Vienna restaurants

During our second visit to Vienna we didn't miss our favourite lunch spot, Anker. We actually had it 4 times - twice for lunch, once for breakfast and once for a late dinner. Anker is the best in delivering fresh and tasty panini which do not only look good but are also much healthier than a fast food option. Nordsee, which was my favourite spot for lunch and dinner during our first visit to the city of music, dropped out of the best places to eat in Vienna. It might have been that I have been eating so many salads lately that I have lost the appetite for fast food. However, I do crave McDonalds every now and then. My favourite Anker shop is found at the beginning of Mariahilferstrabe, not far from the Museumsquartier.

 

Aubergine, feta cheese and lettuce inside an olives panino.

I couldn't not have this panino given that aubergines, lettuce and feta cheese are among my top favourite foods.



Breaded chicken and lettuce panino. Not my favoruite but still good enough.

Ravioli alla norma. Best norma pasta I ate out.

Eggplant again, and pasta and mozzarella. It was the perfect pasta dish and it was so good that I didn't want to share it with my husband but we were sharing also a pizza which was so good that I forgot to take a picture...It had prosciutto crudo and brie. So if you are looking for the perfect Italian restaurant with a modern vibe then Pesco is the right choice.

 

If you are looking for a more fine dining experience and you don't mind paying a little bit more, you should try the Nemtoi restaurant at the Levante Parliament Hotel. The Nemtoi burger was simply divine.

 

Finally if you like Mexican, I am not a huge fan, my husband suggests Mas Mexican. Cheesy nacios, chicken fajitas and a regular beef burger are the dishes we chose. I don't like spicy food so I wanted to stick with simpler dishes, hence the burger choice. While good, the burger was not as good as the Nemtoi burger.

 

What about you, which are your favourite restaurants in Vienna?

 

 STAY FAB



Film festival

Vienna weather might not allow for many outdoor festivals and activities. Yet the Viennese still know how to enjoy their beautiful city. And when the weather is at its best, between end of June and end of August, a Film Festival is held throughout July and August in the Rathaus City Hall. With free entry and more than 30 food stalls offering specialities from various countries, a big screen, free seating, tables and chairs, and a magical atmosphere there is no better way to spend your evening in Vienna. As the location of the festival was just 5 minutes away from our hotel we went 3 nights out of 7 and we had a great time each time.

 

We didn't really watch the movies they were streaming but we got to enjoy the bubbly yet nice atmosphere and the delicious food. I really recommend you check the Film Festival next year and we loved it so much we might go again next Summer. Below are a few images taken on the 3 nights we were there...

 

Film Festival Vienna

Thai Food Stall

Persian Food Stall

Traditional Viennese Food Stall

Crepes Stall

 

Lily Crepe

 

Banana and caramel waffles

From the Indian food stall



From the portuguese food stall

Magical setting

My favourites were definitely the Indian samosas, the Thai gyoza, Lily's crepe and the Portuguese egg tarts with cinnamon....yummm.

Have you ever been to Vienna's Film Festival? If yes, which was your favourite food stall?

 

STAY FAB

End of Summer

I was expecting end of August to be cool in Vienna, but it turned to be often cold. I was wearing shorts when we arrived, and when the pilot said the temperature would be around 13 degrees Celsius while landing it freaked me a little bit. I had obviously checked the weather an infinite number of times before packing, but because the weather was very variable - at times saying it would be sunny and warm and at times rainy and slightly cold- I just packed the outfits I really wanted to wear, that is mostly dresses, shorts and sandals. Thankfully I took one pair of jeans and one pair of trainers along with a cardigan and long sleeves top. I knew I would buy a few jackets, leggings, trousers and closed shoes while shopping in Vienna. Notwithstanding this I was not expecting it to be so cold especially in the evenings. During our visit last October the temperatures would be lower in the morning than late at night. Whereas this time it seemed to me it was the opposite. I am not surprised though since Vienna is famous for having a very unpredictable weather, along with being famous for its culture, Mozart and Sacher torte.

