GROW WITH SARAH GRACE

Aida

Aida is a cafe chain known only in Vienna that offers sweets and the perfect cup of coffee. This cafe, as a side note, also sells adorable pink sweatshirts in their merch line. The cafe is 50’s themed and has pink elements all around – it’s my dream location. Aida claims to serve the best coffee in Vienna but I can’t attest to that. I can say with great confidence that they do make a mean apple strudel and have a mouth-watering display of cakes and pastries. 

Cafe Central

This restaurant had a line out the door but the wait was 100% worth it. Once you walk through the doors, you are greeted by a statue of the famous poet, Peter Altenburg. As the story goes, many influential people spent their spare time at Cafe Central making it the famous restaurant it is today. The ambiance of the space is fantastic and I must say is very attractive. Waiters wearing suits walk around with breakfasts and pastries and the decor screams trecento era architecture. 

Cafe Leto

I still don’t understand the reason but Greek restaurants are plentiful in Vienna, Austria. Cafe Leto is the best Greek food I have ever had (I must say I never ate it before this trip so the options are slim). The Tzatziki was divine and although there weren’t very many vegetarian options that seemed appealing to me at the time, my pomegranate and avocado greek style salad was delicious. The atmosphere is perfect for a little date night with your significant other or even your best friend. 

Cafe Sacher

The final restaurant on this list is one that I am mixed about. It was another highly recommended place mainly for its Sacher Torte, or chocolate cake. We waited in line to enter and once we finally got in, we noticed some flaws in the “world-famous” place. Cafe Sacher is a beautifully decorated restaurant, I can’t lie. Its red velvet walls and cushioned seat are aesthetically pleasing but the service wasn’t the best I’ve had in my life. I tend to give the benefit of the doubt and maybe they were having a bad day but a couple of servers were just plain mean. The famous chocolate cake itself? Pretty average and not the best cake I’ve eaten in my life. 

The only reason I added this restaurant to the list is that although I may not have enjoyed the dessert that much, they do offer many other traditional Austrian dishes and pastries so perhaps those are worth a try. In addition to the other items, the vibe is quite nice and worth a look if you have time. Of course, the way they make the cake could be the perfect way for you so give it a try for yourself. 

FOOD IN GENERAL

Besides some amazing restaurants to check out, there are still some general foods or treats you should try when in Austria! Of course, some of these things you can get at one of the restaurants I recommended but can be enjoyed anywhere!

The first item is Mozartkugel or “Mozart Balls”. This chocolate ball has many variations but the original Mozart Ball is made of pistachio, marzipan and nougat covered in chocolate. You can find packs of these at nearly any souvenir shop and generally around town and they are worth a try! ******photo od Mozart balls

The second treat is Manner Wafers and they are delicate wafers that come in a variety of flavors like Napoleon, chocolate brownie and even lemon. My friend and I ended up loving these wafers so much we went to the store nearly three times to get some and I even left the third store with a tote bag from the company! 

The third treat you need to try when in Austria is the Apple Strudel. You can enjoy it with powdered sugar or whipped cream (or both) and it is basically apple pie but not because in my opinion, it’s better! You can find this at virtually any cafe especially Cafe Central, Cafe Sacher and Aida as mentioned before. 

The final item that is worth a try is Schnitzel! I couldn’t try this myself but the country is known for it so it has to be worth a try. Wiener Schnitzel is one of the most commonly known dishes in Austria. It is a thin, fried cutlet and you can find it as veal or pork. Veal is the common alternative in Vienna while the rest of Austria usually uses pork. 

Austria is full of good cuisine that is waiting to be discovered so have fun and try something new! There are many dishes and/or treats that Austria is known for and I only touched on a few so be adventurous and explore your palette a little bit.