HotelChatter

We were a little taken aback by the 15-euro price tag of the breakfast at the newly restyled hotel in Vienna’s central 8th district (“Josefstadt” for you imperial city aficionados). Once we saw the spread, however, we could understand the exorbitant fee, and, being thrifty as we are, figured we could gorge at breakfast then eat a quick, light lunch to make it back onto budget.

Not only was there yogurt, muesli, fresh rolls and seasonal fruit, but there were also massive quantities and varieties to be mixed and matched. There were six kinds of yogurt by our count, and almost a dozen different cereals. The fresh-baked rolls came side by side with flaky pastries and a delightfully snooty cake plate filled with colorful petit fours. Instead of your average sliced cheese and ham direct from the supermarket, there were delicately rolled prosciutto-goat cheese roulades, scoops of burrata served with heirloom tomatoes, smoked salmon slices with whipped cream cheese in several flavors, all kinds of pickled vegetables, smoky pâtés (foie gras, vegetable, various meats), and any number of crunchy nuts to provide your daily omega-3 needs.

Like in many hotels, you can have your coffee or tea any way you want, and there are also a number of juices—orange, lemon, tomato, apple—to help you hydrate for the day. A skylighted interior dining room lined with banquettes beckons guests to the back, while the sunny inner courtyard open to the sky lets you plan your day’s wardrobe according to the weather while you enjoy your first cappuccino.

It’s not all about breakfast, though. Take a hint from the hotel’s name, and come back in the evening to enjoy the wine bar’s incredible list of Austrian vintages and start your education about one of Europe’s oldest winemaking lands.

[Photo: Eric Rosen]