What to eat in Vienna.
Take one very thinly slice piece of veal or pork, coat in breadcrumbs, shallow fry and serve with fries and a squeeze of lemon. Be warned, they can be huge, often hanging off the plate so be hungry. The cheapest place to get filled up would be at Centimeter, I, II or III where you can get 2 large schnitzels, fries and salad for €6, (impossible to finish on your own unless you're nuts). Lenaugasse 11, Stiftgasse 4 and Bauernfeldplatz 2. They also serve 'giraffes' of beer and 'wheel barrows' of food for groups to share.
Believe it or not the Viennese had a café society before the Italians did. After the Turks were repelled in 1683 a soldier began experimenting with some beans that were left behind and the coffee house was born. Can be taken with or without whipped cream and usually lingered over a lot longer than an espresso. Café Aida is the oldest chain.
Perhaps the best accompaniment with the coffee is a pastry similar to filo filled with either apple or curd cheese, dusted with icing sugar. There are savoury versions as well. Delicious hot or cold.
Traditionally the word means late harvest wine but now these taverns are setting up all over. They can only sell wine from their own estates and can only open for 10 months of the year. Many are in the outer suburbs and small villages and they also serve traditional Austrian-Bohemian fare. Expect lots of meat, dumplings, pickles, sausages and cheese.
If you are sitting down in a café or restaurant the waiter will bring the receipt to the table, either on the serving tray or if requested. You pay to the waiter or leave the amount in the paying book. Tipping is normally 10% or just round up the amount with the change if service has been good.