IKO — Restaurant in Vienna

Yesterday we went out as a group to have dinner. We wanted to try something new, so we made a reservation in this restaurant at 7pm.

As we arrived there, we were sited at the main table with many other people. This was not bad, but new. However, since there were two tables available (also with a reservation, but no guests). The waitress helping us was, since we got there, stressed, what made us feel uncomfortable from the beginning. As we had our food served (7:25pm) we asked if we could move to the other table, so that we could have a little more privacy, or waitress told us that the table was reserved and that we could not move. At 7:40pm we asked again, since the table was still empty and we wanted to stay longer for some drinks. The waitress told us: no, the table is reserved. The same she did with another table that was also reserved but not until 8:30pm. Either way, our waitress did not wanted to sit us in another table, even though they were not occupied until after we left the restaurant.

I am very shocked that she would not move us, even if the guests did not arrived until after we left, if so. We wanted to have a lovely dinner and enjoy our drinks and have some fun, but with the waitress attitude and her unhelpful way, we cut our night short and decided to go to another restaurant. It is a pity, since the food is very good, but for the prices I really expected to have a good service. Unfortunately my friends and I are not coming back to the restaurant, simply to avoid bad and...

The place itself is small and cozy, with a cute atmosphere that feels welcoming, though it can get packed on weekends, so plan ahead if you're trying to get in. Service was fine—not exceptional, but it gets the job done.

Now, the food. I’ll start with the Yasai Gyoza—these vegetable dumplings are solid. The crispy edges are nicely done, and the filling has good flavor, so no complaints there.

On the other hand, the Grilled Calamari didn’t quite hit the mark. It sounded great—chili, mint, avocado dip—but it fell flat. The calamari was a bit too bland, and I wasn’t really getting any punch from the supposed chili or mint.

Then there’s the Shrimps Karaage. Now we're talking. These deep-fried shrimps with daikon and truffle mayo were easily the highlight. Crispy, juicy, with a creamy mayo that added the perfect richness—this is great.

The Ebi Tempura was good, no doubt. The shrimp, sweet potato, zucchini, and bell peppers all had a nice crunch from the tempura batter, but it didn’t really stand out beyond that. A solid dish, just not something you’ll remember forever.

All in all, Iko’s got potential but doesn’t fully deliver on the promise. It’s a nice spot for tapas-style sharing plates, but some dishes just miss the mark. Would I go back? Sure, for those...

For starter, we had grilled scallop, was not as overwhelming as other dishes we had here. It’s €8 just like the hot chocolate cake with matcha ice cream.

Main dishes: Both salmon Ikura roll and tempura rolls were delicious. We ordered a sushi mix medium, was fresh, teriyaki sauce is thick and right on point. The sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi makes the whole sushi experience a lot more fun.

Desert: Matcha ice cream with hot chocolate cake worth the price. Although I expected the ice cream to have a stronger matcha taste but it was ok good. I would have it again. Presentation was great as well.

Service: They messed up our reservation and we had to wait a bit when arrived but it’s all fine because the staffs are friendly. We ordered quite a lot and they have small table for 2 people so we had to change seat twice. Again they’re nice and helped us to move.

Takes a while for food to come so come here before you’re super hungry! Waited around 30 minutes for our main dish but it was worth it in my opinion.

Would come here again and expect to be surprised by other...