Grinzing in the 19th district has always been a select place to live, with prominent residents that included Ludwig van Beethoven.

It has been known as a wine-growing area since the twelfth century and was incorporated into the city of Vienna in 1892. The numerous vineyards and popular wine taverns bear witness to the continuation of the wine-growing tradition today.

There are other culinary treasures in the district, however, such as RISTORANTE franceso GRINZING, an Italian restaurant that opened in 1998. Its great popularity right from the start is no doubt due not only to the excellent cuisine but also to the friendly staff and systematic culinary concept pursued by the owners René Steindachner and Stefan Wieland from the very outset, not to mention the cosy atmosphere and wonderful garden, where a cross-section of Vienna’s ‘beautiful people’ can be seen wining and dining under the old chestnut trees.




The restaurant is open from 11.30 am to midnight and serves delicacies like papaya salad with crayfish or dry aged prime rib beef with chanterelles and fried potatoes. Of course, there are also classical Mediterranean specialities including an excellent minestrone, the ever popular lasagne or perfectly cooked risotto, as well as numerous pasta and fish dishes like calamari grilati, branzino with spinach, or the incomparable pollo firenze. The exquisite pizzas with their notably crispy crust are made in a wood-fire oven. My favourite is the Francesco with Parma ham and basil or rocket salad, although ‘finferli’ with chanterelles is also tempting. However, the latter is only available during the mushroom season.