Austrian Schnitzels

Gasthof Wilder Mann
Address: Getreidegasse 20, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Phone:+43 662 841787

I arrived into Salzburg for an early dinner and was on the lookout for Gasthof Wilder Mann to try their schnitzels.  This was probably one of the most difficult restaurants to find!  There was construction on the main road and although I found the street that the restaurant was supposed to be on, I couldn’t find the restaurant, based on the number from the address.  I must have wandered around for a good 10-15 minutes and was about to give up when I finally noticed a sign on the road.  The sign appeared about 3 blocks away from the street I found earlier.  I guess the street must be split and half of it was here and half of it was further back.  It was confusing to say the least.

It was a relatively small restaurant, with about 5 tables outside and 10-12 tables inside.  It was only around 5:30pm when I arrived, but the tables outside were already full and I took a seat  inside, which was completely empty.  I ordered my first Austrian pork schnitzel stuffed with mushroom, onion and bacon.  I also tried the white asparagus soup that is famous in this region.

The soup was delicious, albeit a bit saltier than I would have liked.  The schnitzel was meaty, juicy and fried perfectly.  I didn’t think it needed the stuffing as that took away from the flavours of the pork.  I learned to order plain schnitzels after this.

Esterhazykeller
Address: Haarhof 1, 1010 Wien, Austria
Phone:+43 1 5333482

I had made reservations at Esterhazykeller the night before, but since it was a national holiday in Austria, I was actually doubting whether or not the restaurant was even open, as many of the other restaurants and shops in the area were closed.  Thankfully, when I showed up for my reservation, the doors were wide open.

I had wanted to go to Esterhazykeller as I had heard that it is the restaurant that Josef Haydn had frequented back in his day.  It is an old wine cellar that has now been turned into a restaurant, which made for quite an interesting atmosphere.  It didn’t turn out to be very busy at all.

Although the restaurant was clearly labeled, I was still a bit confused as to how to enter.  The problem is that they have this long staircase with the name Esterhazykeller, but beside this, there was another door with Esterhazy written on it that looked like another restaurant.  It turns out that there were actually a few restaurants in the area, all with names that included the word Esterhazy in it.

I made my way down the stairs and I was immediately met with a counter where you could order food.  I had heard that the ordering system at this place was a bit confusing as some people would order drinks at their tables and then make their way up to the counter to pick their food.  I discovered that this is likely a misunderstanding, as there are two parts to the restaurant.  The sit down part where I was at had waiters who came and took both my drink and meal orders.

The menu selection was very slim.  In fact, there were only three choices – beef schnitzel, pork schnitzel or tafelspitz.  I decided that this would be my second schnitzel in Austria and stuck with the pork option.

The food was okay, but not the best.  I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere though and wouldn’t hesitate to return again if I had the chance. 

Figlmüller
Address: Wollzeile 5, 1010 Wien, Austria
Phone:+43 1 5126177

My third and last Austrian schnitzel was ordered at Figlmüller, the most renown schnitzel establishment in Vienna.  I had made reservations on their website a few days prior and unfortunately, I was only able to get a 3:00pm sitting.  When I arrived, they were turning people away saying that they were too full. 

Their signature pork schnitzel really was the biggest and most delicious I had had in Austria.  However, I’m sorry to say that I enjoyed their potato salad even more than the schnitzel!  Perhaps it was because this was already my third schnitzel in 4 days, but I was definitely much more interested in the potato salad. 

The schnitzel was fantastic and I would definitely have it again if I return to Vienna.