Real altwiener food was not the boiled beef of Empress Sisi. It was predominantly innards for the common folk. Reznicek is still unsurpassed for both noble and proletarian Old Vienna cuisine. The neon lighting and smoke-stained walls of this old Beisl are now gone—though owner Herbert Prockl still looks like storybook Viennese tavern keeper.

The meat-heavy food is enough to make any patchouli-soaked vegan shiver. Prockl fearlessly serves old specialties like brain fried with egg and salonbeuschel (chopped calf’s heart and lungs in a caper cream sauce). For the less adventurous gourmet, relish the tender boiled beef served traditionally with apple horseradish sauce, chive sauce and roasted potatoes.

The highlight of the culinary year is the Martini goose in November—reserve a table well in advance!