Where to eat in Vienna

A chic, artsy bistro in Leopoldstadt, best known for the sprawling black-ink drawing that arcs across the dining room ceiling. The kitchen does Viennese classics alongside seasonal international dishes, with a well-chosen wine list. It's warm and buzzy, and they do my favourite Wiener schnitzel in Vienna. The design of the place is also really fun.

Address: Leopoldsgasse 17, 1020 Wien, Austria

The restaurant inside Hotel Sacher, opposite the State Opera, with crimson silk walls, chandeliers and a lot of old Viennese grandeur. The kitchen does Austrian cooking, from Tafelspitz to the original Sacher-Torte. Don't miss having a meal here – not only is it historic, but the food is fantastic.

Address: Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Wien, Austria

A fixture of the old university quarter since 1979, serving Viennese and Styrian food in a historic vaulted room hung with art. Portions are generous and the classics are all there – Wiener schnitzel, Tafelspitz – in a room that still feels a bit bohemian.

Address: Bäckerstraße 14, 1010 Wien, Austria

One of Vienna's oldest restaurants, going since 1704, serving traditional Viennese food in vaulted dining rooms in the old town. The classics are all there – Wiener schnitzel, Tafelspitz, caramelised Kaiserschmarrn – with local wines to go with them.

Address: Kurrentgasse 8, 1010 Wien, Austria

The flagship of the Plachutta family, on Wollzeile, and the place most people in Vienna will send you for Tafelspitz – boiled beef served the traditional way in its copper pot.

Address: Wollzeile 38, 1010 Wien, Austria

The Figlmüller family’s modern Gasthaus, opened in 2014 in an Art Nouveau building on Lugeck square near Stephansplatz, serving Viennese classics like Wiener schnitzel, with a terrace looking out over the square.

Address: Lugeck 4, 1010 Wien, Austria

A classic Viennese beisl on Weihburggasse, just off Franziskanerplatz, that actor Hanno Pöschl reopened in 1999, with tables out on the little square in summer. It serves hearty Austrian food in generous portions, including Wiener schnitzel, and still feels like a neighbourhood place despite being so central.

Address: Weihburggasse 17, 1010 Wien, Austria

A Viennese institution near St. Stephen's Cathedral, going since 1618 – part Jugendstil restaurant, part bar, deli and patisserie, in Art Nouveau interiors. It's known for its open sandwiches, its wine list and its classic Austrian cooking. Beethoven was said to have hung out here.

Address: Bognergasse 5, 1010 Wien, Austria

An Italian restaurant on Tuchlauben in the old centre that Fabio Giacobello opened in 2002, in a sleek, dark wood room that’s been one of the city’s busiest ever since. The cooking is Italian and Mediterranean with regional Austrian ingredients, and it’s in the Michelin Guide.

Address: Tuchlauben 4/6, 1010 Wien, Austria

The Sicilian restaurant downstairs at The Ritz-Carlton on Schubertring, from two-Michelin-star Sicilian chef Ciccio Sultano – a big room with the bar in the middle, serving Sicilian dishes with a modern twist. It’s in the Michelin Guide.

Address: The Ritz-Carlton, Schubertring 5/7, 1010 Wien, Austria

An Italian restaurant in the courtyard of the Baroque Palais Harrach on Freyung, run by the Barbaro family for around 40 years, with a vaulted dining room and a terrace in the courtyard. The cooking is southern Italian with ingredients brought in from Italy, and the house speciality is sea bass baked in a salt crust. It’s in the Michelin Guide.

Address: Palais Harrach, Freyung 3, 1010 Wien, Austria

A Neapolitan-style pizzeria in Leopoldstadt that has been going a long time, doing wood-fired pizzas with good ingredients and plenty of vegetarian options. They do takeaway and delivery too.

Address: Leopoldsgasse 23A, 1020 Wien, Austria

A cheap and cheerful pizzeria in Wieden, turning out freshly made pizzas in a fun, casual room. You can eat in or get delivery.

Address: Kettenbrückengasse 1, 1050 Wien, Austria

A pizza place in Neubau doing sourdough-base pizzas with good toppings and cold beer. It's casual and relaxed rather than smart.

Address: Zollergasse 2, 1070 Wien, Austria

Tucked inside the Heiligenkreuzerhof, a quiet 12th-century courtyard in the first district. The kitchen does Austrian classics alongside seasonal dishes with more international influences, and there's a terrace out in the courtyard for warm days.

Address: Grashofgasse 3 im Heiligenkreuzerhof, 1010 Wien, Austria

The first NENI, which Haya Molcho opened with her four sons in 2009 in a stall at the Naschmarkt, Vienna’s big open-air market – the name comes from the boys’ initials. It serves Israeli and Middle Eastern food like hummus, falafel and mezze to share.

Address: Naschmarkt 510, 1060 Wien, Austria

A modern kebab place in the middle of the first district, doing döner, dürüm, pide, lahmacun, homemade falafel and pizza. It's well rated for its ingredients and its service, and it's a good casual stop for a quick bite.

Address: Marc-Aurel-Straße 7, 1010 Wien, Austria

A small cocktail bar on the quiet Sterngasse in the first district, low-lit and warm, with a list of inventive drinks. It has won awards.

Address: Sterngasse 1, 1010 Wien, Austria

A former Imperial and Royal Court confectioner, founded on Michaelerplatz in 1786 and on Kohlmarkt, near the Hofburg, since 1888. They do cakes and pastries, including their own Anna Torte, and coffee specialities, served by staff in white aprons.

Address: Kohlmarkt 14, 1010 Wien, Austria

The café inside Hotel Sacher, across from the State Opera, and the home of the Original Sacher-Torte. The room is all chandeliers and Sacher-red furnishings, and alongside the chocolate cake they do coffee and Viennese specialities.

Address: Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Wien, Austria

A Viennese coffee house on the Ringstrasse opposite the MAK museum, going since 1903. The 1950s interior has been left as it was, all soft pastel colours, and nobody hurries you. They do coffee, cakes and Viennese food, and they have piano music.

Address: Stubenring 24, 1010 Wien, Austria

The oldest coffee house on the Ringstrasse, opened in 1861 while the boulevard was still being built, and the interior has barely changed since. The architect Josef Hoffmann was a regular and drafted many of his designs at its tables.

Address: Kärntner Ring 17, 1010 Wien, Austria

An organic ice cream shop on Rotenturmstraße in the old town, making everything from fresh farm milk. The ingredients are all natural and the flavours get inventive.

Address: Rotenturmstraße 14, 1010 Wien, Austria