2 Best Restaurants in District 9/Alsergrund, Vienna

This gourmet establishment at the Palais Hansen Kempinski Hotel earned a Michelin star within months after opening. Now chef Norman Etzold has taken over the kitchen, continuing to prepare masterpieces for Vienna diners. The interior is elegant, not opulent, with ivory walls and ebony-covered chairs complementing the stark white table linens. There are two entrances, one from the hotel lobby and one at the street, a nod to locals that this restaurant is for them, too.

Since establishing herself as Austria's most inventive Asian chef, Korean-born Sohyi Kim continues to impress with her celebrated Asian-fusion cuisine. Every night, she dreams up "lite surprise" lunches for her guests, and 10-course "full surprise" dinners; yes, that means diners have no idea what exactly they are going to get. Dinner reservations should be made weeks in advance. This place is very tiny with only 10 seats, making it an intimate (but hard to land) dining experience. If you can't squeeze in here, check out their sister restaurant Kim Chingu few steps away at Althanstrasse 21–25 which serves family-style Korean cuisine.