Brasserie Palmenhaus Wien — Restaurant in Vienna

Disappointing Experience – We Won’t Be Back

We were really looking forward to trying this place, but unfortunately, our experience was nothing like what we had hoped for.

Yesterday, we stopped by late in the evening, and a really kind staff member welcomed us warmly, making us feel like we should come back the next morning. Her attitude actually made us excited to return and give the place a try.

But today, things felt completely different. Within the first ten minutes of sitting down, two different waiters came over, rushing us to order in a way that felt pushy and transactional—like they just wanted us to place an order and be done with it.

The frustrating part was that my friend and I arrived together, but she went to the restroom while I waited. During that time, a waiter came over to ask if I was ready to order, and I told him I needed a little time. Then, another waiter came, and I told him I’d wait for my friend. As soon as she sat down, a third staff member approached us before we had even looked at the menu. It was overwhelming, and for a moment, we considered just leaving. The restaurant wasn’t even full, so there was no reason for this kind of pressure.

What made things worse was the waiter’s attitude. When my friend asked for five more minutes, he clearly didn’t like it, and even after we finally placed our order, he kept staring at us, making us feel uncomfortable the entire time. Instead of enjoying our meal, we just wanted to leave. Honestly, we only ordered drinks because we felt stuck and didn’t want to deal with any more tension.

It’s a shame because we came to this place with high expectations, but it ended up being one of our worst experiences in Vienna. We’ve been to so many places here, and people are usually so friendly and welcoming—except at this restaurant. The staff made it feel like they only cared about taking orders and moving people out as quickly as possible, rather than creating a good experience.

This visit left such a bad impression on us that we won’t be coming back, and we definitely wouldn’t recommend it to others. No one should feel this uncomfortable while trying to enjoy a...

Here is the unfiltered review of this cafe.

We visited this place because it was promoted on TikTok by a couple of influencers.

What worked for us: the location is central and easy to find.

What was just average for us: the food quality was average, not bad but nothing outstanding. Nothing worth visiting again for.

What really did not work for: hence the reasons for just 1 star. Next to our table was server’s table full of ants and trail went through our table. When we told our server, he brushed us off with response “Where there is sweet, there will be ants”. Forget apology or reseating, did not even acknowledge the issue. Note that it was late at 9 PM and it was mostly empty. There were service/cover charges despite over Euro 150 bill and when asked, Marie from support team emailed, that this is the charge for bread and linen. Euro 20 for a plate of bread and linen?? Our server, not once visited our table to ask how the food was or if we needed anything else, except at the end when he wanted to sell desserts. I did not read the charges before paying since the place was very dark and I did not have glasses. Our server, for the first time in 10 days in Europe, insisted on tip. It was VERY obvious and he kept checking the amount I was entering. Last, which really pissed me off: after I reached out to their office, the condescending response was “Well, how does it happen in your country” or “we can take off the tip but it will come off the pocket of the server”. I ASKED ABOUT THIS HIDDEN SERVICE CHARGE and literally, all you had to do was apologize for the confusion, point out if it was mentioned and promise some better service next time. Instead, Marie decided to insult and shame its guests. I was never complaining about the tip. Tip on top of service charge, without disclosing...

Palmenhaus: where photosynthesis meets flirtation, and caffeine meets redemption. After an hour inside the reading room of the Austrian National Library — where your eyes slowly dissolve into 18th-century Latin footnotes and a thousand shades of brown wood — you stumble out, half-blind, half-divine, into the garden. And then it appears. A greenhouse the size of your spiritual awakening, shimmering like a dream commissioned by Freud and executed by an architect with too much free time. Welcome to Café Palmenhaus. Where the ceilings are glass, the palm trees are taller than your expectations, and the heating system — bless it — works like it's fueled by poetry and guilt. You sit down. You breathe. You are alive again. And suddenly, a young, handsome waiter appears — dressed like he just stepped out of a Wes Anderson casting call, carrying caffeine salvation on a silver tray. (You tip him. Of course you do. You’re not dead inside.) ☕ The coffee is lovely. Rich. Present. Like a good friend who listens. 🍫 The chocomousse cake is… how do I say this? A bit extra. Like a prince who wears velvet to breakfast. Impressive, but perhaps too eager to be loved. Still — you forgive it. Because look around: light floods the space like a sermon. The chandeliers hang like colonial jewelry. The Viennese couples speak softly, as if every sentence is a secret. And you? You’re just happy to exist here. Like a well-dressed fern among equals. P.S. If you sit by the window, you might see the Hofburg peeking through the trees. Don’t wave. It...