Some places, you know you’re in for a treat, before even stepping in. Meissl & Schadn was such. From the exterior, a large glass window lets you witness the entire process of how your Wiener Schnitzel is being prepared, sans the slaughtering part. 

The open salon kitchen shows chefs prepping the schnitzels. Large pieces of veal fillets are hammered down in almost a rhythmic beat, to super thin cutlets. They’re then swiftly dredged in flour, egg mixture and their special recipe breadcrumbs. And depending on what the diners had chosen, the schnitzel is deep fried in either clarified butter, lard or vegetable oil. Cooking doesn’t take too long, given the thinness of the meat. It arrives at the table, in its gorgeous golden glory. It smells soooo delicious I was immediately salivating! 

The knife cuts into the meat effortlessly. The crust was light and crispy, and the meat within was thin but soft and juicy, with a slight tinge of buttery saltiness (I chose clarified butter for my schnitzel). The schnitzel comes with wild cranberry sauce and Viennese garnish. I like it with cranberry sauce; but frankly, it’s good even on its own. 

We couldn’t resist some other eye-catching items on the menu too. The Meissl & Schadn Emperor’s Soup  was a cream soup containing bits of sweetbread, tongue and root vegetables. It tasted less exciting than it sounds but still packed a good amount of flavor. A lovely soup to have that cold wintry evening. 

The Beef tartare was finely chopped and seasoned subtly. A little underwhelming in taste. And the minced beef lacked bite in my opinion. You would enjoy it if you like how it just melts away in the mouth. But I personally prefer a little bit of chew. 

They say good things come in small packages; and it was exactly that with the Bone marrow. The small bone sections are grilled, and served with parsley, capers and toasted bread. We each had a little portion, plopped atop warm crusty toast. The gelatinous bone marrow was so rich with flavor and oil, that tiny portion went a long way. 

There’s a small but good selection of wines on the menu, and some extremely tantalizing desserts which we unfortunately could find no room for after the hearty schnitzels! 

Meissl & Schadn is clearly the place to go for a guaranteed good schnitzel in Salzburg. Though I am certain there are many other good ones around in Schnitzel Land. But since I haven’t tried another, I will just vouch for Meissl & Schadn’s quality. You will enjoy not just the schnitzels, but also the preparation on display. The 2-storey, high-ceiling restaurant was spacious, comfy and elegantly decked out at the same time. It’s possibly prettiest the time we were there, being Christmas season. But Christmas or not, it’s always a good time for a good schnitzel! I highly recommend! 

Restaurant Meissl & Schadn @ Getreidegasse 50, 5020 Salzburg, Austria Phone: +43 662 90302

Disclaimer ~ This is not a sponsored post.