Figlmüller - The best Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna

Me with  my Wiener Schnitzel in  Figlmüller's

OK, so maybe my calling Figlmüller's schnitzel the best in Vienna is potentially not the most researched statement I've ever made - Figlmüller's is the only schnitzel I've ever had in Vienna - but judging by all the press surrounding the oh-so-hard-to-pronounce restaurant, there are plenty of other people who would back me up.

Apparently, Figlmüller has been "the home of the schnitzel for over 100 years." Located near to Vienna's beautiful cathedral, Stephansdom, there are three different restaurants, all pretty much next to each other, but each with a slightly different vibe and character, and each equally difficult to get into. Tables at Figlmüller's are reserved weeks (maybe months!) in advance by people desperate to taste the most famous schnitzel in Vienna. So when my friend and I rocked up last night, we knew we had next to no chance of getting a table, yet somehow we did. We were in the original Figlmüller restaurant on Wollzeile too! Maybe we got lucky with the timing, maybe it was our feminine wiles, maybe we impressed them with our attempts at speaking German... Whatever the case, we (Viennese) waltzed right in and got a table for two straight away. Major win. Throughout our evening, hoards of people turned up and queued only to be turned away, schnitzel-less and sad.

The most famous schnitzel in Vienna.

I'm not sure exactly what makes Figlmüller's so special - they use only the finest, freshest ingredients, each piece of meat is pounded until it's super thin and a whopping 30cm in diameter, and the schnitzels are then flipped around various pans all at different temperatures after being coated in breadcrumbs. Apparently they don't start pounding your schnitzel until you've placed your order to ensure the freshest results.

In the Wollzeile Figlmüller's, the menu is pretty small with just 13 dishes to choose from. To be honest I can't see why anyone would go there and not have schnitzel though. It would be like going to Hotel Sacher and not having Sachertorte AKA ridic. The Wollzeile restaurant is also delightfully cosy, decked out with traditional wooden tables and with smartly dressed waiters delivering speedy, efficient service.

At €13,90, Figlmüller's isn't the cheapest Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna, but if you're students who are only treating yourself to dinner out once throughout your stay, it's totally the way to go. Slightly more reasonably priced is their chicken schnitzel, at €10,50, so my friend and I ordered one traditional and one chicken and shared both. One thing I found slightly odd is that the schnitzels are served with nothing other than a slice of lemon on top... If you want traditional potato salad or any other side dish you have to order it as well (and thus pay more!) So, being thrifty/broke students, and knowing quite how big our schnitzels were going to be, we literally just had schnitzel for dinner. Wiener Schnitzel, with a side of chicken schnitzel. Delish. And my mum worries I don't get enough protein... PAH!

pic from figlmueller.at

Let me tell you, I don't know how anyone would even have room for a side dish with their schnitzel - these babies are HUGE! They don't fit on the plates, which apparently goes back to wartimes, when people wanted to feel they were getting their money's worth. Anyone who knows me will know that I ALWAYS finish whatever's on my plate, yet I have to admit that Figlmüller's schnitzel defeated me. Shameful, I know, but don't judge me until you've taken on the schnitz yourself.

As I said before in my post about making my own schnitzel (or you may have read it in more! magazine!), I'm not a big meat eater, but these schnitzels were something else. Warm, crispy, tender, juicy, slightly salty and full of flavour, they're so much better than their simple description would suggest. If you ever find yourself in Vienna, I cannot recommend Figlmüller's schnitzel enough. But unless you've got feminine wiles and charming German to fall back on, try and book before you go! This schnitz is not to be missed.