Restaurant Eckel

One of our Terrific Tips

Eckel has long been a Viennese culinary institution. This status was established as early as 1931, when the present owner's grandfather, Hans Eckel, wrote a classic work on Austrian cuisine called "What Shall I Cook Today?" And the restaurant has cemented its renown over the past decades by upholding the dual traditions of genuine hospitality and fine food.

But fine food does not have to mean regional food - to the contrary: although at Eckel one can certainly enjoy traditional Austrian dishes such as minced-veal schnitzel with potato purée, which insiders say is the best in town, there are also always a few lobster swimming around in the fish tank. This means that on the menu, regional classics like trout "au bleu", Esterházy-style roast joint, and potato soup co-exist in perfect harmony with lobster cocktail, goose-liver terrine, and breast of duck. In terms of the preparation, the chef is a classicist. He does not follow whatever trend happens to be the fashion; he just does what he does very well.

Just as legendary as the restaurant itself is Eckel's wine cellar, and it contains not only top-notch Austrian wines but also a wide range of Bordeaux, Burgundies, and other outstanding vintages at very fair prices.

www.restauranteckel.at