This restaurant is one of the oldest in Vienna’s hip gastronomy scene. Well-loved since the ‘80s by the arts-and-culture crowd, Enrico Panigl was one of the first to hype Italian food’s trend factor amongst Vienna’s restaurant-going public. What was then a novelty is now standard urban fare: the north Italian antipasti misti with sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, artichokes, capers, olives, Milanese salami, and prosciutto. Panigl delivers this classic with authenticity and marinated perfection.

A large painting by Actionist artist Hermann Nitsch creates the interior’s focal point. The artwork is thankfully not made with Nitsch’s trademark cow’s blood, though it would take more than that to rob the die-hard Italophilic regulars of their appetite for the popular filet of beef with masala-mushroom ragout and fettucine. A highlight is the awe-inspiring wine list, a veritable compendium of top-notch Austrian and Italian wines, best enjoyed at the long marble counter perhaps in conversation with a renowned local writer or artist.