The Beisl is as much a part of Vienna as the coffeehouse and the Heuriger wine tavern. In the capital’s Beisl, down-to-earth Viennese cuisine reigns supreme – unpretentious and without any airs and graces. It is here that the capital's unique fare continues to thrive in all its rich variety. Of course, Beisls have Wiener Schnitzel, but there’s so much more to Viennese cuisine than that. A classic “Wiener Beisl” has a spacious bar and service area where the wine is on chill and the beer poured. Mostly featuring wood paneling decor and simple tables and chairs, they attract a mixed clientele. In the kitchen, tradition holds sway, and often offal dishes have pride of place on the menu.

Lately, the city has witnessed the emergence of some pretty surprising Beisl concepts – which is another way for Vienna to showcase its contemporary culinary credentials. Old taverns are being taken over by a crop of younger owners, sensitively renovated, and taken forward into a new chapter with a refreshing dynamism. But what remains unchanged is that all-authentic Beisl ambiance. Even if the food might be a bit different to how it used to be.

Beisl for Vegetarians

The biggest surprise a Viennese Beisl can offer is vegetarian cuisine. And that’s exactly what Till Wörner does at his Beisl, Rosi, which is named after his grandmother. Beisls famously serve a very meat-heavy selection of Viennese dishes. So some tourists are a bit surprised when they stop by Rosi after visiting nearby Schönbrunn Palace. Why exactly did chef Wörner hit upon the idea of running a vegetarian Beisl? “When we came up with the idea for the venue, my girlfriend was vegan,” he says. “Austria grows great vegetables too, and we want to show what you can cook with them. From a culinary perspective, cooking with vegetables is exciting.” Inspired by the season, the dishes come in small portions. “We also have lots of ideas when it comes to preservation. And we draw from our cellar stock when we cook,” says Wörner, outlining his unique culinary approach. The former Steirereck chef brought a wealth of product knowledge from his time at the top-ranking restaurant. But his stuffed ravioli (Maultaschen) just like Oma used to make had to be given pride of place on the menu as the only meat dish. The extensive drinks menu offers plenty of natural wines, non-alcoholic options, and homemade creations. Rosi is also redefining what a modern Beisl can look like: here, the wood paneling was painted white. The old Bretschneider bar is, as typical for a Beisl, a real eye-catcher here too.

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Offal, Game, and Wine

Gasthaus Stern provides a culinary counterpoint to Rosi. Located in the outer district of Simmering, it serves refined Viennese cuisine with a focus on offal and game. Something that has earned it a name and following throughout the city. Owner Christian Werner has run the place for 18 years and built its reputation over time. Many guests come specifically for the cuisine. Werner: “Stern is all about offal, game, and wine. We’re a meeting point for foodies who appreciate offal dishes in particular.” 

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The menu features dishes like Alpencalamari Fritti (fried calf tripe) and Styrian scallops (breaded bull testicles). Calf sweetbreads, jellied calf’s foot, Riesling Beuschel (veal ragout made with heart and lungs), venison pockets, pheasant breast, and Viennese escargots are just a few more specialties. Even the liver dumpling in the soup tastes so fluffy here as hardly anywhere else. It is mama’s recipe, after all. But how did the focus on offal come about in the first place? “Through my parents’ former business, which was near the meat market in St. Marx. They cooked a lot with offal. Plus, cooking with offal is very Viennese. And through ‘Stern’, I struck upon a niche,” says Christian Werner. And offal cuisine, with the nose-to-tail approach of using every part of the animal, is also a very sustainable concept.

Art in the Beisl

Zum Roten Bären isn’t a classic Beisl either, as even a quick glance at the menu might suggest. The “Red Bear”, to give it its English name, is wild, quirky, and eccentric – which makes it all the more lovable. In 2013, the Beisl was founded by three friends. One of them – Johannes Bodingbauer – still cooks in the kitchen today. What matters to Bodingbauer when cooking: “The art of cooking is important to me. And regional products. We have two farmers as our main suppliers and they provide really good products. We source our meat from Höllerschmid.” And you can taste it. Changes every two weeks, the dishes on the evening menu are pure soul food. The classic menu features perennial favorites such as schnitzel and cordon bleu, as well as dishes made from oyster mushrooms from Vienna’s Hut & Stiel mushroom farm. “We’ve also experimented a lot to find the best breadcrumbs for the schnitzel,” says the head chef.

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The color red in the name is reflected in the interior of the salon. The quirky history of the restaurant is captured in collages on one wall – and art is everywhere, with works by photographer Rita Nowak and the artist collective Gelitin. Bodingbauer muses: “Art and images are the Rote Bär.” At Rote Bär, fun comes first, and the music can be a bit louder too.

Michelin-Star Cuisine

And in Vienna, there’s even Michelin-star-winning cuisine in a Beisl setting. You could be forgiven for thinking that Pramerl & the Wolf was just another Viennese restaurant. Guests sit in a cozy atmosphere with an old wooden bar and paneled walls, with only a few tables. Erstwhile newcomer to the trade Wolfgang Zankl-Sertl, a former management consultant, serves modern cuisine that’s earned his Beisl a Michelin star. Its relaxed and understated approach gives patrons another way to experience top-rated Viennese cuisine. Diners grab their own cutlery from a drawer, and there’s no menu – the chef asks at the start about food intolerances, whether you eat meat, or what you don’t like. His dishes are often staples of Viennese cuisine such as mini Krapfen donut balls or – depending on your view – large Backerbsen soup pearls.

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More Beisl Tips

In a quick rundown, we present a few more special, surprising Beisl concepts in Vienna that are particularly worth a visit:

Simon Schubert and Julian Lechner are bringing Viennese cuisine into the present at Reznicek, serving it at an international level. The cordon bleu by chef Julian Lechner is famous all over the city, and the same goes for the offal dishes, as well as the wines curated by Simon Schubert.

At Gasthaus Jagetsberger on Märzstrasse, it might look like the old days, but the kitchen serves contemporary Viennese cuisine. It’s astonishing how kohlrabi dumplings or calf heart can be presented. The cooking here is outstanding. Another great example of a slightly different Beisl.

The love for Viennese cuisine is palpable at 575 Sagmeister. Both the ambiance and dishes have a special twist. Here, there is a firm emphasis on regionally sourced produce, hence the name: Austria is 575km in length from east to west, and the idea is that the products should not come from any farther away than that. A lot of them hail from Vienna itself, including the Viennese catfish from blün’s fish farm. A tip: 575 Sagmeister’s fresh take on tartare – made from mushrooms, root vegetables, and beetroot. The original decor has been spruced up with colorful elements, and the service is full of Viennese charm.

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While Brösl in the Stuwerviertel might seem like a classic Beisl, appearances can be deceiving. Here, the focus is on vegetable dishes rather than Viennese cuisine. Fish and meat are available but only play a supporting role. The menu changes daily based on what’s available from small producers, with the chefs cooking whatever’s going on that particular day. Overall, the cooking style has a distinctly Mediterranean flair. The dusted-down Beisl decor at Brösl is particularly well looked after.

It’s also exciting to see other countries’ cuisines move into a Beisl. Like at Léontine, a restaurant that serves superb French cuisine. And Rosebar Centrala, which has adopted a fantastic culinary concept with Eastern European influences. Here, Aleksandra Swarc and Nadim Amin, after stints in London, have realized their dream of their own venue.

A guide in our ivie app offers even more tips for bistros and taverns in Vienna.