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A guide to Indian restaurants in Vienna
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Vienna's Indian restaurant topography
The highest concentration of Indian restaurants in Vienna is in Neubau, Vienna's 7th district. This is not where the first Indian restaurant opened (that was the Maharadscha in 1970), but it's where a young, urban, well-educated population provided a loyal customer base for ethnic food in the late 1980s/early 1990s, and so this is where the "Indianization" of Vienna spread from. This also explains the number of Indian restaurants in neighbouring districts as opposed to the lack of Indian restaurants pretty much elsewhere. The Indian, as well as the Chinese population in Vienna, is quite small and rather well integrated in the general population. This means that there are no areas with predominantly Indian or Chinese inhabitants. Thus, the high numbers of Indian restaurants in the 7th district does not mean that there is an Indian community in this area.
During the last few years, the number of Indian restaurants has grown substantially, from about five in the early 1990s to 32 in 2002. As with the Chinese food, a typically Austrian curry taste has emerged, which may come as a great disappointment to anyone used to Indian dishes in Great Britain, for example. Curries are usually very mild and barely spiced; curries at some Indian restaurants are even reminiscent of goulash in Viennese restaurants. A truly hot curry is very hard to find in Vienna. This does not mean, however, that there aren't some excellent Indian restaurants around.
Test reports and results are based solely on my very personal likes and dislikes as far as properly spiced (that does not necessarily mean hot) and well-served food is concerned. Other people may arrive at different ratings. N.B.: Only the restaurants which I consider the 15 best are reviewed in detail; address and contact information is given for all of them.
Your feedback and contributions are always welcome. Please write to
The Curry Map
Click on the restaurant name in the list or on the red dots on this map for details about the respective restaurant.
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List: | Map: | |
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1st district India Gate** Indien Village* Koh-i-noor Nirvana* Tandoor Plus* 2nd/3rd district Delhi Delights** I Love Pizza Thali* Indus* 4th/5th disctrict Colombo Hoppers* Demi-Tass Indian Pavilion Taste of India** 6th district Mc. Curry** Mirchi* Nam Nam Rani Shalimar 7th district Bombay Jyoti Namaste* Prosi Food Magic* Zum Moghulhof* 8th district Curry-Insel Mahal* Chennai** Samrat 9th district Heilige Kuh Jaipur Palace Naschta* Wiener Deewan 18th district Tandoor SCS Goa* *) No rating **) Not tested yet. |
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The best of the pack...
Beware: the following list is highly subjective! These restaurants serve curries as I like them and provide an atmosphere that I like. I do not take any responsibility that you will like the place and/or the food. Try them at your own risk.
| Restaurant | Why? | Caveat | Price category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demi-Tass | Excellent food, exotic and mouthwatering chef's creations, impressive interior, professional service. | Expensive. Reservation is recommended. | Expensive |
| Curry-Insel | Excellent food, very friendly service. | A bit trendy; Reservation is recommended. | Inexpensive |
| Heilige Kuh | Great food, excellent service, decent prices. | - | Moderate |
| Indian Pavilion | Excellent food. | A stall on the Naschmarkt market, closed in the evening, lack of seats around noon, very small portions. | Inexpensive |
Really hot
I like hot curries, but only in the following restaurants have I ever been served a really hot curry when I ordered one - spiciest first:
Mirchi | Khajuraho Palace | Heilige Kuh | Curry-Insel | Bombay | I Love Pizza | Shalimar
In all other restaurants the dishes marked as "hot" on the menu and ordered "really very hot, please" were served mild or only moderately spicy.
Indian restaurant basics - the Vienna situation
A number of things you should know before entering an Indian restaurant in Vienna:
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With only a few exceptions, dishes are generally not as hot and spicy as in the United Kingdom or other countries with a larger Indian population.
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Typically, the hot dishes are the Madras and the Vindaloo. If you want mild food, stay clear of them; if you want hot, inquire with the waiter about how hot it is. Generally it is safe to order "sehr scharf" (very hot) if you're used to hot food; a Viennese "very hot" is slightly milder than a British "medium hot". Be aware that in some restaurants there is the risk that your curry will taste of Tabasco sauce if you order "very very hot".
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Unlike the general custom in Austria, most Indian restaurants will charge for the cover (about €1, more or less). In some restaurants you'll get a free poppadom or mango vodka for it.
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In Austria, it's customary to round up the bill so that the waiter gets roughly a 10% tip even though service charges are usually included in the price. Be generous if you liked the food and service, be a scrooge if you didn't, and don't give a tip if you want to insult the waiter.
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Many restaurants offer set lunches or lunch buffet at greatly reduced prices. I find that the quality of the buffet lunch is usually not as good as the à la carte food, while the set lunches are often okay. Still, you'll recognize good Indian restaurants by the number of patrons they can attract in the evening, when prices are high.
Please notice that I cannot take any responsibility if any information on this page is incorrect.
This page was last modified
Tuesday, 01-May-2012 23:21:33 CEST
