Edelschimmel Paris in the middle of Vienna

Vienna's most beautiful Grätzl, as the Viennese call it, is undoubtedly the Servitenviertel. Not far from the bustling Schottenring in the 9th district, restaurants such as Edelschimmel in Servitengasse, which is the heart of the district of the same name, are attracting more and more gourmets.

Around the baroque Servitenkirche from the 17th century - to which both the alley and the district owe their name - there is an almost village-like ambience. The Edelschimmel, a cheese bar and grocery shop in one, where - as the name suggests - everything revolves around cheese, fits in only too well.

Small and cosy, organic products from regional farmers and producers, a large glass display - this makes shopping and enjoyment a pleasure. The restaurant stocks over 80 hand-picked cheese varieties. Also, the "Stinkaden" - the stinky ones, as they say in Vienna. The cheese comes from Austria if possible, but not only. More important than that is that the producers are small businesses. 

And what could go better with the French-like surroundings than cheese and wine? That's right, good cheese and good wine! In addition to the 15 or so different types of wine, the Edelschimmel also offers changing cheese platters, best enjoyed on warm summer evenings in the Schanigarten. In addition to cheese and wine, Edelschimmel also serves fresh bread and pastries daily from the family-owned organic bakery Öfferl from the nearby Weinviertel region.

Claudia and Wolfgang Zankl-Sertl, who already successfully run Pramerl & the Wolf a few doors down, know a thing or two about the best ingredients with heart and soul. For the Edelschimmel, however, they have enlisted the help of cheese connoisseur Klaus Gassner. Together, the three of them are an unbeatable team, and it's hard to imagine the Servitengasse delicatessen without them.

Stephanie Johne

Autorin Wien