Alt Wien should be your new go-to Schnitzel-eatery in Berlin and if you haven't been yet it's time to travel to the quiet Bötzow Kiez. A cosy venue, great food and friendly service make this the perfect place for all visitors who are craving some proper Austrian food.
Alt Wien opened its doors on Hufelandstraße in the venue of a Pakistani place around late 2010 right in the rather quiet Bötzow-Kiez, which marks the Eastern border of Prenzlauer Berg. The venue is nice and rustic, with tons of wooden panels, hunting trophies and all the the other things you would expect from a genuine, Austrian eatery. Perfect for a Berlin winter night when you just want to spend an evening in a warm and comforting place.
“ Good thing that this is one of the best schnitzels in Berlin, with perfectly juicy veal meat and a crust fried to perfection.
When it comes to the venue they definitely have that authentic Austrian feeling covered, you pretty much feel like entering any old Gaststube in Vienna. Luckily the same thing goes for the food. The menu is truly Austrian with all the classics you would expect, for example Wiener Schnitzel, Veal Gulasch, Tafelspitz and Kaiserschmarrn. But then there is also always a fabulous daily menu which is displayed on chalk boards across the restaurant and which uses fantastic, seasonal produce. On this menu you will find dishes like goose, chanterelles, kale or other, delicious items. The quality of the dishes is always very high and everything is cooked with a lot of love. Examples are the classic starter "Rindersuppe mit Frittaten", which is a a real old-school, grandma style beef broth with classic pancake stripes added to it and a great example of the quality cooking done at Alt Wien. The broth is intensely deep in its flavour and simply delicious. The only problem is that unless your are a very serious eater I really wouldn't advice you to go for a starter because the main portions are massive. And I'm talking about big guys not being able to finish their schnitzels at Alt Wien, which is not that weird considering the two ginormous pieces of schnitzel they slap on your plate once you order this dish.
“ About 20 minutes later the most ridiculous mountain of the mashed up pancake dish was slapped in front of us and kept us laughing hysterically for the next 5 minutes.
Good thing that this is one of the best schnitzels in Berlin, with perfectly juicy veal meat and a crust fried to perfection. The same quality level and size of portions is applied to the other dishes as well and it's really hard to go wrong at Alt Wien. And regardless whether you managed to finish your mains, I would strongly advice you to at least save some mental space for a dessert because Alt Wien serves the best damn Kaiserschmarrn in Berlin (as always, to my knowledge). I strongly recall my first encounter with the dish at Alt Wien, we visited with a big group and were convinced to order the dessert in a size that would allow everyone to sample it. Big mistake, literally, since 20 minutes later the most ridiculous mountain of the mashed up pancake dish was slapped in front of us which kept us laughing hysterically for the next 5 minutes. But only until we started sampling it and joined an eating frenzy in complete silence. I've tried this dish a lot of times but nothing comes close to the Alt Wien version, it's insanely delicious and in the end it wasn't a problem to devour the mountain.
“ Alt Wien is in my eyes already an Austrian institution and a place I'm always looking forward to returning to.
Alt Wien is one of my go-to places when I feel like hearty Austrian and German food and I would strongly advice you to check it out yourself if you run into similar urges on a cold Berlin night. The venue is cosy, the food is great and the service is way above Berlin standard. The ladies in the waiters team will make you feel taken care of and you'll actually feel like tipping, which we all know is by far not always the case in Berlin. They will even pack up your half-eaten schnitzel in a doggy bag for you which will guarantee a fantastic lunch the next day.
It's not the cheapest place but the value for money is great considering the portions and quality of food. The bar is also stacked with excellent Austrian wines, beer and schnaps which will come in handy after the dinner. Alt Wien is in my eyes already an Austrian institution and a place I'm always looking forward to returning to.
