Summer took a break in Vienna for about a week, making it the perfect time to visit Gasthaus Stern. This traditionally styled restaurant specializes in meat, offal, and game dishes—not exactly a haven for vegetarians, though they’ll still find a few options on the menu. It’s also not the kind of fare that suits hot weather, so I felt lucky with the timing.
Gasthaus Stern @Vienna
As soon as you step inside, you’re transported to the ‘good old days.’ What those days mean is up to you, but for me, it’s all about the charm of wooden wall panels and that cozy, traditional ambiance. It sets the perfect stage for a classic Austrian meal and reminds me how wonderful this cuisine can be when done right.
entrance and bar area @Gasthaus Stern
Although the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy that evening, we were seated all the way at the back of the second dining room. Perhaps it was because we were a large group and were expected to be ten people.
second dining room @Gasthaus Stern
Bread and butter are included in the cover charge at Gasthaus Stern. The bread came in the form of Buchteln, in this case savory yeast buns. I usually love them as a sweet dish with custard, but the savory version was just as delightful. Unfortunately, the whipped butter put a damper on the experience. Honestly, how is this still being served? It is a disgrace to the fine taste of real butter.
bread and butter @Gasthaus Stern
The only starter ordered was the beef tartar, served unfortunately with whipped butter once again. Aside from that, the meat was finely minced, topped with a slice of white onion and a dollop of mustard caviar. It was accompanied by a single slice of dark sourdough bread.
Beef Tartar @Gasthaus Stern
Everyone else ordered an intermediate course as a starter. The roe buck chorizo was served on a small bed of cabbage pasta, also known as Krautfleckerl. I got to try a tiny piece of the sausage, and although it was less spicy than a typical chorizo, it tasted wonderful, especially when paired with the sweetness of the cabbage pasta. This was a truly outstanding dish. The cabbage pasta was also available as a main course.
roe buck chorizo @Gasthaus Stern
The sourdough Lángos was filled to the brim with brain and egg. It looked perfectly fried, with a nice crunch on the outside and a soft interior. I didn’t try the brain myself, but was assured it tasted only of egg—which I suppose is a good thing. It came with a small bowl of kimchi that had just the right level of spice on the way down. Delicious!
brain and eggs in a Lángos @Gasthaus Stern
I ordered the roast beef of veal liver with grilled pepper compote, which looked spectacular. Thin slices of perfectly seared pink liver were neatly arranged in a bowl alongside thin strips of red pepper and kumquats, with lamb’s lettuce completing the presentation. In my opinion, the dish could have used a bit more acidity, but everyone else enjoyed it and thought the sweetness balanced well with the liver.
roast beef of the veal liver @Gasthaus Stern
What my dish lacked in acidity, the salad hearts with chanterelles had in abundance. The mushrooms were wonderful, tiny and of excellent quality, but the salad itself tasted quite sour.
salad hearts with chanterelles @Gasthaus Stern
On to the main dishes now, which were all amazing. I am not spoiling anything here. The Kärntner Kasnudeln, also known as Carinthian cheese ravioli, arrived drenched in brown butter with some green salad on the side. The ravioli were supersized since there are usually more than just two on a plate. There were no complaints about the size though because the filling and the brown butter were perfectly balanced.
Kärntner Kasnudeln @Gasthaus Stern
Always on the regular menu is the Beuschel, a ragout made with heart and lungs from the veal. It is not a dish I especially like or would normally order, but I gave it a try and ended up liking it. I was also assured that it was very delicious. The dish came with sliced bread dumplings and had the perfect texture to scoop up all the hearty liquids.
ragout with heart and lungs and sliced bread dumplings @Gasthaus Stern
Gasthaus Stern also served two dishes this evening that were not on the menu. The first was deer schnitzel with parsley potatoes and cranberry sauce. The fried deer cutlet was just perfect—very tender and still juicy, with an overall great flavor. A definite winner! The portion was huge, with two large schnitzels overlapping on the plate and a mountain of potatoes on the side. What couldn’t be finished was wrapped up and taken home.
deer Schnitzel @Gasthaus Stern
The other dish not on the menu was a wild rabbit filet Wellington. Instead of the usual champions for the ducelles, minced chanterelles found their way inside. The puff pastry must have been made on site, it was buttery and flaky and just about perfect. Inside were two pieces of filet, surrounded by the most tasty ducelles. It was just about the best thing I had eaten in a while.
wild rabbit filet Wellington @Gasthaus Stern
This amazing puff pastry made another appearance in one of the desserts in the form of a Cremeschnitte, also known as custard slice. Gasthaus Stern has its own take on this cake and I have to say I liked it a lot. While I normally love the lemon sugar glaze the most, I did not miss it here. The puff pastry rose sky high and was filled with custard and Chantilly cream. At first, there was not enough custard, but it was no trouble to ask for extra on the side. In any case, the Cremeschnitte was an absolute highlight.
Cremeschnitte @Gasthaus Stern
As I mentioned earlier, all the main dishes were a revelation, especially the wild rabbit filet Wellington, which was extraordinary. But so was the price. Since it was not listed on the menu, I assumed it would be in the same range as the other main dishes, but it was far from it. When I settled the bill, I was in for an unpleasant surprise. The same goes for the wine recommendation. I really enjoyed the food at Gasthaus Stern, but next time I will make sure to know all the details before and order the wine myself. Yours, Pollybert
Gasthaus Stern
1110 Wien, Braunhubergasse 6
Tel: +43 1 7493370
Email: office@gasthausstern.at
Wed-Fri: 17:30-23:00, Sat: 11:00-23:00, Sun: 11:00-16:00
https://www.gasthausstern.at/