 

At times I felt everyone would be looking at my bare white legs while on the underground as I was among the few ones wearing shorts or a dress. I didn't mind though as I got to wear my favourite outfits and I am thankful for having found a white parka and a few great scarfs from H&M which kept me warm throughout the days. In the evenings I would change into trousers and layer one of the sweaters I bought under the parka. So all in all, I am pretty happy with what I packed, because by packing less on my way to Vienna I got to have more space to put all the goodies I bought myself while shopping there. Vienna is amazing when it comes to fashion. And it's not only because of the many great stores, but you can feel fashion in the air and see it in the streets with all the people walking dressed in completely different styles.

 

After a long intro here are the outfits I wore in Vienna during the last week of August. I have also decided to feature a few 'His & Hers' outfits.

 

Let me know whether you liked the new 'His & Hers' feature.

 

STAY FAB

Sacher torte

Tasting a sacher torte is definitely a must when in Vienna. That's exactly what we did during our first visit last October. My husband and I shared a sacher torte at Cafe Aida in Stephansplatz, and regretfully I must say we were not impressed with how the cake compared to the Aida's Mozart cake. You may want to read more about this here.

 

During our recent trip to Vienna last August we were looking forward to find a Sacher torte which was as good as history behind this cake suggests. I cannot say whether we found the best Sacher cake, as I have only tasted 3 in total but I can definitely say the cake was delicious, so delicious that it ranks at the top of all the chocolate cakes I have eaten so far. If you are wondering where you can eat this cake, I can tell you this small cute cafe' is located right in the centre of the old city, in one of the most famous shopping strees, few metres away from Steffl department store. If you have not guessed it yet, I am talking about the L. Heiner Kartnerstrabe cafe'. Below are few pictures of the cafe and the desserts we got to try. 

 

Entrance of the ground floor level at L. Heiner Cafe'

Truffle cake at L.Heiner Cafe in Kartnerstrabe Vienna

Best sacher torte I ever ate. Cafe' L. Heiner in Kartnerstrabe, Vienna

 

 

If you would like to try more sacher tortes, I have heard that the best one is made at the famous Demel cafe' in Kohlmarkt. The Cafe Sacher in Kartnerstrabe seems to make a great sacher torte too, and is also a very elegant cafe'.

 

Speaking of Cafe' Demel, I am shy to say that I only discovered this cafe' thanks to the blog Merisi Vienna for Beginners. The author states that this cafe' is the oldest cafe' in Vienna and is thus a must attraction to visit. So while I did not get to try the cafe' during my first visit to Vienna, I made sure to go on the last day during my recent trip there. I actually went twice, the first time my husband and I just looked around through the shop selling hand made chocolates. We also had a look at the cakes and didn't end up staying because there was no outdoor seating. The second time we spotted the big chocolate cake in the cake window called Anna cake, which is one of Demel's signature cakes, and we knew we had to try it. So we waited in line to be seated on the second floor. Yes, this cafe' is so popular that you have to wait to be seated at least 15 minutes. We had 2 cappuccinos and 2 Anna tortes. The bill came 19 euros, including the glass of water each which all cafes in Vienna provide like it's done in Italy. It was definitely the most expensive cake and cappuccino I ever had but it was worth the price. As you can see in the pictures below, there is a section of the kitchen where cakes get prepared which can be seen by the public through the glass partition.

 

Demel's menu

Anna torte in Demel cafe Vienna

Second floor at Demel Cafe'

Demel Cafe' kitchen

Demel Cafe' own chocolate delicacies for sale.

First floor at Demel Cafe in Vienna

 

Vienna is not however only about the sacher torte. The many cafes scattered throughout the city offer different sorts of chocolate cakes, and a must try in my opinion is the Mozart cake at cafe' Aida. Below are some pictures taken during our recent visit to cafe' Aida inside the Donauzentrum shopping mall.

