I don't know what the previous reviewer had when he went nor what the typical standard is for Vienna as I was there less than a week but I stumbled upon this place one night on a recent trip, unsure of where to grab a bite, and was happy to discover it.
This is a small mom-and-pop establishment just two minutes' walk south of Mariahilferstrasse (the long shopping street) along Theoboldgasse (it's kind of an L-shaped street) with ~six tables, smoking permitted. The night I was there, many of the patrons were in groups, mostly Italian men. I wanted something low-key and this place suited me just fine. I felt a little out of place at first but then I guess I pretty much was wherever I went.
The menu was more extensive than I would have expected for a place this size: there were pizzas (duh~), pastas, grilled items, anitpasti, etc...basically a trattoria + grill. As I was in a very indecisive mood that night, I couldn't decide between a pizza and grilled steak with mushroom sauce but eventually went with a salad and capricciosa pizza. I don't remember much about the salad as I really only ordered it because I was starting to get cankers from not eating from all four food groups but the pizza was SO delicious, huge, loaded with toppings (all the things I love: mushrooms, speck, tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, artichoke hearts..), and only 8 euros! A few days before this when I was still in Toronto, I ordered the same thing and it just WAS NOT the same (though still good if you forget the fact that there was a hair in it)!! My Nerone pizza tasted so fresh (except the canned mushrooms), the pie being cooked so perfectly such that the crust had just the right amount of crispness, and it wasn't at all salty. The huge chunks of each topping were aplenty unlike the scantiness you see here. I kept eating even after I was full but had to give up toward the end and wrap the rest to go. No point in being so greedy after all, but it was just too good to stop!
One thing I love about many cities in Europe if you're willing to distance yourself a bit from the overly touristic places, is that you have a pretty good chance of ending up in a restaurant that serves excellent homey food. Even the worst deli/meats and cheeses there are still better than what we're used to here in North America, unless you're willing to shell out premiums for the good, imported stuff. Anyway I liked this place so much that I tried to go back on the following Sunday for the steak before taking the night train out of Vienna but contrary to their posted hours, they weren't even open that day! I waited in the cold until it was pretty obvious that no one was coming around to open. I was sad. I would definitely go back if ever I find myself in Vienna again (the resto is very close to the Museums Quarter). I found the prices very cheap compared to those here (then again, there was no indication of the steak cut) and servings were generous. I won't complain about the service as it's not like there was a whole lot of interacting between myself and the server; the few German words and Italian expressions I know would have gotten me nowhere anyway, though the server was helpful enough to offer me an English menu. read more