Even though the official season of eating Martinigansl has only just started, I have a confession to make… I already had my first portion of the year. It was already two weeks ago. Slightly early, I know, but I honestly could not wait.
Many are the legends that affirm different versions of the events, but all of them agree on one thing… Saint Martin was played by a bunch of geese. The Martinigansl season is not only a very old tradition in Austria but also a way of remembering St. Martin – the Bishop of Tours. According to one of the legends, Martin was meant to become a bishop, but didn’t like the idea of facing such responsibility. As a consequence, he tried to escape from it by hiding in a stable filled with geese. Once there, the geese betrayed him. They began to make so much noise that he was eventually found and forced to become the bishop. The legend then says that to get his revenge, St. Martin ordered these geese to be cooked and eaten that same night!
In the present, a large Martinigansl dinner is still held in his honour. So, without further ado, here are our favorite places to eat a tasty Martinigansl dish right now in Vienna:
My favorite spot in Vienna would be Rudis Beisl (Wiedner Hauptstraße 88, 1050). The dish is available until the 13th of December. Getting a table, however, is a completely different story. You must hurry up if you want to go there this year. We managed to get a table only from 18:00-20:00 (strictly!) for the end of the month.
This seasonal Martinigansl is served with white wine cabbage, red cabbage, bread dumpling and potato dumplings and it costs 21,90 EUR.
Zur Herknerin – Die Küche mit dem großen Herzen (or the kitchen with the big heart) are also set to serve you the dish of the season. It was the current owners’ dad who opened the restaurant. Years later his daughter took over and is now the owner of the business that is still well known for some very tasty plates. Within these plates is obviously the Martinigansl. Zur Herknerin (Wiedner Hauptstraße 36, 1040) doesn’t currently offer a full menu, but you can choose it as a simple plate and has a cost of 28,90 EUR. Psssssssst.: It also needs to be booked for in advance.
Palais Hansen Kempinski (Schottenring 24, 1010) is now serving the Austrian fall traditional speciality and it will be available until mid-December. The full menu will literally make you start daydreaming of their dish which includes; the roast goose served with red cabbage and potato dumplings as a main. Their carte du jour also includes a final classic sweet dish as a dessert. All this menu costs 39 EUR per person and in the case of groups of more than 4 people, you will need to call at least 2 days in advance (if not more!)
Last but not least, Gmoakeller (Am Heumarkt 25, 1030) in the 3rd district would be our last suggestion on best places to eat Martinigansl in Vienna. Same dish, but a more interesting selection of sides are included; chestnut cabbage, two different types of dumplings, baked apple and cranberries. Their Martinigansl portion costs 19,40 EUR.
DEUTSCH
Die Martiniganslzeit ist eine sehr alte Tradition in Österreich und die Geschichte der Martinigans basiert auf vielen verschiedenen „Legenden“, allerdings haben sie alle eines gemeinsam: Der heilige Martin wurde von einer ganzen Menge Gänsen übers Ohr gehauen.
In Kürze: Aus Rache an den Gänsen beschloss er, dass alle Gänse noch in der selben Nacht getötet und gegessen werden müssen. Und so kommen wir nun zu unserem Genuss. Hier sind unsere Lieblingslokale um Martinigans zu essen – direkte Website-Link findest du oben in der englischen Version.
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