Croatian specialities - including fresh fish and other Vienna, Austria Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Konoba

Konoba is a Croatian restaurant, with a strong emphasis on fish and seafood, although for diners who don't enjoy these choices there are always meat dishes and vegetarian dishes. There is also a range of white and red wines and numerous beers on tap - although strangely none of the beers are Croatian! I went as part of a large group and they put together a long table for us and were very attentive and the service was good and the food great. Their choice of fish was top notch and the prices were very competitive - mains being aroung EUR 9-12 with starters from EUR 2.50. They also have a good range of aperitifs and digestives and the atmosphere is pleasant and informal.

Favorite Dish: For the non-meat eater their veal, beef and lamb dishes are well worth tasting - often served with gnocchi. They have a wide range of fish - and seafood - friends reported that the mussels were excellent. I went for an Ajvar for starter - very simple and traditional, but very tasty. The veal with plums and gnocchi was very tasty and the figs with a port sauce and vanilla ice cream made a tasty dessert.

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Theme: Seafood
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Address: Lerchenfelderstr. 66-68 A-1080 Wien
Directions: 8th district 46 tram route down Lerchenfelderstrasse
Website: www.konoba.at

Restaurant Name: Le Bol

Le Bol is a small French café in the Neuer Markt - not far from St. Stephen's Cathedral. It is quite a sociable place - a large communal table dominates the front room, with several smaller tables around it and then there is a smaller smoking area to the back of the café. It is a good place to come for a lazy breakfast and to read the newspaper and there is a good range of patisseries and savoury items available, as well as a good list of teas and coffees and other drinks - from the soft to the stronger more-digestif style drinks.

The place is invariably full - a reservation is definitely a good idea as it is only a very small little café. There is also a Table d'hôtes selection to be enjoyed and the atmosphere is very pleasant and relaxed. Of course the doubters will say, how can this be a French café in Vienna... The answer is simple - the staff all speak French and you'll not find anything Austrian on the menu. A great little place - a reservation is recommended!

Favorite Dish: There is a very good mixed platter of French cheeses served with bread and fruits - including Roquefort and brie and with figs, apple slices, pear slices and a selection of assorted breads - really good!

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Theme: French
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: +4369910301899
Address: Neuer Markt 14, A-1010 Wien
Directions: Neuer Markt is close to Kärntner Strasse and the Graben.
Website: www.lebol.at
Other Contact: open daily from 8 (Sundays and h

Restaurant Name: Gräfin vom Naschmarkt

Amazingly I have never been to the Gräfin during the day - I have only ever been to visit the "old lady of the Naschmarkt" after a big night out - the Gräfin being open from 4am until 2am the following day. The 5am munchies can be a killer, so it is good that the Gräfin is around - it is a favourite among the barmen of Vienna's bars and pubs and somewhere they convene after after hours drinking.

It has a comfy well-loved slightly run down feeling to it - if you want a non-shabby eaterie then you'll probably not like the Gräfin. Part of the magic of the place for me is when it is deep in the darkness of the night and you can tuck away some post-session food - to come for a planned sit down meal still remains far too genteel for me! For a daytime café I'd go elsewhere but the Countess' niche (Gräfin meaning Countess!) is during the small hours of the night.

Favorite Dish: They do a wicked Apfelstrudel (apple strudel) otherwise all the food on the menu is typically Viennese fayre - ribs, schnitzel, gnocchi, ham and eggs and all the other kinds of staples you need to get you through an all-night drinking session.

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Theme: Breakfast
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: +4315863389
Address: 1060 Wien, Linke Wienzeile 14 a
Directions: next to the Naschmarkt
Other Contact: Open daily 04:00 - 02:00

Restaurant Name: Tee & Sushi

Tee & Sushi is a relatively unknown sushi restaurant - there are 15 in the 4th district alone, and one I go to from time to time. Not being open at the weekends is one reason why I tend not to go that often, but the reason for going is to have good tea with the sushi - the chains like Akakiko do not have such a good assortment of teas. It is also relatively quiet, due to it being slightly tucked away - unlike a lot of restaurants in Vienna there is not a profusion of signs directing you to it.

Favorite Dish: They offer the typical range of Maki, Sushi and Sashimi and have a good cheap lunch menu (with tea included!) and for people who are not that keen on sushi there is a good soup and tea option.

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Theme: Japanese/Sushi
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: +4315855428
Address: Kühnplatz 4, 1040 Wien
Directions: Just off the Naschmarkt and Schleifmühlgasse

Opening hours: Mo-Fr 11.30-14.30 and 17.30-22.00 (i.e. closed at the weekend and on public holidays)
Other Contact: closed Saturdays, Sundays and pu

Restaurant Name: Die Wäscherei

Die Wäscherei is a bar-cum-restaurant which I mainly frequent for its excellent Sunday brunch. The crowd is young and trendy, whilst not being in your face. In the evenings it is a bar with a chilled atmosphere and on Sunday a bustling location for brunch, and is operated like a café over the weekend. Brunch has become such a hit that you'll need to reserve unless you fancy waiting sometimes up to 30 minutes in order to get a table as one becomes free. The staff are not as rude as your average Kellner in a Kaffeehaus - helping to make this a very pleasant place to come out. At night there are reasonably priced cocktails and it is a fun place to come out to, with a young/studenty crowd.

Favorite Dish: The brunch is my favourite - quickly simply because it is well stocked, with breads, cheese, cold meats, fish, cereals, fruit, fruit juice and good coffee. The EUR 15 for brunch is well worth it - you certainly get your money's worth.

