerl); the schnitzel variations; and the böhmische palatschinken filled with plum jam (powidl) and poppy seeds. The customers include middle-aged Viennese intellectuals with a fondness for low-priced alcohol and a taste of home. With €10-14 mains, it’s your cheapest option for a sit-down meal in central Vienna. Cash and weekdays only!

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