 

Mozart cake at Cafe' Aida, in Donauzentrum (also located in Stephansplatz) Vienna

 

Cake and coffee is part of the Viennese culture. In my opinion this ritual blends perfectly with the cold weather and the many sightseeing options as it is the perfect treat to have during an afternoon spent shopping, or sightseeing or even as a break from working or to shelter oneself during a cold and rainy day. One thing I keep asking myself is what is the secret of the Viennese women, which makes them be so tall and slim while enjoying all these chocolate cakes. Who knows....it might be all the walking done since a great percentage of the population uses public transport instead of the car, the sports practices at the Green Prater on Sunday morning or simply lucky genes. And while I am not blessed with these genes myself, I look forward to eating more chocolate cakes during my next visit in Vienna. There are so many nice cafes we didn't get to try including Sperl cafe', Cafe' Central, Cafe' Landtmann, Cafe' Leopold Hawelka, Burgring 1, Cafe' Le Bol and Kleines Cafe.'

 

What about you do you love a chocolate cake and cappuccino?

Which is your favourite cafe' in Vienna? Share it in the comments below.

 

STAY FAB

 



Salzburg

Salzburg has always been in my destinations to visit list, and getting to actually experience this picturesque small town immersed in such a wonderful backdrop was a great experience. Sharing this with my husband made it even better.

 

We reached Salzburg by train from Vienna. We took a Westbahn train from Vienna Westbahnhof departing at 7.40 in the morning and came back with a Westbahn train departing from Salzburg hauptbahnhof at 6.50 in the evening. It takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes each way. The train, as you can see below is very comfortable and clean. There are many restrooms across the train and you get sections with a table, great if you want to have a snack or do some work. The train is pretty smooth but you get some ears popping when it goes under tunnels, usually during the first hour from Vienna to Salzburg and the last hour on the way back. I suggest you buy some gums to help with the ear pressure. The cost of a ticket per person for one way is around EUR24, so the cost for 2 people for both ways was just under EUR100.

 

As soon as we arrived in Salzburg we got a little bit confused about how to reach the centre. I suggest you go inside the buses information centre and ask for direction. Or else you can look at the map in the bus station in front of the hauptbahnhof and take any bus which goes to the centre. Buy a day ticket for each person at EUR3.40 and you will be able to go to the centre and come back later that day to catch your train back to Vienna or any other city you are coming from. We took bus 6, stopped close to the Mirabelle gardens and walked forward until we saw the Salzach river. I am sure you can agree the views are pretty amazing. So stopping for a few pictures is a must.

We walked across the bridge over the Salzach and reached the old town. I was really amazed at how you can reach different streets through small passages in between buildings. Most of these passages have local shops selling jewellery, sweets, souvenirs, fancy clothes and much more.

 

We were starving and needed to use the restroom so we went around the old town looking for a nice cafe. I didn't want to miss the Salzburg strudel and after going inside Cafe Tomaselli, which didn't look very appealing on the inside, we came across the beutiful Cafe Altstadt and that's where we had our cappuccinos, strudel and sacher torte. If you want to know where to have the best sacher torte in Vienna read this post. The strudel was divine and for being in Salzburg the price was very reasonable too.

 

 

After a small break we headed towards the Salzburg fortress through the funicular. You can buy your ticket for the fortress including a two way funicular ride for under EUR12. The fortress is definitely a must if you are in Salzburg. From its top you can admire the most amazing views and take great pictures. You can easily see the fortress in around 90 minutes. I would also suggest you stop for lunch in one of the restaurants/cafes surrounding the fortress since the views are so spectacular.

 

 

After getting off the funicular we just wondered across the town, looking for a nice spot to eat and also doing some window shopping. We walked by the Cathedral, the University, the open market, and Mozart house. We bought some chocolates from the Braun shop and also some Mozartkugeln from the train station.

 

 

 

 

But before leaving to catch the train we had a delicious early dinner at Gasthof Goldgasse. Both my husband and I ordered veal schnitzel which came with parsley potatoes, cranberries sauce and a cucumber salad. It wasn't cheap, but considering we had meat and we were in Salzburg it was definitely worth it.

 

And just before catching the train I did some last minute shopping inside H&M. We made it just in time to catch the train and we got in Vienna at around 9.20 pm. We spent a really nice day in Salzburg and I would definitely consider going for an entire weekend.

 

 

Have you been to Salzburg? If yes what did you like most about this picturesque town?

 

STAY FAB