It is about the restaurants that are off the beaten track and it is about those restaurants that kept the tradition of serving Austrian food while making the Austrian cuisine more modern.

One of this great examples is the “Gastwirtschaft zum Weissen Tiger” meaning the “Inn to the White Tiger” – wait? A tiger in Austria?! Well, the name comes from the white tiger that flew from a circus (Circus Renz) that was located in the street close by, the Zirkusgasse, and was captured pretty much in front of that restaurant, which after that incident changed its name to “Inn to the White Tiger”.

All that happened in the mid-1800s and today after some people decided to re-invent this traditional restaurant we got the “Inn to the White Tiger” again but as mentioned in the title with a twist. And that twist is the transfer of the Austrian cuisine to the 21st century. The ingredients they use are also to some extent ingredients that have been forgotten in the Austrian cuisine, like rhubarb, and they are also seasonal.

So today as I was deciding for where to go for lunch I thought it would be great to sit outside as it was sunny and warm enough to do exactly that. So it did not take me long to decide: I went for that restaurant as it is great to sit outside plus they have lunch specials at the price of 7,90 Euros which is decent considering the prices they usually charge.

The entry was a creamy carrot soup with croûtons. It was definitely yummy and very creamy. I loved it and was sad that it was gone too soon. When it comes to soups they always great ones.

Creamy Carrot Soup with Croûtons - that soup was definitely worth it

The main course was something very typical. In German it is called Surschopfbraten and this is pickled pork and the side order was mashed potatoes with roasted onions. That was yummy too although it could use some additional salt.

Pork Austrian style with mashed potatoes and roasted onions

It was really delicious. This is definitely a restaurant to go to and you can find it when getting off at U1 Nestroyplatz (exit “Komödiengasse”) and walking towards the hospital “Barmherzige Brüder”. In summer it is quite packed outside since they serve lunch-specials and people from offices close to the restaurant go there for lunch. So you might consider reserving a table.

Info: Gastwirtschaft “Zum Weissen Tiger”, Schmelzgasse 9, 1020 Vienna; Phone +43 1 968 17 23; Mail gastwirtschaft@zumweissentiger.com; Internet http://www.zumweissentiger.com (Website only in German)