Dinner at an Iconic Beisl in Vienna: Griechenbeisl - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Griechenbeisl: Those who love Vienna dine at the Griechenbeisl, the oldest Inn in town. Enjoy traditional Viennese dining in a cosy historical ambiance. Find yourself in the same room in which famous guests like Mark Twain, Beethoven, Mozart, Luciano Pavarotti and Johnny Cash enjoyed their dinner.

Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours took place from Sunday, May 28 - Thursday, June 08, 2023. We toured Austria for 12 days, starting and ending in Vienna: Wien, Wagram, Carnuntum, Burgenland, Steiermark, Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, Traisental, Wien. 

Coming by train from Munich, Annette and I arrived in Vienna on the day before the tour started. For dinner, we went to the Griechenbeisl, close to the Mercure Wien Zentrum, where the group stayed for the first night. We bumped into Bruce and Vicky and joined them at their table.

Beisl 

As the Heurige and the Vienna Coffee House, the Beisl is a Viennese institution. This is where I eat my Vienna Schnitzel and have a couple of glasses of good Austrian wine. Expect to share a table with other customers. The term 'Beisl' probably comes from the Yiddish word 'bajiss', meaning 'house'. 

Griechenbeisl

The Griechenbeisl (Beisl of the Greeks) is the oldest restauraunt in town. The first documentary mention of the Griechenbeisl dates back to 1447. 

The restaurant derives its name from the Levantine merchants who lived in the quarter where the Griechenbeisl is located. Regardless of its name, the food that was served in the Griechenbeisl has always been traditional Viennese cuisine.

Historically important is the year 1852 when the host Leopold Schmied decided to bring the completely new Pilsener Urquell from Pilsen in Bohemia to Vienna for the first time. Until today, the Griechenbeisl is the place to go if you want a Pilsener Urquell in Vienna. 

For many centuries the Griechenbeisl was a meeting place for artists, scholars and politicians many of whom are immortalized by their signatures on the walls the famous ‘Mark Twain Room’. In this room you will find signatures from the likes of Karl Lueger, Graf Bismarck, Egon Schiele or Johnny Weissmüller.

The ground floor consists of 5 guest rooms (Rundes Zimmer, Zitherstüberl, Karlsbader and Mark Twain room). On the 1st floor are 3 more guest rooms (Jagdzimmer, Kerzenzimmer and Biedermeier room).

In addition to the names mentioned above, among the many prominent guests that the Griechenbeisl has seen over the centuries are: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Richard Wagner, Mark Twain, Johnny Cash, Phil Collins, Luciano Pavarotti and Barry Manilow, to name a few.

Dinner

Annette had a Griechenbeisl Trilogie and a Kaiserschmarrn. 

I had a Leberknödelsuppe and Steak Tartare. 

Wine: 2021 Weingut Wieninger, Gemischter Satz.

Bye-bye

Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - Published and Forthcoming Postings

ombiasy WineTours: Wine Tour Schedule 2023 - Austria, Germany/East, Burgundy/ Champagne, Germany/ North

Announcement: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023

Summary: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Dinner at an Iconic Beisl in Vienna: Griechenbeisl - Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour of the Monastery and Palace Klosterneuburg and Tour + Tasting at Weingut Stift Klosterneuburg

Tafelspitz and Wiener Schnitzel at Plachutta in der Wollzeile, a Viennese Insitution (12/20 GaultMillau)

An After-dinner Glass of Wine at Vis-à-Vis Wine Bar in Vienna

Sightseeing in Vienna: Schönbrunn Imperial Palace and Fiaker Tour

Lunch at Restaurant Die Seejungfrau in Jois at Lake Neusiedl

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Leo Hillinger, Burgenland, with Jakob Scharner, Diplom-Sommelier

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Netzl, Carnuntum, with Franz, Christine and Christina Netzl

Lunch at Restaurant Mole West at Lake Neusiedl

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Anita and Hans Nittnaus, Burgenland, with Anita, Hans and Martin Nittnaus

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Umathum, Burgenland, with Joseph Umathum

Sekt Reception in the Court Yard and Dinner at Schloss Halbturn, Burgenland

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Steindorfer, Burgenland, with Ernst and Roland Steindorfer

Light Lunch at Gránátos Étterem at Esterházy Kástely in Fertöd, Hungary

Tour of the Liszt-Haus in Raiding

Tasting at Weingut Straka, Burgenland, with Thomas Straka

Eating and Sleeping in the Vineyard: Wohnothek am Ratschen, Deutsch-Schützen, with Chef Daniel Sulzer, Restaurant am Ratschen, 16 Points Gault-Millau

Tasting at Weingut Wachter-Wiesler, Burgenland, with Julia Wachter 

Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Weingut Jalits, Burgenland, with Mathias Jalits

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Neumeister, Steiermark, with Christoph Neumeister

Dinner with a View at Hotel Weinrefugium, Steiermark

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Sattlerhof, Steiermark, with Justė Sattler

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Wohlmuth, Steiermark

Lunch and Tasting at Buschenschank Weingut Trummer, Steiermark, with Jürgen Trummer

Tasting at Weingut Polz, Steiermark, with Sommelier Philipp Heidenbauer

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Tement, Steiermark, with Sommelier Andy Bodor

Lunch at Restaurant Magnothek/ Weingut Tement, Südsteiermark

Gustav Mahler, Sinfonie Nr.3 at Graz Opera, Steiermark

In Eisenstadt, Burgenland: Tour at Haydn House, Lunch at Restaurant Henrici, Tour at Esterhazy Castle

At Loisium Wine & Spa Resort Langenlois, Kamptal: Impromptu Steininger Sekt Reception with Eva Steininger and Klaus Wittauer

Wine-pairing Dinner at Heurigenhof Bründlmeyer with Chef Jan Pfeiffer, 15.5 Point Gault Millau

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Steininger, Kamptal, with Brigitta Steininger

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Stephanie and Alwin Jurtschitsch, Kamptal, with Alwin Jurtschitsch

Lunch at Braugasthaus zum Fiakerwirtin Langenlois, Kamptal

Tasting at Weingut Markus Huber, Traisental, with Markus Huber

2 Days in Dürnstein, Wachau, at Hotel Richard Löwenherz

Vineyard Walk and Tasting at Weingut Tebernseeerhof, Wachau, with Owner/ Winemaker Martin Mittelbach

Tour and Tasting at Domäne Wachau, Dürnstein, Wachau

Tasting and Dinner at Weingut Nigl, Kremstal, 13.5 Points Gault Millau

Tour and Tasting at Weingut F.X.Pichler, Wachau, with Lucas Pichler

Tasting at Weingut Matthias Hager, Kamptal, with Doris Hager

Lunch at Gasthaus Gutmann, Zöbing, Kamptal

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg, Kamptal, with Stefan Tabery

Farewell Dinner at Café Central in Vienna