Apron — Restaurant in Vienna

We have been visiting Michelin star restaurants for a decade now. On our recent trip to Vienna we dined at Apron, Amador, Mraz & Sohn and Konstantin Filippou.

So, Apron.

First, the food. Food is measured, among other criteria, by whether or not we had at least one course that makes us want to revisit the restaurant. None of the courses are worth a revisit. Apron offers very good food but most can be found, in a similar form, in other restaurants as well. The positive side is that their menu is abundant and versatile and so we had two different and unique tasting menus. Portion sizes, amuse bouche and petit four are generous.

Service. The risk in any high-end restaurant is getting a cold, military service. The challenge is to be extremely professional while giving a sense of warmth and welcoming. Service started slow, we waited too long for them to provide the menus and take the order but it was warm and we felt welcome. They were very attentive and accommodated our request to have separated menus.

Wine service. Sommelier was professional and attentive. Listen carefully to our preferences and successfully match all the right wines. Wine by the glass was a disappointment. The servings were considerably smaller than what I have seen in other countries. I felt that the price did not match the quantity. unreasonable to pay that much for that little. Also, the options for wine by the glass were slim and I felt that Vienna did not offer a rich and complete wine experience. I was looking for more variety, quality, and quantity in the wine selection, and I found it disappointing in Vienna. This was consistent with all the other restaurants in Vienna.

Atmosphere. Spacious. Not very memorable, warm or intimate. OK space to spend 3 hours.

Value. Good value.

Summary. Apron is a classic one star restaurant. We dined at Apron on our first night in Vienna and our impression was “just” good. But in retrospect, with the perspective of all the experiences in all restaurants, we feel that Apron was the overall best experience. It offers the most balanced experience in terms of Food, Service, Atmosphere and Value.

Vienna was never known for its unique local cousin but it had exceptional high-end restaurants offering culinary journeys and value for money. Now, the city is a gastronomic disappointment, where you pay a fortune for a disappointing experience.

Vienna is among our top cities but the gastronomic decline has made other cities, Barcelona for instance much more tempting...

Been to many Michelin plated and star in Europe, so far the most disappointing by service, where the food is acceptable. I'm just so surprised it has one star.

1. Ordered a local grape variety, Saint Laurent, I could hear, the head waiter or the sommelier, the tall gentleman was making fun of it with the rest of the team of how I said it and the team laughed with him, very arrogant. A huge minus already. Regardless whether my pronunciation is right or wrong, making fun of the customer out loud, at the extent where he can hear it, is unacceptable whether you are a Michelin or not. Already uncomfortable.
2. at first, culteries were given, after the 2nd course, gave food first then cutlery, when it was the dessert, gave us the food, the tall waiter with the beard completely forgot the cutlery and had me asking him to get it. With not a sincere apologies.
3. everytime water was being poured, the tall waiter with the beard, always forget to open the lid, not once twice or three times. It really just shows the lack of energy or passion in his service or pure ignorance or arrogance. You don't really need think much, If the tap is open or not, you just have to pay attention to see, but clearly it was not the case, 0 attention was given almost.
4. had to ask water when the water glass empty, toward the end of the meal, before paying the bill, when the same gentleman came by already 2 times to our table. Maybe he just expected us to leave?
5. asked for tips 🥴😂 come on.
6. again, detail, the idea of presenting the ingredients on a little card is good, but first course already, gave the wrong side as there was English and German. The devil is in the detail, Not a Michelin experience, not even plate. very dark, lack of attention in service, food is okay, passable for Michelin, other than the very dry bread with bacon and overly salted homemade sourdough. Service,...

It’s honestly quite hard to write a review for this place because my experience was a bit of a mix.

The atmosphere is great – casual fine dining done right. It feels refined, but not overly luxurious or intimidating. It’s easy to settle in and feel comfortable, which I really appreciated.

Service is excellent – professional, warm, and attentive to detail. The team explained the menu clearly and made the whole dining process smooth and enjoyable.

As for the food, I had mixed feelings. One thing I really enjoyed was the kitchen’s generosity – we were served multiple surprise greeting dishes throughout the meal, and I genuinely liked every one of those. However, the actual courses from the main menu didn’t fully convince me. Considering the overwhelmingly positive reviews and the Michelin star, I found myself surprised. I even re-read the Michelin Guide afterwards, but I couldn’t quite connect with what was described.

I guess this just shows that taste is incredibly personal – and a Michelin star or glowing reviews don’t guarantee you’ll love it. You’ll receive a card listing all the ingredients used in each dish, which is a nice touch. But even then, I struggled to understand how the flavours and components were meant to come together. Some combinations felt unclear in concept, and overall, we found the dishes a bit too salty.

One piece of advice: the restaurant is very generous with extra dishes from the kitchen, so I’d definitely recommend going with the 5-course menu instead of 7. With all the additional items, the full experience already takes over 4 hours – which can feel a bit long unless you’re really prepared for it.

Is it a good restaurant? Yes, I believe it is. Does it feel like a Michelin one-star experience? I personally have some doubts. Would I return?...