Café Schwarzenberg — Restaurant in Vienna

I rarely write reviews, so the fact that I’m posting this should tell you how disappointing the experience was.

I visited this restaurant with a group of about 20 people — we had traveled from another country and were recommended this place by our travel agent. For many of us, it was our first time in Vienna, and we were genuinely looking forward to a good experience.

Unfortunately, the food was extremely underwhelming. It was overly salty — to the point where we constantly needed water just to wash the saltiness out of our mouths. To make things worse, the prices were higher than other restaurants we had visited in the city offering similar cuisine, yet the quality was significantly lower.

The service was equally disappointing. Staff were slow and dismissive, and the environment was uncomfortably hot and stuffy. We even had to move seats to feel somewhat comfortable.

When it came time to pay, our group split the bill individually. My total was €18.70. As I was preparing to pay, the server asked abruptly, “Any tip?” — not in a polite or courteous manner, but with an entitled tone, as if tipping was expected regardless of the experience.

I replied “No,” given how poor the service and food had been. His response? “Really, no?” — in a clearly judgmental tone. I felt pressured and awkward, so I said “Fine, €1.” He then replied, “Oh, I guess €1 is better than nothing, right?” The audacity!

He entered the tip himself and made me pay it. I was shocked.

Later, I found out he had pressured every single person at our table into tipping — even someone who had already left a generous €5. Absolutely unacceptable and unprofessional behavior.

I truly hope the management addresses this kind of conduct and trains their staff in basic customer service and respectful communication.

I would not recommend this place to anyone. There are far better restaurants in Vienna where you’ll be treated with decency — and served food that’s...

Horrible. When we first entered some people sat down and others were instructed by waiters where to sit. I know that with the culture here, you would typically just find a seat but they over complicated this entire process. My wife and I stood there, told the waiter that we wanted a table for 2 and he told us it would be about 5-10 minutes. We waited and nothing so we just ended up sitting at an empty table. There was still plates on there but it was full and people were just sitting down. The dishes remained on our table for at least 10 minutes. The waiter took our order and then forgot our order and had to ask us for our order again. My wife got the Benedict and I got the fried egg and croissant. Her Benedict was cold. We also got a coffee and it was sub par with what other cafes had here. Everyone who was sitting around us was waiting for their bill or waiting to order. Our waiter looked confused every time he passed by. He left dishes on tables for over 20 minutes. It seems like a common issue and the owner of the place doesn't seem to want to do anything about it based on the other reviews. They also only hire older gentlemen to be waiters here. I didn't see any females or...

I went with my boyfriend for dinner and had a wonderful experience -the location is historic, there was live music, and our waitress was excellent. We enjoyed it so much that we returned the next day for breakfast. However, the experience was completely different. The place was nearly empty, with only a few tables occupied, and four waiters, including the head waiter.

After sitting down, we knew what we wanted to order, so we politely asked one waiter. The head waiter, with a gruff attitude, told us his colleague would be with us shortly. We waited, but there was only one waiter taking orders while the others were reading the newspaper. When one of them finally looked up, I politely raised my hand to ask for our order. The head waiter then angrily told us, “I told you my colleague is coming. They will order first, then you.”

We were forced to leave, and as we did, the head waiter laughed and mocked us, saying, “Are you in a hurry or something?”

My boyfriend and I work in the hospitality industry, so we understand the challenges, but we’ve never treated customers this way. Everything was great, but the head waiter’s arrogance and rudeness really left a...