Ruffino Pizza Restaurant — Restaurant in Vienna

Uodated (2023): we returned 4 years later and it was JUST as delicious as we remembered and hoped. The service was slower but there was a large group inside and we were the only people sitting outside. Portion sizes are more than fair for the price and quality. Again, I'm not sure why this place has bad reviews!! I will say, I think the key is to go on an offnight or just off the normal peak hours...we went on a rainy Saturday at 9 pm and then went back on Tuesday at 5. Whatever. I will always happily come back here while in Vienna. It's a staple requirement of any visit.

Original (2019): I'm not AT ALL sure why this place only has mediocre reviews. I'm a fairly well traveled person, having had fantastic meals in Athens, Rome, Salzburg, Munich, Kufstein, London, Portsmouth, multiple locations in Vienna, and in most of the major US cities. Also, I'm Italian. This was THE BEST PASTA I've had in my life, including the little mom/pop hole in the wall I found in Rome with the stellar sage-brown butter gorgonzola gnocchi. Our waitress was lovely, our service was relaxed (as in most European restaurants...they're paid on good salary and receive benefits so they're not in a hurry to rack up tips, but the expectation is for you to enjoy your relaxed dinner), and the food was absolutely delicious. A bit off the tourist track but worth the walk, and easily accessible via the 2 tram back to inner city if, like us, you feel too stuffed to waddle back after two bowls of pasta and four drinks (35 euro total). Just go here and be prepared to sit outside at night and enjoy a laid back, solid, hit the spot...

Ah, behold the wondrous spectacle that is the restaurant of grand incompetence! Picture this: as we entered its hallowed halls, we mustered the courage to inquire if the noble act of serving still extended to the lowly beings outside. Lo and behold, there they were, the guests of honor, basking in their self-imposed exile under the warm embrace of neglect.

Alas, dear companion, for twenty painstaking minutes we languished in obscurity, left to ponder life's great mysteries: Does the staff possess the ability to perceive our presence? Are they so mesmerized by their own grandeur that they deem our paltry existence unworthy of their attention?

In a moment of divine clarity, we cast aside all hope and ventured forth to find solace elsewhere. And what a serendipitous quest it turned out to be! We were promptly served upon arrival and even received a complimentary welcome aperitif.

Let it be known, dear reader, that where service falters, so too does our patience. And thus, we cast upon this establishment the ever-dreaded mark of our dissatisfaction: unsatisfactory...

We had our last meal in Vienna here and what a way to go! The food was delicious and the service was great (although, in our American-ness, we still haven't quite worked out how to signal to the waiter that we're ready for the check without being rude, so we sat there for a good 20-30 minutes trying to shyly catch the eye of our waiter). We started with the Bruschetta -- it was lovely!

My husband got the funghi pizza and added spinach -- it was really delicious and really good portion without being too big.

I ordered something off the daily menu, so I knew I was getting spaghetti with some kind of mushroom cream sauce. I'm still not 100% on what kind of mushrooms they were, but I don't even care...it had such a wonderful flavor, I shamelessly ate every last bite. The only thing that could have made it better was a piece of bread to get...