Ok, maybe I was lying a bit when I said the previous post would be the last on Europe. This one is, but it’s a restaurant review, so it doesn’t really count.

A bit of background: The first night in Vienna, we were so focused on exploring that we didn’t realize we were hungry until we were starving. We hopped into the 1st restaurant we saw- a Russian owned Italian with bad food and worse service. As a compensation, my parents let ME choose the restaurant. Behold….

Plachutta

Plachutta was founded in 1987, by a man named Mario….. Plachutta. It specializes in tafelspitz- Viennese boiled beef- and has 3 locations around Vienna. We went to the original location at Wollzeile 38 and we were definitely not the only ones who heard of Plachutta. The restaurant was packed. It wasn’t just that day. Plachutta calls itself “The world famous Tafelspitz” and with good reason. Check out their celebrity wall: https://www.plachutta.at/en/plachutta_wollzeile/

Well, celebrities are great, but onto the food!!!!

Food

As I said in my previous post, the tafelspitz is to DIE FOR. Although tafelspitz generally refers to veal flank, Plachutta had a large selection. We ordered one traditional and one with sheep head and ox tongue. Of course there are also various other appetizers/dishes on the menu, but the 2 tafelspitzes were enough. The order comes with grilled slices of house bread, root vegetables, marrow bone, apple horseradish sauce and potato rosti. Each  tafelspitz even comes in its own copper pot.

For those who want to enjoy their tafelspitz the “right way” or simply know where their meat is coming from, each seat comes with a little guide

 Don’t read German? no problem

The broth was a bit salty (still rich and good though), but other than that, words cannot describe the tender juicy deliciousness of the meat. Unlike most boiled dishes, the flavor actually got INTO the meat, not just on the surface. Of course there is also the marrow bone. This is literally the first western restaurant I’ve been to that serves marrow as it is. The guide suggest to spread it on the bread like butter, but I sucked it up before I realized there was English on the back.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere combines the loud, welcoming air of a good Chinese restaurant with all the elegant decor of an upscale western restaurant. Essentially, it is the best of both worlds. Since it is on a street corner, I initially thought it was quite small (read: panicking about possible queueing), but appearances are deceptive:

 

There is enough room in there to sit at least 6-800 people. The kitchen was also pretty cool. Copper pots pretty much lined the entirety of the walls. The small tables and close proximity gives the place an intimate feel so it is definitely a great place for small- group dinner. Unfortunately, that also means there’s not that much space if you order a ton.

Service

Service was decent by normal standards but stellar considering the circumstances. The waiters were very organized and as  attentive as possible. The only issue we had was that we sat in the back, so it took some time for them to notice us when we wanted to order. The food also took less than 30 minutes to get on the table, which is surprising considering the nature of the dish.

Overall Impression

Definitely worth going, even if its just as a tourist stop. I know if I go back to Vienna, I’ll stop there 1st thing.

 

 

 

 

• Dining