What to taste in one day in Vienna to get to know the Austrian city also through its flavors. From the inevitable Sacher Torte to the Viennese schnitzel.
Just one day available, and with a little presumption, one would not want to miss anything Vienna, and here the elegant town nestled in the Austrian Alps manages to make itself known also through its dishes.
There is no faster way to get to know a city through its history and its foods. These are two things that contextualize the visit and help to understand its size, structure, layout and lifestyles and, moreover, they are strongly intertwined with each other.
You can play in advance on history, review it before leaving, focus on the years that characterized the growth of the city or the life of a particular historical figure, be it theEmpress Elizabeth (Sissi), Mozart, Klimt, the architect Otto Wagner, or others. On the development and current toponymy of the city, you can do the same by downloading a tourist map of Vienna from City Walks and trying to figure it out during the tour.
I assure you it works: you will feel like you already know the roads. Knowing food from a distance is a little less practical, so it must be done on the spot even with only one day available.
As it was suggested to me, in my turn I recommend that you have lunch at Bitzinger, just below the Albertina: former Habsburg residence, now the Academy of International Art; just off the pedestrian zone. Among their offers, I preferred to sit at theAugustiner Keller: a cellar with large vaults well recovered and furnished with wooden tables and benches like the most classic Austro-German taverns, but it is also possible to choose the brand new Vino-thek: a sort of very modern wine shop where it is possible to have lunch in a more refined way . Since the rustic always has a certain effect on me and manages to convey warmth and a sense of home, I had no doubts.
The menu is varied, without being exaggerated: on the first page there are appetizers and soups; in the second, small plates and salads; in the third, the richer main courses, certainly more complete and expensive; on the fourth page i cheese, beers, and wines. Extremely easy, extremely precise, obviously we are in a country with a Teutonic culture.
I suggest you start with mixed appetizers, a selection that traces the land through the spek and the distant northern seas thanks to salmon accompanied by rich and peppery sauces. Note the very well presented vegetables, as it should be in a city where Baroque art has harmoniously left its mark. In this way, if you want to stop the meal here, you have already done a nice tour of the Austrian capital between extra territorial influences and strong nationalism of character.
Those who manage to continue with a second course, or prefer to open their stomach to a single main dish, cannot give up Viennese schnitzel with baked potatoes, which you will find listed here among the small courses as well as bratwürst with sauerkraut. Trust us: the breading is crunchy, the flavor is tasty and can be compared to the most classic and well-cooked elephant ear. They are satisfactions for palates who, like mine, tend to avoid fried foods in restaurants.
Between mid-September and late October you absolutely have to accompany everything with a half pint of Sturm, the new wine, prepared after the recent harvest and not bottled. A sugary must with a pleasantly deceptive alcohol content!
For dessert, hold back. Close your account and move toHotel Sacher just a few steps away. If you are unlucky there will be a bit of work to do to get a table, but it is a must, tourist stop. A slice of sacher cake is over 5 euros, not cheap at all, but once in your life you have to try it here where it was born. For the more refined there is the alternative of the sacher trinkschokolade, a liquid chocolate by the glass with a good dose of whipped pastry cream. I, who do not like cakes, tried it and was satisfied with it: it is a drinking chocolate, therefore not dense and creamy, excellent for warming up during the Austrian autumn and winter.
At the hotel it is obviously possible to make purchases to take home, but you will also find the original Sacher cake at the airport, same production and same packaging. If you want to shop from home, you just have to fill the digital shopping cart in comfort. If you prefer a takeaway, I would suggest you stay true to Bitzinger which has a kiosk in Albertina Platz, right next to the cellar entrance, and offers excellent sausages with various side dishes.
One last tip: even in Munich you can try the cuisine of the Bitzinger Augustiner Keller. Here is our review.
