Viennese cuisine is strongly influenced by southeast European cuisine, notably that of Hungary, Serbia, Romania and Dalmatia. Austrian desserts and cake are particularly renowned.
Things to know: The main meal of the day is lunch. All restaurants have waiter service, as do most bars and coffee houses. Bills are settled with the arrival of drinks.
National specialties: •
Wiener Schnitzel is a traditional dish of breadcrumbed and fried veal escalope.
•
Tafelspitz is regarded as Austria’s national dish and consists simply of boiled
beef.
•
Palatschinken (Austrian pancakes).
•
Apfelstrudel is the classic pudding.
•
Mehlspeisen is the national term for cakes and puddings. There are around 60 varieties of
Torte, which is often consumed with coffee.
National drinks: • Local wines (often served in open carafes) are excellent and cheap: most of the wines are white and
Riesling and
Veltliner are particularly well-regarded.
•
Obstler is made by distilling various fruits. It is usually very strong, well-flavored and cheap.
Legal drinking age: 16 (for beer and wine); 18 (for spirits).
Tipping: On restaurant bills, a service charge of 10 to 15% is included, but it is usual to leave a further 5%. Attendants at theaters, cloakrooms or petrol pumps, expect to be tipped €0.15-0.25. Railway and airports have fixed charges for portering. Taxi drivers expect €0.25-0.50 for a short trip and 10% for a longer one.
NightlifeViennese nightlife offers something for every taste:
opera,
theater and
cabaret as well as numerous
bars and nightclubs. There are
cinemas of all types, some of them of architectural interest, showing films in different languages. A good way to spend a summer evening is in one of the
beer gardens found all over Austria. The wine-growing area around Vienna features
wine gardens (
Heurigen) where visitors can sample local wines in an open-air setting.
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