Bon Appetit!
One of my favorite phrases when traveling!
I enjoy sampling regional food and beverages when traveling – both domestically and abroad.
To prepare for culinary adventures before my trip I watch YouTube videos, read travel guides and various reviews in an attempt to identify things that might be on a “must try” list.
For my January 2026 trip to Vienna, Austria I was also able to utilize some colleagues Andrew has at the Max Planck Institute for personal suggestions on places to eat and things to try.
I will also acknowledge that some of these food items may cater more to the tourist crowd than to locals – but then again – I fall solidly into the tourist category.
Dinner
I really enjoyed two main dishes in the evening – Veal Schnitzel (Day 1) and Beef Goulash (Day 3). The veal dish was very lightly breaded – almost like tempura – and was not as “heavy” as I thought it might be. In contrast, the Goulash had plenty of paprika and was a very hearty dish – but they served “large” and “small” portions and the smaller one was perfect for dinner. The goulash was served with a pickle and a potato dumpling.
My favorite dinner place of the three or four we tried was Kaffee Alt Wien. This was a place that Rick Steves would have liked – inexpensive, full of local friendly people and delicious food. This was recommended by one of Andrew’s colleagues – and I would certainly go back there again.
Beverages
I like trying local beers – and had a different one each evening (and sometimes at lunch as well). One interesting difference in drinking beers compared to the U.S. is that you could order a beer as either 0.2 L (6.7 oz), 0.3 L (10.1 oz) or 0.5 L (16.9 oz). It was nice to be able to have a small amount of beer with a meal.
The beer was all good – but it was pretty much the same from brand to brand.
Coffee & Dessert
I also enjoyed European style coffee everywhere we went – which tastes a lot like what I fix back home in our De’Longhi Magnifica coffee machine.
A local coffee drink is called “Vienna melange” which is half coffee and half hot milk with foam. It was excellent and I had it most mornings with breakfast along with cakes and pastries.
I also tried several deserts over the course of our visit. The apple strudel with raisins and vanilla sauce was outstanding – and I probably could have eaten that every meal. Largely – it was available everywhere. I also had a slice of the famous Sacher Torte – which was invented for the Emperor is the mid-1800’s in Vienna. This decadent torte is chocolate sponge cake covered with a dark chocolate glaze with Apricot jam between cake layers. It is served with whipped cream and best enjoyed with a coffee!
One new cake I discovered is called “Bishops Bread” – which is a fruitcake style bread that when sliced looks like a stained glass window in a church. It was delicious and I enjoyed a thin slice at breakfast most mornings.
I enjoyed the opportunities to try these regional foods – and look forward to switching our cuisine somewhat as we head north to Prague!
Kirk’s Travelogue 