Roaming Numeral

Heading into Vienna, I was a little nervous about over spending on my budget- Austrian prices were certainly a shock after spending so much time in budget friendly Greece.

Since we were visiting Vienna in the wintertime, we spent quite a bit of time at Vienna’s various Christmas Markets. You can check out my Vienna Christmas Market Guide here, but suffice to say, some serious snacking was born out of these winter treats.

There are plenty of traditional options, but the longest lines we saw were at a chimney cake vendor and a stall selling a sort of potato pancake that you would slather with garlic butter to taste- I highly recommend that one.

Don’t forget to get some Glühwein- the perfect way to warm up in the winter weather (and a good way to pick up a cheap souvenir- the mugs are usually around €5)

I’m also a huge fan of currywurst- which I’ve heard from several American friends looks unappetizing, but just give it a chance- its my absolute favorite street food.

Located right across the street from the Opera House, Bitzinger Sausage Stand is one of the most famous sausage stands in the city- and definitely worth the hype. Its popularity makes it a little pricey- with their currywurst coming to €4.70, I’ve definitely had cheaper options, but at least you get a nice slice of dark bread with it.

Vienna is also known for the creation of several desserts- theres a reason a decadent display of desserts is called a “Viennese table”!

It’s hard to miss the city’s relationship with the famous composer Mozart- they’re so fond of him they even have a candy named after him! Mozartkugel are small, round treats made out of pistachio, marzipan and nougat wrapped in a chocolate coating. They’re pretty tasty, and most souvenir shops should offer individual or a small bundle of Mozartkugel if you’d like to try the treat without getting a whole container.

Sachertorte is a rich chocolate cake with chocolate icing and apricot jam, usually served with whipped cream. You can taste the closely guarded recipe of the original sachertorte at the Hotel Sacher, though it will be the most expensive option in the city. We tried a slice at Cafe Landtmann, a famous cafe that has served the likes of Freud and other historically significant figures. I also got a slice of Gugelhupf here and was very impressed by the taste, despite its outward simplicity.

The beautiful Cafe Landtmann has been around since 1873 and they take great pride in their service. Hearing that it was our first time visiting, our waiter made sure to direct us to a table with a great view of the cafe. It was definitely one of the most classy cafes I’ve ever been in with an extensive selection of pastries along with its larger meals. We also got a Viennese coffee here- which is very similar to a cappuccino to my eye, and still tasty.

Linzer cookies and their parent dessert, the linzer tarte, are also an Austrian classic, with raspberry jam peaking out of a shortbread base. They’re cute and usually heart shaped so they’re a favorite snack of mine at Christmas markets. Strudel is also a favored pastry, with apple being the most popular filling. I also highly recommend trying kaiserschmarren, which is a type of fluffy shredded pancake.

Although we spent much of our visit filling up on street food and pastries, we did make sure to stop in one classic restaurant, a spot called Waldviertlerhof. This place was a little pricey but absolutely worth it. I got a pork and potato dumpling dish and it was one of my favorite meals I’ve ever had even if it did run me upwards of €30 after drinks and dessert.

Overall, though we didn’t eat anywhere particularly fancy, I enjoyed my taste of food around Vienna- and more importantly, still had money left over to do other tourist activities in the city.