It’s true: eating out in Vienna is at the higher end of the scale, and many places offer weekday lunch specials or deals to “soften” the hit to the wallet. But flip-side, there are many bistros, taverns, and restaurants which provide examples of Viennese cuisine and hospitality. I’m highlighting two I’ve visited over the last two days:
• Rudi’s Beisl, as recommended by the Herknerin herself; my visit on 18 June.
• Kaffee Alt Wien, as recommended by Falstaff; my visit on 19 June.
Rudi’s Beisl
Located in the 5th district (Margareten) at Wiedner Hauptstrasse 88. I took bus 13A to stop Johann-Strauss-Gasse, but there’s also trams 1, 62, or Badener Bahn to stop Laurenzgasse.
Blue and white interior, for a “light” and breezy” atmosphere.
Towards my spot in the corner.
Outside on the street there’s a board listing this week’s specials, which complements the information on their website. It’s Tuesday (Dienstag), and I had their grilled pork with mushrooms over rice (Champignonschnitzel mit Reis).
Warm day? A half-litre shandy to quaff.
Their grilled pork with mushrooms over rice (Champignonschnitzel mit Reis) was delicious. I could’ve had another plate, but I (barely) have any limits or measure of self-control. No coffee or dessert, I had to get going.
Kaffee Alt Wien
Located in the 1st district (Innenstadt) at Bäckerstrasse 9. Nearest stations: U1/U4 Schwedenplatz; or U1/U3 Stephansplatz.
“Come on in, we have food & drink.” The chalk board at left lists this week’s lunch specials, found also on their website. The board at right lists other savoury and sweet dishes on offer.
Front, left; towards the bar.
More room and tables at back.
Front, right; towards my spot in the corner. I could simply grab a newspaper (which I did), and spent another 30 minutes reading post-meal. No English-language papers that I could see, however.
This week’s lunch specials on their website: at least one meat-option and at least one vegetarian-option every day. For Wednesday (Mittwoch), I chose “Faschierte Laibchen” with no soup or salad to leave “enough space”.
Their in-house “lemonades”, including this rhubarb-raspberry-vanilla with carbonated mineral water.
“Faschierte Laibchen mit Erdäpfelpüree”: fried mounds of ground-meat with gravy and creamy mashed potatoes. And yes, this is very Austrian, and I could’ve had another plate.
But they’re also known for their “Apfelstrudel mit Schlagobers”. The phyllo pastry simply holds things together, but the real star is the apple chunks: fresh, tart, and a hint of cinnamon. The whipped cream adds creamy sweet lightness to the entire dessert. Y. U. M.
I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 18 and 19 Jun 2024. I received no support from any external organization. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
Above/featured: Kühnplatz in the 4th district – 22 May 2022.
I never knew my grandparents, except for brief glimpses of mum’s mum, 阿婆, who died before I entered secondary school.
On a warm June day in 2022, I’m sitting in the basement of someone’s family home, lovingly decorated over decades by Omas and Opas. In Vienna’s 4th district, the idea behind Vollpension cafe is retirees do all the baking.
Upon arrival, a host seats me at a table where I’m presented with a “menu card” listing combination- and timing-options. Unlike other cafes in the city, one does not hang out or loiter here for hours, and that means there’s a maximum stay-duration for a specified combination purchase; that’s fine by me, as I choose one of the cake-and-beverage options. The server leaves to retrieve my cool drink, while I go up to the front counter and gauge the remaining options on Sunday mid-afternoon. I want something light on this warm late-spring day: Kardinalschnitt, made with sponge cake, meringue, and fruit jam. I order a slice of Kardinalschnitt mit Schlagobers (with whipped cream). Behind the counter is a kindly Oma to whom I relay in passable German I came all the way from Canada’s west coast to see this place. That impressed her enough that she asks me to come back for a 2nd but smaller piece.
There’s a good mix of ages among the staff. I chat briefly with one of the servers about what it’s like to work here at the café, the guests they’ve seen from different countries, and their favourite cake. Among some of the retired pensioners in house today, I have an additional conversation with a gentleman who has spent time with his family in Vancouver, Canada.
At the outset, some Viennese or Austrians might not seek this place out, although I can tell from surrounding conversations how much Viennese-German is being spoken. At any rate, this place works for me, and if I barely knew my grandparents, I can perhaps get a good taste and long look at life with Austrian grandparents, here at Vollpension in Vienna.
( Towards the end of this post is a 1-minute iPT6-video with a look inside the café. )
Inside Vollpension (X70).
Table 5 (X70).
Tables 6 and 7 (X70).
Table 8 (X70).
Front counter with daily offerings (X70).
Ameisen-Gugelhupf / Bundt cake with chocolate chips. No “Ameisen” (ants) were harmed or included in the cake-making process (X70).
Topfentorte / cream-cheese torte (X70).
Kardinalschnitte, made with sponge cake, meringue, and fruit jam (X70).
2nd, complimentary, but smaller slice of Kardinalschnitte, accompanied by cool unsweetened non-alcoholic lemon spritzer (X70).
Directions
Vollpension is centrally located on Schleifmühlgasse 16 with a second location at the MUK Wien (Music & Arts University of Vienna). Smaller versions of Vollpension might “pop up” elsewhere in the city during the summer season.
Public transport with Wiener Linien: in between U1/(U2)/U4 Karlsplatz and U4 Kettenbrückengasse; bus 59A to stop Schleifmühlgasse; or tram 1, 62, or Badener Bahn to stop “Paulanergasse.”
My independent visit to Vollpension was neither requested nor supported. I made all images above on 22 May and 12 Jun 2022 with an Apple 6th-generation iPod Touch (iPT6) and Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime (X70). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-n7U.
Here are two more great joints in Sydney for a delicious cuppa joe …
Ampersand, Paddington
During the German film festival, I’d been up and down Oxford Street between the two cinemas, and one cafe in particular near the Palace Verona cinema was a standout. The Ampersand Café Bookstore is a cozy place with fresh coffee, friendly staff, and a lot of books; there’s seating inside and outside. Had I stayed for long, I would’ve gotten lost in a large mug and many books on art, cinema, and photography.
While at Bondi early one April-morning to photograph the morning light, I found a tiny café called “bRu coffee”. The café is at the corner of Brighton Boulevard and Campbell Parade, near the bus loop where some bus-routes from the CBD terminate in North Bondi. A warm lifesaver on a cool morning, this place is a definite fave among local residents. There aren’t many seats inside or outside, and given its location, many get their takeaways for a morning walk on the beach or for their work-commute into the City. I liked this place so much I returned to Bondi two weeks later to photograph the surf. Over a large flat white, I chatted with the staff and with “Mr. Vitamins” himself, Mr. Abraham James.
Fotoeins Fotografie 