Vienna's Top Casual Restaurants

MAST Weinbistro is a casual dining spot run by two friends and sommeliers, Steve and Matthias, who have a passion for wine. They offer a modern take on Viennese cuisine complemented by an excellent selection of natural wines, focusing on organic as a standard. The venue is known for its relaxed atmosphere, where guests can enjoy both good food and wine, and is often filled with laughter and celebration.

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Marko Kovac

Foodie – Croatia, Croatia

A casual bistro in Vienna owned and personally run by two longtime friends and sommelliers, Steve and Matthias. Naturally, one of the best wine lists in the region, supporting easygoing modern take on Viennese cuisine. A true must when in the city.

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This is a lively spot with an energetic ambience and unique art pieces adorning the walls. It's a popular choice among students for its reasonably priced drinks, with beer and schnapps being the crowd favourites. The restaurant is particularly known for its delectable sausage and dumplings.

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Billy Wagner

Sommelier – Berlin, Germany

A bar with a restaurant feeling: loud, noisy, weird art on the walls. A lot of students at all tables. Pretty cheap drinks. Drink Beer and schnapps. Probably the best sausage and dumplings north, west, south and east of Vienna.

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With a focus on natural wines and a variety of vegetables, Café Kandl offers a unique dining experience. It is situated in District 7, known for its warm ambiance. One of their standout dishes is the 'faux' gras, a creative concoction made from mushrooms, wine gel, and crispy brioche.

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Frank Heylen

Food & Wine hunter – Leuven, Belgium

For fans of natural wines, lots of vegetables and good ambiance: run to this lovely place located in District 7! The ´faux’ gras made from mushrooms, wine gel and crispy brioche is famous!

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With a focus on well-prepared food and a casual, yet beautiful setting, Gasthaus Wolf offers a traditional dining experience. The restaurant is open from Monday to Friday starting at 6 pm, while it remains closed on weekends and holidays. To reserve a table, you can either email them or contact them through their phone number.

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Daniella Illerbrand

Director of content – Stockholm, Sweden

Pretty much everything you want from a traditional restaurant in Vienna. Gasthaus Wolf is pretty much everything you want from a traditional restaurant in Vienna- amazingly well prepared food, and a casual but beautiful setting that instantly feels like somewhere you want to stay for a very long time.

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Offering a unique blend of Japanese cuisine with a modern twist, Mochi is an ideal place for both a quick lunch or a relaxed evening meal. The restaurant provides a diverse Asian menu that guarantees a satisfying food experience. Whether you choose to dine inside or enjoy your meal on the terrace, Mochi promises an explosion of delicious flavors.

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Frank Heylen

Food & Wine hunter – Leuven, Belgium

Japanese cuisine with a modern twist at good prices! Delicious flavours ideal for a quick lunch or a nice evening! Also dining on the terrace.

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NineOfive Vienna is a casual dining spot known for its pizza and wine. The restaurant prides itself on serving Pizza Napoletana, made with a 72-hour fermented dough and high-quality ingredients imported from Italy. Alongside the pizza, the restaurant has a curated wine list, offering a range of quality wines that complement the food.

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Fabian Günzel

Owner & Head chef – Vienna, Austria

“Pizza and wine place to be” is what they say on their homepage and that’s true. An easy pizzeria with a perfect winelist. Top quality starters, like anchovies, pickles, buratta… and pizza in flying mode, that you can enjoy the evening with friends.

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Experience a unique blend of casual fine dining at Restaurant Herzig, where the menu is known for its originality and precision. The chef, Sören Herzig, breaks traditional culinary rules to create innovative dishes with a personal touch. The restaurant is also noted for its wine selection, carefully chosen to complement the food, and the presence of art objects, creating a symbiosis of fine dining and art.

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Cornelia Milde

viennagourmet – Vienna, Austria

Casual fine dining and art affine. Original, precise, in love with detail and well thought out. Breaking the rules again and again is Sören Herzig's motto. With a love of detail and expressive with innovative creations and reinterpreted classics, he gives his dishes a very personal touch.

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This contemporary inn, run by sommelier Simon Schubert and chef Julian Lechner, offers classic Viennese dishes created from locally sourced ingredients. The menu features a variety of dishes such as beef tartare, cordon bleu, and roulade of courgette with bell peppers and almonds. It's a cozy spot for wine enthusiasts and food lovers, boasting an extensive wine selection and a product-oriented, seasonal cuisine inspired by Austrian classics.

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Frank Heylen

Food & Wine hunter – Leuven, Belgium

Reznicek Wiener Wirtshaus Simon Schubert (sommelier) and Julian Lechner (chef) opened this small cool restaurant, a contemporary Viennese inn. They serve classic Viennese tasty dishes made from locally sourced ingredients like beef tartare, cordon bleu or beef tongue, roulade of courgette with bell peppers and almonds or river trout with saffron, paired with an amazing wine list. This cosy restaurant is an absolute hot spot for wine lovers and foodies.

