Schöne Perle

In the culinary wasteland of the 2nd district, the Schöne Perle is quite a find. This airy spacious watering hole conserves the essentials of a good Viennese Beisl - no-nonsense drop-in places offering fine beer, the daily papers and hearty main courses - but with a touch of PoMo cool. Owner Georg Aichmayr has made subtle amendments to the classic Beisl pork and dumplings repertoire with the odd wink towards the Mediterranean. A magnificent Italian billiard table at the far end is the only piece of clutter in the place.