Wondering if there are very good Italian restaurants in Vienna. I know I am in Austria but I have eaten a lot of Austrian food over the years so I want something different. I find major European cities often have good foreign restaurants.
Thanks,
Gerry
I've only been once, but enjoyed Ristorante Firenze Enoteca near St Stephen's.
Gerry,
If you want something unusual and a bit different in Italian food, you might try Vapiano Restaurants. They have one outlet in Vienna, close to the Opera House (can't remember which street, but it's about half a block from the Starbucks on Kärntner Strasse), right across the street from Pension Suzanne.
The experience at Vapiano is a bit different than the usual restaurant. When you enter, you'll be handed a plastic card (similar to a credit card), along with a menu. Each dish is prepared to order at various "chef stations" and at each one the credit card is placed on a glass window and the total for the food item being ordered at that station is added to the card. Coffee and booze are added at different stations than food. After you have your order, find a place to sit down. When you've finished dinner, take the credit card to the cashier and pay the bill. I found the food to be very good and surprisingly filling, and the atmosphere to be quite "lively", albeit on the noisy side.
There are also numerous Italian restaurants in the side streets just off Kärntner Strasse, between the Opera House and the Cathedral. I had lunch at one of them but can't remember the name (might have been Ristorante San Carlo?) and the food was reasonably good.
We ate at La Norma, which was recommended by Rick, and is tucked away behind St. Stephen's Cathedral. We thought the pasta dishes were very good, but the pizza was lousy. Would definitely go back for the pasta, and the salads were good.
DaCapo is by far the best Italian I have had in Vienna.
Schulerstraße 18 | 1010 Wien
Tel.: +43 1 512 44 91
dacapo@dacapo.co.at
Il Sestante at Piaristengasse 50 is THE pizza place (and more) in Vienna.
It's not Italian, but this place is surely interesting:
I think it is worth pointing out that Vapiano, suggested above, is a large chain that also has many locations in the US. It is hardly unique to Vienna.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
Gerry
Gerry,
Just to clarify, I didn't mean to imply that Vapiano was unique to Vienna. You asked about "good Italian restaurants" and I felt that one fit the description.
Thanks Emily for the dacapo tip. I really liked it and will go one more time before going back. Really nice neighborhood to walk around also.
On the way there I walked past Stan's tip of Ristorante Firenze Enoteca. It also looked very nice.
