Meierei im Stadtpark — Restaurant in Vienna

A failure in professionalism, not what you expect from a 3 Michelin star restaurant

As frequent Michelin star restaurant diners who plan trips around renowned restaurants, my husband and I were eagerly anticipating our lunch at Steirereck on September 22, 2025. One doesn't go to a 3-star establishment just to eat; one goes for a flawless, delightful culinary experience that stands well above average. Unfortunately, our visit was a masterclass in how not to handle guests when things go wrong.

The issues began with a serious hygiene lapse. After our first course, a dark, curly hair was sitting wrapped around my newly placed silverware. The server didn't even notice the hair, and she placed it there herself!!!! When we pointed it out to her, the apology was scarce and perfunctory. We are human, and we understand hiccups happen, so we decided not to make a fuss. What defines a top-tier restaurant, however, is its reaction. Here, there was no manager rushing over — just a quiet replacement of the utensils as if nothing had happened. We decided not to let it spoil the experience, even deleted the picture I took.

The second failure was environmental. Sitting by the window on a +27°C day, we were baking in the sun. It was September, so the management went through the summer with this, and we were probably not the first who complained. The sun was blazing in, and while a curtain was shading another table, we were left in the heat. We asked for more shade, and while solar blinds were lowered, they did little to help. My husband was genuinely suffering. We asked for the manager, but only the floor supervisor came. We explained the problem, and then... nothing happened for 10-15 minutes. By the time our main course was being served, we were still waiting for a solution. In a truly awkward moment, my husband had to ask them to physically shift our table into a sliver of shade, which they did while our main dishes were on it. It was absurd.

The mood was completely spoiled. We decided to just push through and not let it ruin our vacation.

The true lack of professionalism was revealed at the end. To add insult to injury, when we were leaving, we saw two perfectly unoccupied tables in a cooler, shaded section. I asked the floor supervisor about this, she claimed they had planned to move us after our main course. This excuse made no sense—why not move us and then serve the mains? When I recounted the hair incident to the supervisor, her "sorry" was utterly insincere, as if it was something regular and we were just picky. Shocking!!!!!

It's crucial to understand: this was a demonstration of the absolute lack of proper training and reaction. Hiccups are inevitable; a poorly trained staff that cannot manage them is not.

And for the record, the bill and service charge were processed very smoothly—no complaints there.

The food was good (not excellent) and beewax as cooking agent was very interesting, but at this level, "good" isn't enough to justify the prestige and the highest level of the industry. Also I have to be fair and mention fine linens and silverware, they were noticed. The one standout was the wonderful man serving the bread cart—he and the bread selection delivered a glowing positive experience.

Verdict: Based on the combination of a hygiene lapse and a complete failure in service problem-solving, this is simply not a 3 Michelin star establishment. The lack of urgency, empathy, and a genuine apology was staggering. We expected an unforgettable meal, but for all the wrong reasons, that's exactly what we got.

This was a sharp contrast to our very recent visits to 2 Michelin star restaurants in Dublin and...

Nice setting and pleasant food which resulted in food poisoning.

We (me and partner) had a reservation at 17.30 on a Saturday (no dinner service followed and it is closed Today/ on Sunday). We ordered a tartare and white asparagus with Hollandaise and schnitzels for the main. The food was pleasant, very nice asparagus. Yet when tasting the Hollandaise, it seemed to have contained whipped raw egg whites (could be tasted and seen in the texture). We are aware the dangers of eating raw produce such as the meat and egg yolk in the tartare yet the kitchen professionals should be aware of the dangers related to egg whites. The dessert at Meirei was our last meal of the day. Today, the day began with severely disrupted ingestion system problems resulting in me writing this from a hotel bed. If it would be only me, I would not consider this as some sort of food poisoning but since my partner has the same symptoms as me (we ate the same dishes at Meierei) I have a reason to believe that the problem we have at the moment lies in the food we ate at Meierei. The previous food we ate was at breakfast 8 hours prior to Meierei visit.

To add on top of it, the service was rather odd. One waitress forgot that we are English speakers on multiple occasions even though she had served us and there were maybe 10-14 other tables in at the time. My partners’ schnitzel was placed in front of him with a bear hand while mine was placed with a glove- just a matter of consitentcy especially with rather high prices and reputation. I would have not highlighted those small nuances in the case of pleasant early dinner without any consequences we experience now.

It’s rather unfortunate to spend one of the two days in Vienna in the hotel bed due to us not being able to be more than 10m...

Just arrived in Vienna for the first time ever. Had a reso for Meirei Stadepark all lined up. It had good reviews and the sister restaurant in the same building has a two Michelin star rating. What could go wrong? Well, we opted for the four course menu with wine pairings throughout. Courses 1, 2 and 3 were good, solid offerings…wine pairings were hit and miss but not a disaster. Even with jet lag coming on we were having a good time until Course 4 (dessert). 5, 10, 15, 25 minutes passed before we flag down the waiter to inquire about our desserts (cheese plate and a granita - simple right?!). The waiter authoritatively said “it’s coming,” I said calmly “It’s been over twenty five minutes and I’ve finished my wine pairing off long ago.” To his credit, he apologized and offered me more wine. Another seven minutes pass and my wife’s cheese course shows up. She leisurely enjoys and, you guessed it, my granita never shows up! At this point I’ve had enough and we ask for the bill…the waiter is apologizing and blaming the kitchen…and I frankly don’t care. To make matters worse, he charges a different table’s tab to our credit card…~100 Euros over what we should have been charged?! And while my wife is settling the correct bill up, I’m at the bar, winter coat on, half way out the door and out trots someone I’ve not seen all night with a dish of granita and sets it in front of me with a new glass of wine and says “enjoy.” We leave it and walk out the door shaking our heads in disbelief. Dinner experience ruined.

It’s beyond me how the sister operation a two Michelin star restaurant can’t recognize customers twiddling their thumbs, get a plate on the table at the right cadence or rush an order out when they’ve been put on notice...