The first address after arriving in Vienna by train (if you arrive at the West-railway station and didn’t have coffee already at one of the modern cafés at the Bahnhofcity Wien West, check the article.) is this old traditional café.

Dark furniture, comfortable benches, and perfectly dressed waiters, that’s the Westend. Don’t expect to be warmly welcomed. The waiters, most of them as old as the place itself, are unfriendly and moody (they are getting more friendly recently!).

Yummy cakes, good coffee and the warm atmosphere let you forget about them immediately. Actually these moody characters make it a typical café in Vienna.

The location of the café invites all kind of types of people stopping by for a coffee and makes it also interesting to watch people. Somehow you have the feeling that many people have this hobby here – having a coffee and observing the situation.

There is a separated smoking area.

So this is a typical Viennese “restaurant”, nothing fancy for sure. It is not really in the most interesting area of Vienna, but neither far from the center.

Now what makes it worth to have lunch or dinner at Gassner’s?

Well, first of all the staff is friendly. Yes, finally a friendly waiter! Second, the food is really good, high in quality, big portions and the prices are really moderate.

Now if I tell you that this friendly waiter was once managing some very fancy and well know restaurants in the center of Vienna you will start understanding why you really should give it a try. Thomas Gassner, the owner really knows the business and leads his restaurant with passion.

Seasonal menus and a great choice of Viennese classics, such as the Schnitzel don’t make it difficult to choose a meal. My all time favorite is “Carinthian Ravioli” (vegetarian dish), accompanied by a good glass of white wine!

For lunch it is convenient to choose between the two daily menus (mainly meat) (€4.90 – €5.90).

If you are planing to go for dinner I recommend to make a reservation.

Pizza Mari’ is a minimalist pizzeria, no kitsch on the walls, no Eros Ramazotti as background music, no Austrianised Italian dishes, just Pizza, the basic of the basics. If you are looking for a Pizza Fantasia or Pizza Hawaii you are definitely at the wrong place, there are Austrians, Arabs, Turks and many more selling this kind of Pizza on every corner, but not here!

They have plenty of space inside and if you are lucky you’ll find on a nice day even a free table outside. Watch out, as they pizza makers are Italians, they do ferragosto, which means they go to the beach in August, so no Pizza!

Best choice: a beer and a Pizza Margherita and you will be the happiest person… and please don’t order Cappuccino after dinner (as you wouldn’t be ordering cornflakes after dinner!)

Now repeat after me: “No more cappuccino after dinner, no more pizza Hawaii and please, for God’s sake, don’t ask for ketchup never ever!”

Buon appetito!

Fruits, vegetables, Kebab, Pizza, clothes, cafés and many Nations: that’s the Meiselmarkt. Maybe you will ask now: so what is special about it? Well, it is the atmosphere! Every market has another charm, so does this one.

Depending on who is selling what, which country’s influence is stronger and so on… Here you have the feeling that it is very well balanced between foreign stalls and Austrian ones. A Turk sells meat next to an Austrian bakery. While a Pakistani sells cheap clothing and shoes close to the cheese section of the Italian. And everybody seem to be friends, even if sometime there is a language barrier, people are warmhearted here and open to other cultures.

Sit down in one of the small eateries and just watch the people! A slice of Pizza at Intermezzo for 1,50€ is usually a good deal.

Vienna’s pink heaven can be found all around the city at 26 different locations. The café and pastry chain has got a long tradition in Vienna and is well known as everything is pink: the outfits of the waitstaff (even the socks) and the cakes itself, such as the raspberry bomb.

Most of the cafés are still in their original 50ies/70ies style. It is popular among senior citizens and pink lovers. Some nice locations are next to the St.Stephens cathedral or in the Wollzeile (old city center).

If you want to bring home a sweet souvenir, buy one of their delicious boxes of chocolates, of course in pink!

Check the Aida cafés website for other locations.