The Tafelspitz Experience

If you google tafelspitz, one of the first results that come up is Plachutta, the restaurant that is famous for this boiled beef dish.  As this was one of Vienna’s renowned foods, I knew I had to try it and although many places serve this dish, I wanted to try the whole tafelspitz experience I had heard so much about from Plachutta.

I had reservations for 1:00pm and when I arrived, I expected the place to be packed, especially because it was a Saturday.  On the contrary, the patio was quite full but the inside of the restaurant was really empty.  This would be the most expensive meal for me in Austria, but I definitely go back and do it again if I had the chance.  It was worth every penny!

The menu shows several different cuts of beef, but seeing as I was there to try tafelspitz, I didn’t even bother studying the menu.

Within minutes of ordering, the tafelspitz is served in a pan, next to a bowl of fried potatoes. The horseradish and chive sauces and toast accompanied the meal as well. 

Starting with the soup, it had a rich beef bone taste to it that reminded me a bit of the Chinese soups I was used to drinking.  I tried bone marrow for the first time and was surprised at how greasy it is.  The dry toast they provided was the perfect complement for the greasy bone marrow, and I can see why people enjoy eating those two items together.  The beef was tender and the potatoes were fried to perfection.  The entire meal was fantastic and I will definitely make my way back here again the next time I’m in Vienna.

They even supplied these cute little cards to teach people how to eat tafelspitz.

I noticed that a couple sat at the next table and the waiter explained that they did allow for 2 people to share the meal, but they would charge an additional €8.00 for the extra potatoes, bone marrow and toast.  I thought that this was a pretty good deal considering one portion of the meal is €39.00.

Plachutta
Address: Wollzeile 38, 1010 Wien, Austria
Phone:+43 1 5121577