Great food in a fun jovial atmosphere. I came here during the winter holidays and had the best pork knuckle dish of my entire trip. It was packed and we came with no reservations. We had a relatively short wait at the bar and enjoyed a racket while I waited. Their special is the fried pork knuckle dish. We ordered the full portion, which is enough for 2 people. It was most certainly enough. The skin was so tasty, crunchy, and crispy, while the interior remained moist and flavorful. I will most certainly come back again. read more

Melker Stiftskeller - Pork knuckle. - Austrian Near Me - Vienna, 9

This place was recommended to me as having good pork knuckle so I decided to eat here. When I looked at yelp, though, I was extremely disappointed to see such a low rating. The food is fantastic, and VERY Austrian. Their pork knuckle is great! The atmosphere here is noisy, but to be expected for a large crowd... this place is usually packed- that alone should tell you it's a good place to eat. However, the "service" seems to be where everyone that gives low ratings has the issue. Well, I can tell you that their service here is stellar for their busyness... especially if you compare it to the Austrian restaurant standard. Don't come here expecting to be waited on by someone who bends over backwards looking for a bigger tip. Remember, you aren't in America. Your waiter/waitress isn't even expecting a tip because they make a living wage. It's all subjective. Oh, and this place is also dog-friendly. read more

Melker Stiftskeller - How can a restaurant this full be lower than 4.5 stars? - Austrian Near Me - Vienna, 9

Melker Stiftskeller dishes up good food and service in a very unique underground beer hall environment, and while their flagship Pork Knuckle isn't maybe among the best you'll have, it's well done. Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere? This is a cool spot. Full stop. It's like walking into some sort of prohibition speakeasy in a cave combined with a traditional German Beer Hall, so certainly give me a shout if this isn't as unique as I'm thinking it is here in Vienna. Service is classic laissez fare Austrian but they get the job done. Star. Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost? The highlighted flashship dish is the pork knuckle, which will run you €13,50 for a decent sized portion that comes with a dumpling and some cabbage on the side. Not a bargain, but not ridiculous either. Star. Stars 3 and 4: How was the food? The pork knuckle was very good, with a flavorful and crispy skin that encased some fantastically tender pork. It paired nicely with the standard dumpling and mediocre side cabbage, but was carrying the dish as opposed to being made better by the peripherals. Finally, I'll point out that the Apple Struedel was excellent. Full stop. Not too sweet and made all the better by the nutmeg and whipped cream. Single Star. Star 5: Would you be excited to go back? I didn't at all dislike my trip to Melker Stifskeller, but given how competitive the culinary scene is here in Vienna, there are higher recommendations out there. No Star. read more

Melker Stiftskeller - Pork Knuckle: €13,50 - Austrian Near Me - Vienna, 9

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As others have pointed out, the service is not five-star, but this comes with the beer-hall atmosphere. The servers are really only there to take your order and bring them out to you. The food, on the other hand was amazing. The place I'd chosen did not have any tables, so we wandered down the block and came here. No regrets. We had the pig knuckle and the boiled beef. Both entrees were hot and delicious. We finished the meal with an apple strudel as we were leaving Vienna and I wanted to have one before we left. Also delicious. We also had some schnapps. The hazelnut was delicious (at least according to my husband) but the pear tasted like moonshine that passed a pear in an alleyway. I do not recommend that. Otherwise, a great meal at a very reasonable price. Two entrees, a couple beers, dessert and two schnapps for €60 with tip. Perfect meal to end the trip. read more

Great food. Highly recommend the schnitzel and pork knuckle. We had amazing service. The atmosphere is uniquely Austrian. Loved!

The ambiance is fantastic for Christmas celebrations, situated in the center of the 1st district of Vienna it can be easily reached from all areas. There is lots of history in this cellar archs, deep down, right under the center of Vienna's capital. It is still traditional. It was also great to see my fellow yelpers before Christmas. Andreas had some chocolate goodies for us, which we enjoyed as we say over here "peacefully and happily". Because the place still belongs to the Monastry of Melk, there is still traditional Austrian food and great and various types of beer. BUT - I must say that the quality of food has decreased. The Sauerkraut is only sauer and kraut, the dumplings are that hard that you can use them as cannonballs, the pork was tender, but too salty and only one dumplings with some pieces of meat. The portions are very small and the price is far too high. The beer was great, but also overpriced. The service also lacked a lot of friendlyness, attentivenenss and speed, we all waited very long and were not served as a whole tabel company. For payment you have to run after the waiter and then they complain - very poor!!!! The toilets were ok, but the place itself was dirty, the tabels were clean, but it took too long till the waiters cleared the tables away. This place was much better. There were some other guests, but nothing compared to 2 years ago, the place was packed at that time of the year at all times. In Europe, especially in Austria it is more vital to have a business plan and strategy right from the beginning or when taking over than anywhere else in the World and you should only change it when the market situation as such changes, too. You can also implement new styles, products, etc. but then again there is no time for trials, no matter whether concerning the product as such, the office hours, personal, delivery or sales strategies - you have to investigate first and then implement, even if it is something that simple like when an event takes place. Austrian business men don't talk much, turn around and then act - and that can be deadly for the business. Sorry, it was nice to see our buddies, but the place is a shame for Austrian cuisine and hospitality!!!! read more

