Schnitzel Wirt — Restaurant in Vienna

I'd like to preamble this by saying I work in a restaurant, I wait tables, I work behind the bar etc. I know how hard it is to do this job, especially when understaffed, so I'm generally very lenient when I go out to eat.

Having said that there was waaaaay too much client turnover for the amount of staff working, it was simply impossible for them to keep on top of everything. Not their fault but at a certain point you either hire more staff or refuse some tables because it was genuinely ridiculous. Instead not only did they not slow down, but we were seated next to a couple of absolute strangers at our table so that they could fit in as many clients as possible (I understand that is ok in establishments such as beer halls, dining halls, cafeterias etc but this was a regular restaurant with normal seating arrangements). Some other clients were visibly uncomfortable with this and they didn't really consult anyone in the process of choosing seats, it was just implied that this was ok.

Our table was extremely dirty as a group had literally just been asked to get up to let us sit and it never got properly cleaned. I don't expect a complete deep clean-up, but at least get rid of the crumbs and bits of food left on the table with a piece of cloth! We got one (1) wipe on the side of the table nobody was sitting at and then another couple of wipes when we had almost finished eating. I had to clean the table myself the best I could with a piece of tissue I had on me. The toilets were some of the worst I've ever experienced and the kitchen passe is in a corridor right bang in the middle connecting the two dining rooms so all of the dirt from the kitchen floor gets transported into the dining room floors.

Everything was rushed, which I understand given the conditions, but I could barely even talk without the waiter interrupting and trying to guess what we wanted to order. He was very spritely and friendly, but you simply can't take an order like that... you have to let us get our words out and slow down a second, even if you're in a hurry.

The food took a long time to arrive (again, comprehensible) and parts of our order took 3-4 reminders for them to bring them. We ended up asking three different waiters for the same sauce we had ordered and we finally got it after we had almost finished eating. We tried ordering another round of beer and that was a challenge in itself. This was especially upsetting because the hostess/waitress that took us in was sat down at the bar on her phone/chatting, ignoring everyone else for a good chunk of her shift when it was quite evident that help was needed at the bar and waiting tables. We tried calling her a few times but she wouldn't even acknowledge us. I'm unsure what her role was amongst the staff but even if she was the owner she should've been helping out a lot more than that. If I was working there I'd have been furious with her.

The food itself was very varied in quality: the schnitzel and beer were very good as was the salad, but some of the sides in particular were simply terrible (e.g. the rice and the bread dumpling especially).

I'm really not a picky person when I eat out, most of my reviews are very positive, but this was one of those times where you simply have to laugh at the absurdity of the situation ("ridere per non piangere" as we say in Italian). You really shouldn't be this stressed out and on your toes when you dine out. I really didn't expect such a caotic experience having seen such positive...

There are 2 chief protagonists to this story: GrumpfUncle and Aunty Grumpy. There were 5 of us and my friend and I casually entered, as you do, to ask if tables were available. GrumpfUncle, standing behind the counter on the right, barked at us and said something like 'no no, you wait outside 1 hour, 2 hours I don't know...no tables now' with an aggressive gesture of hand asking us to get out...

Anyway, we'd heard of this place and so we stood outside waiting for a table. We got one in 15 minutes, outside. Aunty Grumpy, who served us, was rude, dismissive and most uncooperative. I have a lactose intolerance and so wanted to know which dishes would be safe for me to eat. It took 2 minutes of back & forth for her to recommend the right dishes, all the while showing her irritation at having to spend a minute of her time on a customer.

The dishes and beers came quickly. The beer glasses were warm, fresh out of the dishwasher, bordering on hot. So unfortunately, on Vienna's first warm day of the year, you had to wait for the beer glasses to cool down while the beers warmed up, before you could drink.

The food was GOOD, the servings BIG - I don't count myself a schnitzel connoisseur, but I really liked it. Top stuff. Will definitely go back for more.

Then came the bill. It came to 56 EUR and we dished out a 100 EUR note. Aunty Grumpy came back with the change - all of 36 EUR. Of course, it took another couple of minutes to get her to realise she owed us 44 EUR and not 34 EUR. Again, she wasn't happy. She acted like she didn't have 4 EUR change, to which I replied, 'Being a cash only establishment, you ought to have plenty of change.' Again, disdain sprinkled with wrath on her face.

We paid her a tip of exactly 0 EUR and went along, looking for some gelato.

Summary: Total morons (especially if you're used to Indian hospitality) serving a really...

Food: very tasty, huge meat portions for this price. It was a good Schnitzel, but didn't blow my mind (not sure what I expected, but that's on me). The fries were very good but soon salty, the Knödel with gravy was savory and very tasty (although the gravy was a bit fatty). The mixed salad was a nice mix, but since everything was mixed in a very small bowl (potatoes, cabbage, cucumber, etc.) everything tasted the same. Try a bigger bowl or a plate. They don't offer any bread, that was strange. Service: she was trying to be nice, but it took her visibly a great effort... We asked for fries not to salted and for one Schnitzel to have no salt (for our 1.5 year old), because we wanted it to salt it slightly on our own (we didn't ask on purpose for "slightly salted" bc that's more difficult for the chefs than "no salt"). She rolled her eyes at the request. They saw that we were with a small child, but they didn't acknowledge it in the least: no extra plate, no cutlery for him, no question / offer if he would like smth to drink or anything. Needed to ask for everything separately: may we have a small plate? May we have a small spoon? May we have ... The table didn't have napkins, nor enough cutlery, the cutlery wasn't clean. Atmosphere: Very nice local family lead restaurant. Old school, expect no fancy service. Oh: cash only (Echt jetzt? 21st century and focus on tourists?l

From experience in Vienna: If you want to eat Schnitzel, go to any ordinary Restaurant. There's only as much as you can do with a Schnitzel. No need to go out of your way to come here. Don't come here...