Plachutta Wollzeile

The restaurant that made Tafelspitz — Vienna's boiled beef — into a full-scale ritual, at the Ring end of Wollzeile in the Old Town.

The Plachutta family built its name on this one dish, and the Wollzeile restaurant is the best known of what has become a small group of Viennese restaurants. Tafelspitz is often called Emperor Franz Joseph's favourite dish, and in old Vienna the butchers' cuts of boiled beef were a language of their own; the menu here still lists several of them, from the classic Tafelspitz to shoulder and brisket cuts.

The serving is the show. The beef arrives in a copper pot, simmering in its broth with root vegetables and a marrow bone. First you drink the soup, with noodles or sliced pancake; then you spread the marrow on dark toasted bread with salt and pepper; then comes the meat, with apple horseradish, chive sauce, spinach and crisp fried potatoes. The waiters will guide first-timers through it without fuss.

Honest note: it is large, busy and well organised rather than intimate, and many tables are visitors. That does not make the food any less good — this is still the benchmark for the dish. Reserve, especially for dinner and weekends, and come hungry: soup, marrow and meat together make a serious meal, so a dessert is optional. Neighbourhood: the Innere Stadt; costs: Vienna prices.