We’ve just returned from our dinner at the well-known Cafe Englander. This little gem of the Viennese culinary scene, which has been around under the same owners for some twenty years, is not being mentioned in most tourist guides and retains a clientele of largely locals.
It has a very relaxed, pleasant, down-to-earth vibe to it, not preposterous or glamorous like the grand cafés, but not without charm.
The service was very friendly, quick, and professional from the moment we arrived half an hour before the time (it had been raining hard, we cancelled a plan to do some sight-seeing nearby beforehand and went straight to the restaurant). We were seated in the smoking area next to the bar, until our table became available just on time. The vibe in the smoking and bar area is more rustic, louder, and you feel more “in the middle of it all”, but we were pleased when we were led to our table.
The two Viennese schnitzels arrived after about 15 minutes and were the best ones we’ve enjoyed in Vienna (or anywhere else of course) so far, including previous trips. They tasted less oily, had more texture (without being chewy; we don’t like it when the meat is so thin that it more or less merges with the batter into a non-distinct brown, crispy mass), and boy were they full of flavour. We also thought the batter was very nice, with a slight crunch, but extremely thin and covering the schnitzel in a particularly artful, relaxed kind of way, with wild waves all over the place.
The sides of potato salad and lamb’s lettuce were very large by local standards, and included in the price, which makes a significant difference to the bill at the end. We finished the meal off with the obligatory strudel and decided that we’ll be back on our next trip to Vienna. 5 out of 5 in our book.
Looking for more reviews? Check out our reviews of two-starred Lafleur in Frankfurt, one-starred Aquavit in London, or the northernmost fine dining restaurant in the world: Gruvelageret, roughly 1,000 km south of the north pole, with polar bears roaming the areas. Something completely different? Our trip to the Sahara perhaps, our helicopter tour of London, our visit to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra at the Old Opera, Frankfurt, or our walking tour in Sydney?
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