The best places to eat near the Belvedere are 10 to 16 minutes away on foot: six in the first district and one in Wieden. Our seven picks run from a Ritz-Carlton steakhouse with a charcoal grill to a plant-forward kitchen in a nineteenth century palais. Between those two you’ll find a modern izakaya, fiery Sichuan cooking, Lebanese mezze, smash burgers and natural gelato.
The short list
7 places, in the order they appear below.
- 1Dstrikt SteakhouseAustrian dry-aged beef from the charcoal grillWalk from the Belvedere: About 10 minFirst district
- 2Donnersmarkt RestaurantPlant-forward lunch, breakfastWalk from the Belvedere: About 14 minFirst district
- 3NaganoIzakaya plates, lunch set menuWalk from the Belvedere: About 15 minFirst district
- 4ChinacyFull-heat Sichuan dishesWalk from the Belvedere: About 16 minFirst district
- 5Elissar - Lebanese cuisineShared mezze, late dinnersWalk from the Belvedere: About 13 minFirst district
- 6SMASHBOX 1040Smash burgers, chicken tendersWalk from the Belvedere: About 16 minWieden
- 7Ferrari Natural GelatoSeasonal gelatoWalk from the Belvedere: About 16 minFirst district
Where can you have a proper dinner near the Belvedere?
For a planned dinner, go to Dstrikt Steakhouse if you want serious beef. It comes from Austrian producers and is cooked over charcoal. Donnersmarkt takes the opposite approach. Set in a nineteenth century palais, it builds its menu around regional vegetables and keeps meat on the side.
Dstrikt is inside the Ritz-Carlton Vienna. The room is dark and focused, and a Josper charcoal grill runs all evening. Order the Austrian dry-aged cuts: the local beef outperforms the imported options. The wine list is built around the meat, so ask the sommelier about Blaufränkisch instead of waiting for a Bordeaux suggestion.
Dstrikt Steakhouse
Hours: Mon–Tue closed · Wed–Sun 18:00–22:30
Address: Schubertring 5, 1010 Wien
Hugo Henckel von Donnersmarck commissioned the palais in the early 1870s as a gift to his second wife, Laura. Today its Alpine, plant-forward kitchen puts seasonal vegetables at the centre of each plate. Lunch moves at a different pace, with a lighter, market-inspired menu. There’s also a full breakfast, which few kitchens in the first district offer.
Donnersmarkt Restaurant
Hours: Mon–Sun 07:00–22:00
Address: Parkring 16, 1010 Wien, Austria
Is there good Asian food near the Belvedere?
Yes. Two places in the first district cover very different ground. Nagano, about 15 minutes from the Belvedere, is a modern izakaya: small dishes arrive when they’re ready and a sushi chef works in full view. Chinacy is a minute further and cooks Sichuan-leaning Chinese food with real dried-chili heat. It doesn’t tone the spice down for local palates.
Nagano’s menu moves between Japanese tradition and more personal dishes such as the Crusty Crab Roll, grilled pulpo and a cheesecake finished with yuzu cream. If a seat at or near the sushi counter by the entrance is free, take it. At lunch, the set menu is the best value in the house.
Nagano
Hours: Mon–Sat 11:30–14:30, 17:30–23:00 · Sun closed
Address: Schellinggasse 3, 1010 Wien
At Chinacy the mapo tofu has the numbing peppercorn quality that defines the dish. The kung pao chicken uses whole dried chilies, not paste. Heat is slightly moderated by default, so ask for it Sichuan-level. Start with the cold dishes at the front of the menu. Fewer people order them, and they’re often the most interesting thing on it.
Chinacy
Hours: Mon–Fri 11:30–22:00 · Sat 12:00–22:00 · Sun closed
Address: Johannesgasse 9, 1010 Wien, Austria
Where can you eat casually near the Belvedere?
For something easygoing after the museum, try Elissar or SMASHBOX 1040. Elissar serves Lebanese mezze, grilled meats and bread made fresh through the day, and it stays open later than most of its neighbours. SMASHBOX 1040, in Wieden, makes smash burgers with organic beef from Lower Austria. The walk to either takes 13 to 16 minutes.
People come back to Elissar for the shish tawook chicken skewers. The hummus holds its own, even with diners who grew up eating it elsewhere. Get the mezze platter for the table: it’s made for sharing and covers more flavours than a single main. It works for a quick lunch or a longer dinner, and it fills with a mixed Innere Stadt crowd.
Elissar - Lebanese cuisine
Hours: Mon–Sun 11:00–23:00
Address: Johannesgasse 27, 1010 Wien, Austria
SMASHBOX presses its patties onto the grill until both sides have a crust. The buns are flown in from New York. Every sauce is made in house, to the same recipe as the original branch in Neubau. For a lighter order than a full burger, get the chicken tenders and share a portion of fries.
SMASHBOX 1040
Hours: Mon–Wed 11:30–22:00 · Thu–Sun 11:30–22:30
Address: Margaretenstraße 11, 1040 Wien, Austria
Where to get gelato near the Belvedere?
Ferrari Natural Gelato is the place for something sweet after the galleries, about 16 minutes on foot. Its gelato has more in common with natural wine than with industrial ice cream. There are no artificial colours or emulsifiers, and the milk is sourced directly. Flavours change with the season and with whatever the owners find at the Naschmarkt.
The Topfen (quark) flavour is the most underrated in the case, and it tastes anything but plain. In late summer, look for Weinbeere. It’s made with wine grapes and only around for those weeks.
Ferrari Natural Gelato
Hours: Mon–Sun 12:00–22:00
Address: Annagasse 3/3A, 1010 Wien, Austria
How far are these restaurants from the Belvedere?
All seven are 10 to 16 minutes from the Belvedere on foot. Six are in the first district; SMASHBOX is in Wieden. Dstrikt is the closest, and the obvious choice for a planned evening. Chinacy, Ferrari and SMASHBOX are the furthest, each around 16 minutes away.
Walking times are approximate. If you’re leaving from the far end of the palace grounds, allow a little extra. Several of these places close one or two days a week, so check each card for opening days before you go. For an afternoon on foot, have lunch at one of the first-district places and finish with gelato at Ferrari.
