🇦🇹Vienna, Austria
The Wiener Schnitzel Pilgrimage
A veal cutlet hammered wafer-thin, breaded and fried until the golden crust billows and ripples off the plate. Lemon, potato salad, and a coffee-house afterwards.
Why this dish?
A true Wiener Schnitzel is veal, pounded thin, dredged in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, then fried fast in plenty of fat so the coating puffs and blisters away from the meat - that loose, golden, rippling crust is the mark of the real thing. It's served simply with a wedge of lemon and a vinegary potato salad or parsley potatoes. By law in Austria, "Wiener Schnitzel" means veal; the pork version is "Schnitzel vom Schwein."
Vienna serves it in grand, mirror-lined dining rooms and cosy beisls alike, and the best are a masterclass in a deceptively hard dish. Pair it with the city's other religion - the coffee house, where you order one melange and stay for three hours with the papers - and you've got one of Europe's most civilised days out.
Our Picks
Figlmüller
- Address
- Wollzeile 5, Vienna
- What to order
- The classic Figlmüller schnitzel (ask for veal - "vom Kalb" - if you want the true Wiener) with potato salad and a glass of Grüner Veltliner.
- Book ahead
- Yes - it's iconic and busy; book.
- Pro tip
- The plate-sized schnitzel is thin by design; a green salad and potato salad are the classic sides.
Meissl & Schadn
Schubertring 10–12, Vienna
A grand Viennese room renowned for both Wiener Schnitzel and Tafelspitz - the latter is the city's other great classic, beloved of emperors.
- What to order
- Wiener Schnitzel vom Kalb (veal), or Tafelspitz - boiled beef with horseradish and apple.
Good to know
"Wiener Schnitzel" legally means veal in Austria; the cheaper pork version is "Schnitzel vom Schwein" - both are good, just know what you're ordering. The loose, blistered crust is the quality sign. Save time for a coffee house (Central, Sperl, Hawelka): order a melange, never rush, and have a slice of Sachertorte.
Your day plan
Wheels up to wheels down.
Flight goals - what you're aiming for
- 07:00Depart London
- 10:15Land Vienna
- 10:50Train into the centre (25 min)
- 11:30The Ringstrasse, St Stephen's Cathedral, the Hofburg
- 12:45Wiener Schnitzel lunch at Figlmüller
- 14:30A museum (the Kunsthistorisches is staggering) or the palace gardens
- 16:00Coffee-house ritual: a melange and a slice of Sachertorte
- 17:00Train back to the airport
- 18:30Depart Vienna
- —Leave well-fed and ready for the journey
