Cafe Tirolerhof — Restaurant in Vienna

Disappointing and Unprofessional Service During lunch, a fly landed on my pork chop. I was shocked, disgusted, and scared as the fly crawled all over, making half of my pork chop inedible. I called the waiter and asked if it was possible to get a new plate. The waiter said no because such things happen; this is "nature." I was frustrated but accepted it. After a while, the waiter returned and told me he had asked his superior and there was no way to replace it. I said fine, let it go. Then he came back again and said it once more, to which I again responded, fine, let it go. When it came time to pay, he mentioned it yet again. I found it strange that he kept bringing it up repeatedly, even though I had already acknowledged and accepted the situation. Was he being responsible and diligent? I felt harassed, like I was the wrongdoer instead of the victim. He said he felt I was angry at him and very aggressive. He acted like a bullied waiter, constantly complaining to me, his superior, and even the surrounding diners. He was the only one who spoke English, and with his one-sided narrative, the non-English-speaking patrons became his sympathetic private jury, making me look like an unreasonable, crazy woman. What started to anger me was that I had paid for the meal but couldn’t eat much of it. The waiter should have been more professional, showing some sympathy and understanding. I came to this restaurant based on recommendations, and unfortunately, I encountered this unlucky situation. He could have said, "I’m sorry you had this experience," instead of taking it personally. I was merely inquiring about the possibility of replacing the dish, not smiling when I asked. I was addressing the issue at hand and didn’t make any personal attacks, rhetorical questions, or imperatives. Instead, the waiter used rhetorical questions like, "Do you expect me to catch the fly?" His language and content were subjective personal attacks, judging me by saying, "You are very aggressive" and "You are angry at me." I had to put the issue aside repeatedly to comfort him, reiterating, "It was never about you. I don’t want to hurt your feelings." Then he asked, "Do you think I’m stupid?" His outburst shocked me. He finally said, "I apologize for everything, is that okay?" What kind of response is that? The entire situation was so absurd that after leaving the restaurant, I went to Hotel Imperial and had two strong drinks in the middle of the day to calm my complex emotions. My personal thoughts are as follows: Fly Issue: The restaurant has the responsibility to provide a hygienic dining environment. A fly landing on the food is a sign of poor hygiene management by the restaurant, and they should take responsibility for addressing this issue. Waiter's Attitude: The waiter's attitude was clearly unprofessional. He should not have taken the customer's reasonable complaint personally, nor should he have repeatedly emphasized the inability to replace the dish and made me feel as if I was in the wrong. Communication Method: I did not overreact; I simply made a reasonable request and indicated my acceptance after being refused multiple times. However, the waiter's repeated refusals and self-defense only made the problem more complicated and unnecessarily escalated the situation. Personal Attacks: The waiter's remarks were inappropriate, especially those involving personal assessments such as "you are being very aggressive." This is not only unprofessional but also exacerbated the conflict. Restaurant's Responsibility: As a customer, I have the right to request a replacement for contaminated food. The restaurant should respect and strive to meet such reasonable requests. If unable to do so, they should handle the situation professionally and empathetically, rather than shifting the blame back onto the customer. Language Barrier: The waiter exploited the language barrier, making me feel isolated and helpless,...

Relatively poor. It might appeal to some people, but the restaurant is badly in need of an upgrade. I understand it wants to style itself in an old Vienna historical coffee shop theme, but that doesn't mean the decor has to be unchanged since the 19th century. The chairs were old, fraying and wasting away with fabric that is probably filthy from years of use and neglect. The dessert options seem typical for the area regarding tourists, but the coffee is disappointing. Bitter, overheated, and poorer quality than even an international chain. Your water is served in glasses that remind me of a canteen in the 80s, and the staff don't seem entirely interested in dealing with a place that gets so many tourists. I witnessed a Japanese group (3 people) be denied seating in the area next to us, claiming the whole section (about 3 tables and enough seats to fit about 10 people) as it was all apparently reserve, and they were told to sit outside. A few minutes later, an older Austrian gentleman sat to read his paper in only one of the tables, and no reservations were observed. The Family came back in, talked to a different water, and were allowed to sit in side finally.

The cafe also include an additional service charge on the bill, and then include a tip at the same time, which they claim is optional, yet add it on in pen at the end without consulting you, and when pressed, they say it isn't mandatory. In such a case, why is it included on the bill in addition to the service charge?

Newly trained staff, and an update to the style while keeping the theme of a traditional coffee house could turn this place into a very worthwhile and beautiful location. But as it stands I feel like it's a money factory to squeeze tourists and visitors as much...

Unfortunately the experience we had here was marred by an extremely disappointing and hostile incident.

We attended as a family, and in our time here ordered several desserts and drinks which were decent. Our main waiter called Andrew was extremely kind, polite and friendly whilst under busy working conditions and is to be commended. Another of his colleagues was similarly friendly.

The disappointing experience came towards the end of our drinks. We brought out a family card game (Hanabi) - and after about 15 minutes one of the other staff members aggressively banged on the glass next to us and angrily demanded we stop. We asked why, just to clarify (as we wondered if he thought we were gambling, which we were not, and there were no signs indicated card games not allowed) and he just shouted ‘forbidden’ at us and banged on the glass again which was loud, threatening and embarrassing. It was completely inappropriate for a commercial establishment.

He could have politely asked us to stop and explained why cards were not allowed, and of course we would have done so, but instead he chose this aggressive, unpleasant and bullying approach.

Andrew (mentioned at beginning of review) later approached to explain why cards were not allowed in the venue, but he said this politely and calmly - completely at odds with his rude colleague. Again, thank you Andrew (he would receive 5* if we could review on an...