plachutta restaurant in vienna

The most well known place of Plachutta is that in Wollzeile street. It is inundated by tourists and that has significantly contributed to some of the negative reviews.

Better is to go there, near Schönbrunn palace: https://www.plachutta-hietzing.at/en

I also went to the one by the palace. The service was good, and I tipped extra.

Thanks. I'll go there!

Well, the waiter was on the surly side and added a large tip to the credit card bill (not so frequent on this side of the Atlantic), but the food is still a fond memory. Wollzeile, late 2021.

Plachutta Hietzing - top class. Wollzeile is nice but a tourist hotspot. Greets from Vienna :-)

The waiter at the Schönbrunn location did brazenly ask me to tip more. I am guessing that he knew we came from the US.

I've eaten at Plachutta on Wollzeile on numerous occasions, including recently. I think that opinions on service in general in Vienna are relative. Tourists from the US and other parts of the world tend to expect overly enthusiastic service, which you will not find in Vienna. I have always had polite servers at Plachutta - they even kindly serve you Tafelspitz tableside. It is really a fantastic and iconic restaurant. I would go in a heartbeat.

Tourists from the US and other parts of the world tend to expect overly enthusiastic service, ...

Exactly. Other countries, other customs.

1. Locals detest the typical American permanent-grin style ("I am Mandy and I will serve you ... yadda yadda"). Waiters are employees and get a fixed payment, i.e., they don't make their living from tips. Nevertheless you should tip 5-10% if the service was good.
2. The menu will not presented to you 5 seconds after you have been seated.
3. There is no ice water on the table. Ordering tap water is disliked.
4. Bread and rolls are not for free, except there is a cover charge.
5. You are given time to study the menu before you are asked to order. Drinks are usually ordered first.
6. The bill will not presented to you automatically when you have swallowed the last bite of your dessert. Should this happen, it is kind of an offense. You have to ask (sometimes to beg) for the bill.
7. Take your time. Most restaurants are understaffed, and the waiters do their best to cope with this. (Austria would need about 30% more staff in restaurants, but less people want to work there. A lot of restaurants had to reduce their opening hours.)