I arrived at Café Griensteidl hungry and on a high. No, we have not detoured the Gürtel or the passages of the Karlplatz U-Bahn station for a quick fix but rather just saw what was for me the single most important sight to see while in Vienna – the Schatzkammer (Treasury), which included the tenth-century crown and other insignia of the Holy Roman Empire. Anyone with a penchant for medieval European history will understand. Having timed our visit to the museum to coincide with the quieter lunch hour, we emerged hungry and ready to eat.

It was with good fortune that Café Griensteidl was the first eatery we happened upon. Its interior is smart with red, upholstered Thonet chairs and dark-wood tables. Unfortunately, the small non-smoking section was fully occupied but we still found a smoke-free small, round table nearby. We were about to sit down, when a Viennese woman at the adjacent, much larger square table suggested we rather take her table as she was about to leave anyway. The rest of the week in Vienna confirmed that this was not the exception but rather the rule – the Viennese seem to have not only excellent manners but also are attentive to other people’s needs.

The menu selection is vast with a long wine list but my first lunch in Vienna always was going to be a Wienerschnitzel (€14.10) – on this occasion served with boiled potatoes and washed down with a local Pilsner. Boiled potatoes have never made it high on my list of culinary delights but I must admit it complemented the meat well and my toddler, brought up on German Kindergarten food, insists on potatoes five times a week at the very least. My wife opted for the Fitness Teller (plate) (€10.10), which was huge and laden with grilled chicken. For the toddler we ordered that standard of all German restaurants’ child menus – off hand I can recall only a very nice restaurant in Limburg that does not serve it – Max & Moritz (€4.70), also known as French fries with Vienna sausages. You may select between ketchup or mayonnaise. We added a Gemischtes Salat (€3.70) (mixed salad), which in Austria is usually large with a varied ranged of fresh vegetables. We topped the meal of with an excellent, smooth Melange (€3.20). Service was very fast and friendly – I hardly had a change to read the weather forecast in a local paper before the drinks arrived and halfway through the Grand Prix race report in the International Herald Tribune the food was there.

Café Griensteidl’s location directly opposite the main entrance to the Hofburg naturally appeals to tourists but many of the patrons were clearly locals too. The quality of the food was excellent and the pleasant service contributed to making this one of the most memorable meals we had during our two-week trip through Austria.