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This unique eatery, The Bank Brasserie & Bar, was once a functioning bank and is now a part of the Park Hyatt Hotel. The restaurant is particularly known for its exceptional beef tartare, which is hand-cut and served with confit egg yolk, truffle, mustard caviar, and potato bread. Its prime location and unique history make it an insider's tip for those in the know.

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Cornelia Milde

viennagourmet – Vienna, Austria

For me - the best beef tartare in town. I have a great passion for tartare! One of the best Beef Tartares in Vienna can be found in the brasserie "The Bank". Hand-cut, confit egg yolk, truffle, mustard caviar, potato bread. The restaurant was a bank at a time - and is now part of the Hotel "Park Hyatt Vienna" - in the best downtown location - an absolute insider tip!

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This restaurant, Tian Bistro am Spittelberg, offers a unique dining experience with its vegetarian and vegan menu crafted by chef Paul Ivic. The menu features seasonal produce from local farmers, with dishes like beet root and mushroom tartar with chive mayo, potato risotto with cabbage, and king oyster mushroom burger. The restaurant also has a wide selection of Austrian natural wines and serves sourdough bread from a local bakery.

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Kenneth Nars

Creative Director – Helsinki, Finland

The vegetarian/vegan bistro by chef Paul Ivić with great seasonal dishes and killer local wines. Tian Bistro in the Spittelberg district of Vienna is the sibling to the one-starred Tian in the center of town. Both are run by chef Paul Ivić and serve vegetarian cuisine made of seasonal produce from local farmers and producers. The menu at Tian Bistro has some delicious and comforting dishes- I’d recommend to order the set menu or have plenty of shared dishes. Have a table in the winter garden and do not miss the beet root and mushroom tartar with chive mayo, the potato risotto with cabbage or the king oyster mushroom burger. The sourdough bread comes from Öfferl, the best bakery in town and the wine list includes a long list of Austrian natural wine stars like Martin Nittnaus, Claus Preisinger, Heinrich, Christian Tschida and Gut Oggau. PS most dishes are vegan.

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Plachutta Wollzeile is known for its traditional Viennese dishes, particularly its Tafelspitz, a hearty boiled beef rump served in a copper cauldron with broth, root vegetables, and bone marrow. The menu also includes a variety of other cuts of boiled meat, from tongue to beef ribs, as well as classic dishes like Wienerschnitzel and Kaiserschmarrn pancakes for dessert. The restaurant operates with impressive precision and offers a slightly formal service, including providing local daily newspapers to single lunch guests.

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Kenneth Nars

Creative Director – Helsinki, Finland

A hearty, delicious meal of boiled beef. A must try in Vienna. Tafelspitz, boiled beef rump served with broth and an array of condiments, is the most traditional Viennese dish, next to the Wiener Schnitzel. There are a few traditional inns still serving proper Tafelspitz, but the most established and well branded temple of Tafelspitz is without doubt Plachutta. There are a few locations but go for the original restaurant on the Wollzeile street. Plenty of tourists here and yes, the restaurant follows a set, commercialized concept, but still the operation is impressive. The menu features a dozen of different cuts of boiled meat, from tongue to beef ribs, all served tableside in a copper cauldron full of broth, root vegetables and bone marrow. The condiments include apple horseradish, chive sauce, hashbrown potatoes and toasted black bread. The original Tafelspitz cut is delicious. The menu also features classics like Wienerschnitzel and Kaiserschmarrn pancakes for dessert. The slightly formal service works with almost military precision, including bringing local daily newspapers to single lunch guests.

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Located in a serene park setting, Meierei im Stadtpark is a bistro that offers a range of regional delicacies throughout the day. The menu, curated by chef Heinz Reitbauer, features perfectly executed Wiener classics, including a highly recommended Wiener Schnitzel. The restaurant also boasts an extensive cheese selection with over 140 varieties, and a notable wine list to complement your meal.

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Kenneth Nars

Creative Director – Helsinki, Finland

Perfectly executed Wiener classics by chef Heinz Reitbauer. Try their Wiener Schnitzel-probably the best in town. Meierei im Stadtpark is 2-starred restaurant Steirereck’s bistro with perfectly executed Wiener classics by chef Heinz Reitbauer. Go for an excellent breakfast or for lunch, as the park view is beautiful. Try their Wiener Schnitzel-probably the best in Vienna. The tender veal is breaded and butter fried to a pink and juicy medium and comes as three smaller schnitzels with a lemon wedge. Add a glass of Grüner Veltliner and remember to order potato salad instead of the boiled ones. Save room for some 140 different cheeses to choose from-ask for some of the funkier mountain cheeses (Sulner käs and Rässkäse) from Tirol. And remember to save room for the Kaiserschmarr’n pancake with boozy sultanas and plum compote. Nice wine list, too.

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