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Theme: Breakfast
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: +431409237511
Address: Albertgasse 49, A-1080 Wien
Directions: In the 8th district, relatively close to Josefstädterstrasse, Laudongasse and Florianigasse.
Website: www.die-waescherei.at
Other Contact: Open: Mo-Fr 17-2, Sa 10-2, Sun 1

Restaurant Name: Café Museum

Until a couple of years ago, Café Museum had a nicely welcoming and shabby feel to it, which made it more homely than it is now. All the chipped and scratched and cracked vestiges have now been removed - and the Adolf Loos-designed interior, which had hitherto been on display in the Hofmobiliendepot was reinstalled. The seating has been given a fresh lick of red paint - a bit to gaudy for my liking and the place is too clean and tidy rather than functional and well-loved. This café used to be one of Klimt and friends' favourites, being a stone's throw away from the Secession. Fortunately the whole refit doesn't appear to have overly changed the clientèle - remaining popular among students (the Technical University is very close) and chess players alike. Prices are around average - which considering how central it is, really is not bad.

Favorite Dish: There is a good range of pastries and light snacks to be had including breakfast staples such as ham and eggs and croissants.

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 586 5202
Address: Opernring 21
Directions: Just down Opernring from the Opera House
U1, U2, U4 Karlsplatz/Oper

Restaurant Name: Caffe Latte

I have tended to head to Café Latte for a Sunday Brunch with friends - a table reservation having always proven to be essential. They do a great all you can eat brunch, with drinks extra every Sunday and holiday for EUR 9.90. The Brunch option is available from 11am-3pm - good socialable hours. In the evening the place becomes a cocktail bar - with a fireshow around midnight - certainly something that little bit different. By day it is a trendy café and with its free wireless internet access, it is a popular choice for people popping in for some work!

Favorite Dish: I tend to pig out at the brunch - it is too difficult to resist. The croissants with cheese and prosciutto are too good to be true!!!

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: +43 1 523 5509
Address: Neubaugasse 39, A-1070 Wien
Directions: Just off Mariahilferstrasse - on the corner of Siebensterngasse - nearest U-Bahn U3 Neubaugasse
Website: www.caffelatte.at

Restaurant Name: Bombay

A lot of Indian restaurants in Vienna fall a long way short of the mark because their food is not spicy enough. Here the food can be as spicy as you want - and if they say it is very hot, then it is. The décor might be unappealing - and slightly past its best, but the food is reasonably priced and there is a good range of curry dishes to choose from.

Reservation is recommended - otherwise you may have to wait a while. The service is attentive, the prices are certainly more reasonable than in other Indian restaurants in Vienna, and all in all it is worth comeing to.

Favorite Dish: I always plump for a Meat Thali - three different meat dishes and rice served with peas, raisins, almonds and coconut. I tend to order a Naan bread to go with it - unfortunately there is only plain Naan. For a dessert, I would go for a Mango ice cream - very refreshing indeed. Also they do a very good Lhassi. For the above and a couple of beers you are talking about EUR 18.

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Theme: Indian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 01 523 4450
Address: Neubaugasse 65, A-1070 Wien
Directions: Just up from Neubaugasse U3 tube on Mariahilferstr.

Restaurant Name: Siebensternbräu

The Siebensternbräu is a brewery and beisl in one. There are a range of beers - available in 0.3l, 0.5l and 1.0l sizes of glass with a range including an India Pale Ale (IPA), Chilli Beer, Hemp Beer, and various light and dark beers. The food comes in good-sized portions with a good range of dishes for different sized appetites - from open sandwiches to racks of ribs. The atmosphere is pleasant, with a constant flow of people through the restaurant and with reservations a definite must - otherwise you can really struggle most nights of the week to get a table at peak times.

Favorite Dish: I tend to enjoy a rack of ribs (€11.90 for a large one and €7.90 for a small one). Otherwise there are smaller dishes like Schinkenfleckerl - pasta with ham and cheese sauce. The Nuremberg white sausages (Nürnberger Weisswürsteln) with sweet mustard are also a favourite of mine. The beers are good, with the Chilli beer being well worth a taste!

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Theme: German/Austrian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: +43 1 523 86 97
Address: Siebensterngasse 19, 1070 Wien
Directions: Close to Mariahilferstrasse and the Museumsquartier

Opening times: Monday -Sunday 10:00 - 00:00 (kitchen open 11:00-23:00)
Website: www.7stern.at
Other Contact: +43 1 523 2580

Restaurant Name: Café Hawelka

One of Vienna's most famous, olde worlde feel coffee shops, which are becoming increasingly hard to find, is Café Hawelka. Tucked off in the Dorotheagasse, next to the Casanova Revue Bar, Hawelka is a legend in the Vienna coffeehouse scene. Leopold Hawelka has run the coffee house for over half a century - he ran it with his late wife, Josephine, up until her death in March 2005. He still makes all the cakes himself and under his late wife's front-of-house she would try and match up a single male customer with a single female customer. The coffee is reasonably priced, the ambience and décor having the decidedly lived-in well loved and well-used feel and it is not as pretentious as any of the other 1st district coffee houses.

Favorite Dish: An cup of Viennese coffee washed down with one of their cakes hits the spot quite nicely.

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 512 8230
Address: Dorotheagasse 6, 1010 Wien
Directions: Just off the Graben about 150m from the Cathedral