Falstaff’s 2026 Community Voting is looking for Germany’s most popular Wiener Schnitzel. Here is the full top list for eastern Germany – and why we can’t understand the Borchardt Berlin result.
Top List Wiener Schnitzel
What Is the Falstaff Voting?
Falstaff, the Austrian gourmet magazine, asks its community every year to vote for Germany’s most popular Wiener Schnitzel. The rules are strict: only an original Wiener Schnitzel made from veal qualifies. “Wiener Art” versions made from pork, chicken, or turkey are not eligible.
The process has two stages. First, readers nominate their favorites. Then Falstaff puts the most-nominated establishments up for a public vote. Results are tallied by region – North, East, South, and West.
The Top List for Eastern Germany 2026
Here is the full ranking of the most popular Wiener Schnitzel spots in eastern Germany, as voted by the Falstaff community:
1. Borchardt, Berlin
2. Gasthaus Alt Wien, Berlin
3. Gärtnerei Gastwirtschaft, Berlin
4. Augustiner an der Frauenkirche, Dresden
5. Austria, Berlin
6. Restaurant Am Hundewinkel, Meißen
7. Ottenthal Restaurant and Weinhandlung, Berlin
8. 1328 Restaurant, Dresden
9. Café Grundmann, Leipzig
10. Opera, Dresden
Winner in the East: Borchardt, Berlin
Our Take on the Results
We have to be honest here: we cannot understand the voting result with Borchardt as the winner.
We have been to both Borchardt (top photo) and Ottenthal (photo under headline) in the past – and we were not satisfied either time. That is why we no longer go there. Borchardt (too salty, why extra salt on top?) may have its reputation as a celebrity hangout and a Berlin institution, but our own experiences with the schnitzel was simply disappointing. Ottenthal did not convince us either, the breading too loose.
We do not know the other restaurants on the list personally. So we can neither confirm nor deny whether they deserve their spot in the voting. Gasthaus Alt Wien does get praise in Berlin gastro circles for its Wiener Schnitzel, and Restaurant Am Hundewinkel in Meißen frequently receives recognition in reviews for its Austrian cuisine. The relatively new 1328 in Dresden also focuses on alpine classics. But we cannot offer any personal experience here.
Bottom line: Community votings like Falstaff’s reflect popularity and public perception – not necessarily individual quality. Our taste and our experiences definitely do not match the result.
As we did not find the perfect Wiener Schnitzel yet, we go to eat it at Kuchenrausch in a good quality for an acceptable price. And better than #1 and #7!