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It has been years since I have had such an unpleasant restaurant experience. As the other reviews have said, the primary feature of the place is the impressive cellar atmosphere. Food was just ok. But the manipulative rudeness of the service was hard to believe. My husband and I are usually very tolerant of problems in service. In fact he agreed to accept and pay for a beer he had not ordered when our server brought an extra one to our table. And I didn't so much mind when they charged €5 for the water or when the waitress up-sold me to a €4,20 (mediocre) glass of wine rather than the €3,30 one I was asking about. But when the bill seemed high I found she had charged me €8,40 for the glass of wine. She insisted she had brought me a "double portion" when she had just pointed to the €4,20 portion on the menu and I had said okay, I'll have that! She even acknowledged I had not actually ordered the double portion but said that was what she had brought and I had not objected to it. It did not seem like more than a regular glass to me -- was I supposed to bring out my measuring equipment before taking a sip?? How can a server acknowledge the customer did not order something, yet refuse to correct their own mistake? Atrocious customer service. Fortunately we live in an age when others can be spare having such unpleasant experiences because businesses need to be accountable for the way they treat their customers. If you do go for the atmosphere, be on guard about being ripped off. read more

Absolutely beautiful, old, huge underground cellar. I love Vienna's Kellar culture. There are some really great places to discover with great Viennese classics like Schnitzel, Käsespätzle and Schweinsbraten. Decent service (for Kellar standards), tasty food, reasonably priced. I never even knew this Kellar existed; I've always just walked past the entry on the street level without realising! read more

I really loved the location and the setting of the place. Entering a huge (!) cellar, you'll find a comfy and agreable restaurant, with lots of wood furniture and candles to set the ambiance. The menu contains every typical Austrian dish you could ever wish for, and quite tasty too! The only surprise was the small portions: usually in such restaurants/taverns in Austria, you get enormous and full plates; in Melker Stiftskeller it isn't the case, unfortunately. Well, the good thing is: you'll have some room left for dessert afterwards! And those desserts are AMAZING! seriously, I only heard compliments surrounding me. The Apfelstrudel is one of the best, if not tasting, at least looking one in Vienna! And the Kaiserschwamm, served this time is big quantities, is simply delicious. All in all: I would recommend the place for anyone having a sweettooth for Austrian desserts and looking for a nice and comfortable place to spend the evening at! :) read more

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I always have mixed feelings about Cellar restaurants and this place has not helped to make my feelings more clear. While i enjoyed my time here and the service we ok and the food was ok, i did not find anything special enough about this place to make walking up and down the very steep stairs and having NO Connection to the outside world worth the effort. I could not even receive SMS or calls, which is not good when you want to meet people there and you lose the connection to the world. I will not say DO NOT go here as there is nothing wrong with this place, but also nothing special in my personal opinion. But i am aware that other people may have a different opinion than i do. But if your a person who likes to be in touch with the outside world which dinning out, then be aware that this is not possible here. read more

Melker Stiftskeller restaurant is entered by taking a small, obscure stairway down to the basement of this five hundred and forty three year old building. Nice staff, interesting décor , and delicious food made this a great choice for us while in Vienna. Every dish we found to be scrumptious along with the white house wine. We started with Goat cheese and Walnut salads which were good, but probably the least good items that we had. Cream of Celery soup was also enjoyed before our entrees arrived. Our entrees were: Fiakergulasch- Beef goulash with sausage, egg, pickled cucumber and spätzle. Hendlbrust-Tender chicken filet with pan-fried mushrooms and mashed carrots. Hausspezialität- 16hr slow roasted pork knuckle with cabbage and herbed bread dumplings. For dessert we had Apfelstrudel mit Vanillesauce -Apple strudel with vanilla sauce and of course it was fantastic. We drank still mineral water and Schankwein. Loved this place and I highly recommend it. read more

This Keller (cellar/basement) restaurant is huge!!!! I couldn't believe it when I walked in! There are a lot of steps to get down from the street level, but don't worry there is an elevator for wheelchairs and people who have trouble with so many steps. There is plenty of non-smoking seating and it is great for groups and parties. The service was incredibly fast and efficient when I was there with a Yelp party, but was a little slower when I was there with only a couple people. The food is good for typical Austrian cuisine. My Giselabraten was a little on the salty side, but I think that's typical of Austrian gravy dishes. The "Keller" is also great for a quick beer and Jause (snack) if you are just exploring downtown. The bread spreads are great but large in portion if you order the mixed plate. Prepare to share! And beware when paying by credit card, they prefer that your total sum is over 50 euros. read more