Vienna's cooking is a hybrid of Austrian, Bohemian, Hungarian, and northern Italian traditions — the Habsburg empire on a plate. The standards are well known: Wiener Schnitzel (veal pounded thin, breaded, fried in clarified butter), Tafelspitz (boiled beef in broth), Gulasch, Backhendl (fried chicken), and a stream of pastries — Apfelstrudel, Topfenstrudel, Sachertorte, Kaiserschmarrn.
The traditional venue for everyday eating is the Beisl, an intimate neighbourhood place between restaurant and pub, serving home cooking and good local beer or wine. The best concentrations are in the 6th, 7th, and 8th districts. The Würstelstand, the city's beloved sausage stand, is the standard quick lunch; look for the classic Käsekrainer or a Leberkäs Semmel.
For market eating, the Naschmarkt and Karmelitermarkt both have excellent stalls. Vienna's contemporary food scene — modern Austrian cooking, natural wine, and a strong Israeli/Middle Eastern strand — clusters around the 2nd and 7th districts.
Specific restaurants worth seeking out: Figlmüller for the city's most famous Schnitzel, Plachutta for Tafelspitz, Steirereck for the high-end tasting menu, Zum Schwarzen Kameel for stand-up sandwiches and wine, Skopik & Lohn for inventive contemporary Austrian.