Please sign in to post.

Vienna Heuriger

I have read about going to a Heuriger when visiting Vienna, it sounds like a fun evening. We are not really wine drinker but the food and atmosphere sound great. We will still enjoy the experience? Also any suggestions as to which ones to choose / We will be in Vienna for 4 nights.

Posted by
5362 posts

Heurigen are an amazing way to eat good food and experience Vienna life. It would be helpful to know what time of year your trip will happen.

Posted by
183 posts

Time of year does matter a lot--summer or early fall is best when you can sit outside under an arbor somewhere . . .

This one is my favorite--it's actually a Buschenshank (smaller):
http://www.hengl-haselbrunner.at/
Not a tourist place at all. Food very much above average and they make very nice wines. Garden seating and a very quiet location with a churchyard next door, but no views of the city. Do make a reservation--I think you can do it online.
About a 10 minute walk from a streetcar line in the 19th.

There are, of course lots of options in Grinzing (and lots of tourists . . . )

Posted by
7010 posts

Late August is a good time to go. I went with a group and there were several non-wine drinkers in the group and I'm sure they had as good a time as the rest of us. It was a lot of fun, with good food, music, and new wine.

Posted by
3938 posts

We stayed for a month in a nearby town 2 years ago that had 40+ heuringer. We went to a different heuringer in our town, Perchtoldsdorf, or restaurant in Vienna every night for dinner. We really enjoyed the light white wines and fresh fruit filled wine drinks (kind of a light, white sangria) on a warm summer evening. There were plenty of other water and juice options to drink too. No one will pay any attention to what you are drinking. We were the only English speakers at our area's heuringer and we didn't feel out of place or stared at at all. The culture of showing up with friends and family for a casual summer meal outdoors under the grape arbors took place all around us and we felt very included and at home. All of our local heuringer had nice playgrounds near the tables and people were very focused on their families, not on what we were drinking.

There was a little bit of a learning curve on figuring out how to order, pick up eating utinsels and who delivers what to your table and when. But we just paid attention to what people in line were doing before we held up the process. A lot of the food choices are prepared ahead of time and in a counter in front of you so you can just say "bitte" and point.

Posted by
5362 posts

No one will blink an eye if you don't order wine. Try the grape juice instead, mixed with soda water. The grape juice is divine.

My favorite heuriger area is Stammersdorf or Mauer, two villages that are now part of Vienna. In Stammersdorf, try Heuriger Wieninger or Wienbau Goebel. In Mauer, try Zahel. Both of these areas are easily reachable by public transport.

You'll read a lot about Grinzing in the travel books, but avoid it. Food quality is low and they bring tourists in by the bus load. Not a local in sight.