Plant-Based Eating in Vienna, Austria

Sharon Palmer

Published on January 20, 2017

Updated on June 30, 2022

Sharon Palmer shares her favored plant-based travel tips for eating in Vienna, Austria.

It was such a privilege to attend a fabulous nutrition conference in Vienna, Austria this past week, planned by the amazing Stephen McCauley of The Ginger Network, with speakers like Kate Scarlata, David Katz, Hilary Jones, Gregor Reid, Tieraona Low Dog, Jenny Chandler, Ellie Krieger, Timothy Caulfield, and many other brilliant experts in their fields. I thank the wonderful group of sponsors who made this conference possible. I learned so much about probiotics, the gut microbiome, plant-based proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, supplements, sustainability, and more. You’ll see me cover these topics in the coming months in my blog and in my writing. I also enjoyed a fabulous food scene in Vienna, which was quite delicious even for a plant-powered enthusiast like myself. Read on for the highlights.

Ritz Carlton, Vienna

I was greeted in my lovely room at the Ritz Carlton, located in the historic center of Vienna, with this dish of mandarins and walnuts. Plant-powered heaven!

Local Eating in Vienna

I had a chance to walk around Vienna on my first day, and saw signs of local eating in Vienna—didn’t try this place, but loved the message.

Lovely Vienna

Vienna is known for its culture and elegance. Walking around the city, you see one beautiful building after another, reminding you of this city’s importance as the capital of Austria, and of Europe during the Hapsburg Empire.

Shopping in Vienna

In the winter, you’ll see charming streets strung with lights along the shopping regions of Vienna.

Breakfast at the Ritz Carlton, Vienna, Austria

Each morning at breakfast I was delighted to see so many veggies offered! I am a huge fan of vegetables at breakfast, and I made a small salad with greens, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and olives each morning for my plate.

Breakfast, Ritz Carlton, Vienna, Austria

Fruits were lovely, too. I loved the seasonal fruits, such as the apple walnut pomegranate mix, and the ruby grapefruit.

Breads, Ritz Carlton, Vienna, Austria

I could not get enough of the delicious, rustic, whole grain breads in Vienna. Many are dense and flavorful, often showcasing rye, caraway, and other seeds.

My Plant-Powered Breakfast, Ritz Carlton, Vienna, Austria

This is what my breakfast plate looked like each morning—isn’t it lovely! Dense rye bread with whole fruit jam (these were fabulous, chunky with whole fruit), seasonal fruits with seeds, a salad with olive oil and vinegar, coffee, and soy milk.

Wines, Heuriger Wieninger

We were so lucky to have dinner at this heuriger, which is a Viennese term for a type of tavern that features a local winemakers’ wines and foods. It’s a tradition that dates back to 1784, and Wieninger is one of the very best in the city. In particular, Vienna is known for their lovely, dry white wines—which I immediately fell in love with.

Vegan Black Pudding, Heuriger Wieninger

While meat is a heavy tradition in Austria, there is new movement in the city, which is starting to embrace more plant-based options. The chef was creative enough to come up with this Vegan Black Pudding, which included potatoes, soy, and horseradish (the Viennese love to use freshly grated horseradish atop dishes, which is so much better than that jarred stuff!)

Noodles and Cabbage, Heuriger Wieninger

Here’s another traditional dish, homemade noodles with cabbage tossed with fresh herbs. So yummy!

Apple Strudel, Heuriger Wieninger

Of course, I got to try apple strudel (which was vegan here)—it’s really stuffed with apples here, not mostly pastry, as it is at home. See those thick slabs of spicy apples?

Heuriger Wieninger

It was such an honor to meet two generations of wine makers at Heuriger, first Fritz, the current winemaker, and his father, who was celebrating his 80^th birthday at our dinner! He brought out an old bottle of chardonnay from the cave to share with us.

Viennese Waltz with Johannes at Elmayer Dance School, Vienna

I didn’t realize that ballroom dancing was so huge in Vienna. But why should that be a surprise, in the city of music. This is where the world’s most famous composers originated, and the ball culture is alive and well in Vienna. Most children take ballroom dancing classes (which also teaches them manners!), and they take part at balls across the city during the “season”, going on right now. The Viennese Waltz arose in the 18^th century and is a beloved tradition in the city. I was so thrilled to receive a waltz lesson from Johannes, who was so patient with me. I also learned how to do the Quadrille.

Café Demel, Vienna, Austria

The coffee culture is also huge in Vienna, which credits itself for bringing coffee, left behind with the Turks, to Europe. To this day, coffee houses are scattered across the city, and they are housed in typically elegant, old-world rooms, lined with wood paneling and lit by sparkling chandeliers (oh, the chandeliers in this city!). Café Demel is one of the oldest and most beloved of the coffeehouses, and we dined here on some tea sandwiches (mine were plant-based!) and torte.

Café Demel, Vienna, Austria

Of course, I had to try some sacher torte while in Vienna—the most famous dessert from this region. They even had a vegan variety, which was so yummy! This cake is made with chocolate, an apricot spread, and chocolate icing.

Vienna Musikverein

To bathe in the culture of music, I attended a performance of Baroque music, focusing on strings and harpsichord. It was one of my best ever experiences (goose bumps happened!), to listen to music that was composed in this city. Ahh!

Petz im Gusshaus

We enjoyed classic Viennese at this traditional restaurant. While others dined on weiner schnitzel and other traditional foods, I got plant-based versions, starting with this classic soup filled with root vegetables and herbs. So comforting! I also enjoyed a leek dish with sauteed spinach for dinner.

Petz im Gusshaus

For dinner, I had these dumplings in a raspberry soup.

Imperial Hotel, Vienna, Austria

Our meetings were in the lovely Imperial Hotel, which was the Viennese residence of the Prince of Wurttemberg, later transformed into a hotel. This is one of my plant-powered lunches—a fennel salad with mache.

Imperial Hotel, Vienna, Austria

For lunch, we enjoyed this delicious smoked tofu with root vegetables.

Belvedere Museum—The Kiss, Klimt

I got to see the most famous painting from Vienna, Klimt’s The Kiss at the sumptuous Belvedere Museum. This is not the original painting, which I was not allowed to photograph, this is a selfie version.

Grand Salon, Grand Park Hyatt, Vienna

Our final night was a ball at this gorgeous space, which was the former Austrian Monarchy Bank. Stephen McCauley (shown here) was the organizer for this amazing conference and cultural experience.