Fab Four: Vienna dining destinations

Four Vienna restaurants where you’ll get the best of Austrian dining.

Konstantin Filippou restaurant, Vienna.

PICHLMAIERS ZUM HERKNER

On previous Vienna visits, the schnitzels I’ve tried have not been memorable. But I score a (homely) home run at this newish and convivial diner in a restored two-storey building in the 17th District. There’s a series of indoor spaces and summer-deck seating and a jolly, busy vibe; the pale green timbered interiors are stylish and the place is family-run. My only error is not specifying a small schnitzel, so I am delivered a serve the size of a hot-water bottle and a veritable plantation of potatoes. The goulash and dumplings dish is also encouragingly large and crisp white wine from the Wachau Valley leads a comprehensive list that includes half bottles and drops by the glass. Take a tram heading northwest from stops in the city centre and this cosy joint is right at the end of the line. More: zumherkner.at.

KONSTANTIN FILIPPOU

This Michelin one-star diner in the 1st District is penny plain in decor, with pale ash timbers and ice-blue walls, scrubbed surfaces, stark tableware and a set six-course dinner menu. Owner-chef Konstantin Filippou is an entrepreneurial Gordon Ramsay protege, and Gault Millau Chef of the Year 2016, who describes his food as multicultural (his father is Greek; his mother Austrian). The three-course “business lunch” menu is good value at €26 ($38), or add a dessert, often with filo pastry and Mediterranean flavours, for €9. There’s a garden for summer dining and Filippou also runs O Boufes bistro next door for smart drinks, organic wines by the glass and seasonally driven share plates that could be termed Greek tapas with a Viennese twist.

More: konstantinfilippou.com/en/.

DAS LOFT

It’s not just about the food at Das Loft on the top floor of the 18-storey Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom but the views of the Danube Canal from this edgy tower hotel designed by star architect Jean Nouvel. There are window walls and a lighting installation across the ceiling, conceived by multimedia mistress Pipilotti Rist, so colourful it’s tempting to just look up, not out. Settle in with an espresso martini and share chef de cuisine Fabian Gunzel’s Japanese-inspired savouries or macarons filled with unusual mixes, such as Thai basil, tomato and burrata. Standout comfort-food mains include tagliatelle with truffles and spiced milk or a perfect fried egg with spinach and polenta. Stroll up from Konstantin Filippou or O Boufes and mix it with the hipster crowd.

More: sofitel-vienna-stephansdom.com.

ROTE BAR, HOTEL SACHER

Popular with the post-theatre push and long-term regulars, you’ll need to book for this jewel-box of a restaurant adjoining Hotel Sacher’s gilded foyer. I recommend an aperitif in the hotel’s tiny Blaue Bar where the Aperol spritzes are large enough to swim in and the walls are covered in blue brocade. At dinner, amid red walls and cushioned banquettes, loomed over by oil paintings of dogs and the Sacher family dynasty, choose from a menu focused firmly on Austrian produce. Boiled beef with apple horseradish, chive sauce, creamed spinach and parsley potatoes plus a triangle of Sacher torte seem just right. There’s a conservatory annexe with folding windows that open to the street in summer, forming a lovely spot for people-watching. More:

sacher.com.