The Twelve Apostles Restaurant

My acquaintance with Vienna began with this very restaurant, where we had a hearty and delicious lunch. It is like a first love: you keep coming back to it, most often in your thoughts...

The restaurant "Twelve Apostles" ("Zwölf Apostelkeller") is located in the very centre of Vienna, not far from St. Stephen's Cathedral and the imperial palace, that is, practically in the heart of the Alpine republic.

Such close proximity is far from accidental. From the 12th century, the site of the present restaurant, fifteen metres underground, housed first the royal and then the imperial wine cellars, with barrels as tall as four metres.

And only around the middle of the 19th century were the cellars converted into a landmark restaurant that became one of the calling cards of the Austrian capital.

I wrote about the "Twelve Apostles" in one of my posts. I also mentioned that we wanted to dine there, but you could only get into the restaurant by reservation, since there were too many people wanting to. Though in the old days it was enough to stand in a long queue that snaked out into the street like a great serpent.

We decided to visit the restaurant the following week, having booked by phone beforehand. But, as often happens, plans changed, and when we finally made up our minds, the coronavirus struck.

The restaurant was closed for quarantine... To be continued

And then a very concrete reason for visiting the restaurant turned up: I had signed a contract for a book for which I had gathered material for a long time and then took a very long time to write. By the time I finished it, I felt drained spiritually, morally and physically.

They promised the novel would come out in September. We shall see. The publisher usually sticks to the original plan.

The book is about the Great Patriotic War, about the capture by our troops of the famous fortress city of Poznań, which no writer has written about. So I tried to blaze a trail and fill the gap.

I tried to cover the events not only from the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Stalin, but also from Hitler's headquarters.

I am sure it turned out very interesting.

I needed to restore my strength with good cooking and a good interior. Preferably in some historic place, and the "Twelve Apostles" was ideal for that.

My youngest son phoned the management and booked a table.

We arrived exactly at the appointed time, expecting to see a noisy crowd, but how great was our surprise when the three-level restaurant (three floors going down) turned out to be practically empty. Apart from us, there was only an elderly couple tenderly holding each other's hands.

"What table can you offer us?" we asked the waiter.

"You can choose any you like," he replied readily.

We crossed the hall and went down a floor. It seemed more comfortable to us there.

There was no one in the whole hall but us. Funny! It felt as if we had rented the entire room! But we didn't need that much. There were only five of us. A couple of pushed-together tables would do to feel a bit more at ease... Below there is yet another hall, but the entrance is delicately blocked off by a ribbon.

"If you wish, we can set the table for you there," the waiter kindly offered.

It was not as bright there. Even a bit gloomy. For people suffering from claustrophobia, such surroundings could be quite oppressive.

To be continued

We leafed through the menu. Quite varied. I would even say rather decent...

The design of the menu has not changed in the slightest over the past fifteen years. The same pictures and drawings.

I have always been in favour of healthy conservatism.

The prices?

The prices have stayed about the same. On the whole, the bill does not exceed that of any average restaurant in Austria. Which cannot fail to please.

Surprisingly, there are no ribs here, though they are almost a national dish and are found in practically every Austrian restaurant. But there is excellent veal, pork chops, stews. Meat platters in several variations. Fish to suit every taste.

But why are the prices low? What is the catch? Could the portions be somehow cut down?

No, everything is fine. By weight the portion is perfectly full-sized, just as in any other restaurant.

Everyone chose what they fancied.

I took a liking to the Kümmelbraten in sauce. That is, a piece of tender, well-roasted pork.

You can choose a side dish. I opted for potatoes. The result was an almost Russian dish.

My sons took the veal. And my daughter preferred some salad with fish.

Let me put it this way...

"Well fed and content, they returned home."