Clubs in Vienna

Bars in Vienna

Restaurants in Vienna

Steirereck 3, Rasumofskygasse 2 (713 3168). Tram N. Open noon-3pm, 7pm-midnight, Mon-Fri. Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V. Average meal AS1,000. For most Viennese the yardstick of success and social standing is a meal at the Steirereck. The wine list is impressively comprehensive: among labels most worth trying are the full-bodied whites from FX Pichler in the Wachau, the sumptuous reds from Rust in Burgenland or Austria's most distinguished sweet wines, from Alois Kracher of Illmitz, Burgenland. The seasonally changing menu highlights Austrian cuisine with a Styrian slant, but there are some international dishes, and the list is spiced with interesting combinations such as lobster and courgette on a bed of saffron rice, or caviar on red cabbage jelly. Service is unusually good, even sometimes too attentive. Check out too the powerfully smelling larder filled with maturing cheeses - the Steirereck also makes its own. If you don't want to splash out quite so much but still want a taste of the experience, try the set brunch for AS100, the Wiener Gabelfrühstück (literally, 'Viennese Fork Breakfast') served from 10.30am to noon - an elegant selection of smaller dishes. The Steiereck is also unusually child-friendly, with a separate children's menu and toys available on demand. Altwienerhof 15, Herklotzgasse 6 (892 6000). U6 Gumperdorfer Straße. Open noon-2pm, 6.30pm-2am, Mon-Sat. Credit AmEx, DC, JCB, MC, V. Average meal AS1,200. If you take your food seriously and have money to spare, this place is worth the trek. Rudi Kellner is one of Austria's most respected chefs, well versed in the arts of several culinary cultures. His foremost speciality is what he calls his 'grande cuisine', with a bias towards la belle France, a gastronomic experience not to be missed - delicacies include goose liver pralines, or lightly boiled pheasant covered in an exquisite goose liver sauce. For an extra pleasure, book a table in the conservatory. Corso 1, Hotel Bristol, Mahlerstraße 2 (5151 6546). U1, U2, U4 Karlsplatz/tram 1, 2, D, J/bus 3a. Open noon-3pm, 7pm-1am, Mon-Fri, Sun. Credit AmEx, DC, JCB, MC, V. Average meal AS1,000. The Steirereck has the name and the fame, but this is the place to find the current peak of cuisine in Vienna. The Corso took over from the traditional restaurant in the Hotel Bristol in 1984. From amuse-guele appetisers to the final coffee, chef Reinhard Gere spoils diners with his Viennese haute cuisine. He worked in Munich and several other Vienna restaurants before arriving here, and his buttered fish tartare, Tafelspitz with Semmelkrenn (boiled beef with horseradish) and fried perch in red pepper cream sauce are all superb. The emphasis is on fresh ingredients and subtle dishes without the customary Vienna stodge, except when it comes to dessert - such delights as sweet cream cheese and nougat dumplings with pumpkin cracknel. Drei Husaren 1, Weihburggasse 4 (5121 0920). U1, U3 Stephansplatz/tram 1, 2. Open noon-3pm, 6pm-1am, daily. Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V. Average meal AS900. One of Vienna's oldest continuously running restaurants, dating back to 1933, and a tribute to Viennese noble cuisine in the good old bad days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A menu of delicacies fit for a king (or emperor) means that it's always full of Habsburg-hungry Austrians, and wealthy tourists seeking atmosphere, but it's not the high quality range of "Steirereck". The 'Three Hussars' hors-d'oeuvres trolley is justly renowned: choose from over 30 delicacies, including calves' brains in a mustard sauce on a bed of spinach. For dessert, don't miss the Husarenpfannkuchen, the house crêpes. Cantinetta Antinori 1, Jasomirgottstraße 3-5 (533 7722). U1, U3 Stephansplatz. Open noon-2pm, 6pm-midnight, daily. Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V. Average meal AS350. Vienna's oldest large-scale Italian restaurant, owned by the Marchese Antinori, is always full. The essentially Tuscan food is very good, beginning with the olive bread placed on the table. Outstanding among first courses is the balsamic vinegar soup; of mains, sea bass with white truffles and rosemary roast potatoes, or saddle of lamb with vegetables in lamb gravy. The Antinori family produce their own Tuscan wines and olive oil, all naturally used in the restaurant. The downside of the Cantinetta is its lay-out, with too many narrow tables cramped together, which, coupled with the cigarette smoke, can make eating here a claustrophobic experience. Da Conte 1, Kurrentgasse 12 (533 6464). Bus 1a, 3a. Open noon-3pm, 6.30pm-1.30am, daily. Credit AmEx, DC, MC, V. Average meal AS220. Luxurious Italian cuisine in comfortable surroundings. Charming Sr da Conte is the Ischian proprietor, and sometime cook; his fish and seafood are excellent, especially in the mixed grill with sea bass, monkfish, prawns and calamari (AS300-350 per portion) or pasta with octopus. Cheeses are also worth examining, and betray his soft spot for truffles, as in Parmesan with truffle oil, or warm Gorgonzola with truffles. The Contes can advise you on which wine to choose; for dessert, if you have a Viennese appetite, try the profiteroles oozing with cream.