This is exceptionally authentic. By which I don't just mean the food, but everything from…read moreatmosphere to clientele. If you want to eat like an ACTUAL "Wiener", this place could not be more appropriate. The waiters will greet regulars and have arguments with them at the table, families with kids come here, everyone from the community gathers for a good bite and a nice sit in the large outside dining area. This is not some high-end dining establishment - this is a social hub for local residents that you can join for a real, down-to-earth experience.
The food is similarly hearty and solid, great Viennese classics done with expertise and skill and for a very fair price. Considering what some other places charge and what quality they serve for it, this one seemed to me to be at the top end of value for money. Completely reasonable prices for simple but great food - that should be a standard, but has lately become an exception. But this place delivers, no question.
We had a variety of different schnitzels ranging from the classic veal to stuffed with mushrooms and bacon, and they were all really well done. I myself had Alt Wiener Backfleisch, which I can only describe as Wiener Schnitzel for grownups: thinly beaten beef seasoned with mustard, breaded and fried and with grated horseradish on top. I found it excellent, and much preferred it to actual Wiener Schnitzel myself (though YMMV). The potato salad was a little light on the vinegar, but overall very nicely prepared and seasoned and much better than in several other places I've tried in this city.
I wouldn't come here for a business dinner or an intimate date, but if you just want a relaxing, hearty Viennese meal with Viennese people and eat like a local, I actually can't think of a better place I've been than Gasthaus Orlik. Very impressed that places like this are still around in this day and age. Well done!
