What to Eat in Austria in 2026: The Best Food and Drink

Austrian food is Viennese food plus the substantial regional cuisines that the capital tends to overshadow. The Wiener Schnitzel — veal pounded thin, breadcrumbed, fried in clarified butter until the breading puffs away from the meat in a loose wave — is one of the most precisely specified dishes in European cooking, and the difference between the correct version and an approximation is immediately clear. The Viennese Kaffeehaus tradition — marble tables, newspaper holders, melange coffee, and the assumption that you can stay for hours — is a UNESCO Intangible Heritage and the correct way to spend a mid-morning in Vienna. The Naschmarkt open-air market runs for 1.5 kilometres along the Wienzeile with produce stalls, spice vendors, prepared food stands, and restaurants spilling onto the Saturday flea market beside it. Grüner Veltliner, the Austrian white grape, and the sweet Rieslings of the Wachau extend the beverage culture beyond the coffee. That's where it gets good.