Viennese love their local food and, in turn, they are well-served by traditional restaurants called Gasthaus or Beisl (a Beisl used to denote low-priced eateries but today there’s little difference between the two). Viennese food is a collection of borrowings from territories once under the Habsburg crown: knödel from the Czech parts; goulash from Hungary; cheese and potato-filled ravioli (kasnudeln) from Slovenia. Even the schnitzel – to which every Viennese restaurant claims primacy – harks back to northern Italy. But no reason to judge what’s most logical!
Almost all restaurants serve some kind of offal dishes too – bone marrow (knochenmark), roasted veal kidney (geröstete kalbsleber), sour lungs (salonbeuschel), blood sausage (blunzen). This is quintessential everyday Austrian fare and you’ll not regret trying them. And of course a proper Viennese meal ends with shredded (kaiserschmarrn) or flat pancakes (palatschinken) and a side of generously portioned fruit preserves.
Except for a few pricey establishments such as Plachutta, price points tend to be very similar across the below restaurants, with €15-22 mains and low-priced local wines and beers.