Entree: Viennese salons

European salons are experiencing a renaissance in Vienna, where the stylish places to dine, listen to music and discuss the troubles of the world can now be found in museums, pharmacies and bookstores.

Saint Charles Alimentary Gumpendorferstrasses 30, A - 1060 Wien, saint.info Called the 'pharmacy restaurant' Saint Charles Alimentary is located directly opposite the Saint Charles Apotheke pharmacy. It uses ingredients gathered from Austrian forests or purchased from farmers. Sixth-generation pharmacist Alexander Ehrmann prepares traditional European medicinal tinctures and potions, while across the street at Saint Charles' shoebox diner chef Philipp Furtenbach cooks vegetarian lunches and late-night dinners. Expect dishes such as unsalted wild-root soup and a salad of green lentils, shallots and Jerusalem artichoke dressed with pumpkin seed oil.

Schon Schon, Lindengasse 53 Corner Andreasgasse, 7th district, schon-schoen.at

The concept of the long table is a common theme in Vienna's salons. Tucked away in a quiet lane in the city's seventh district is Schon Schon, a contemporary eatery complete with its own hairdressing salon and seamstress. It's a hangout for architects and designers who flock there for lunch. The restaurant's design is contemporary with white walls and white chairs, a black cement floor and exposed air-conditioning ducts. The vibe is upbeat. Dishes include buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes and artichokes, and veal with semolina and broccoli. Try the smoked goose spinach soup.

The Dining Room, Maygasse 31, thediningroom.at

One of the city's newest salons is a modern twist on the historic home salon. Last year chef Angelika Apfelthaler opened her home to paying dinner guests and called it The Dining Room. Four tables seating a maximum of 12 guests provide a family dinner experience - complete with a golden retriever. Guests can wander in and out of the kitchen as if at home. Apfelthaler prepares a set meal each evening and serves it herself with the help of one hired hand. Jams, chutneys and stocks are homemade and the bread is baked daily. When she's not cooking or entertaining, she spends her time scouring Vienna's markets and shops for fresh ingredients.

Babette's Spice & Books for Cooks, Schleifmuhlgasse 17, babettes.at

As its name suggests the shop is stocked with shelves of spices. The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves hold more than 5,000 cookbooks written in French, Italian, English and German. Dishes are prepared in front of diners. The menu includes smoked salmon parcels with lemon grass sauce, a creamy mild prawn curry served with herbed rice and a lamb pie on a bed of couscous, garnished with mint yogurt.

Osterreicher im MAK, Stubenring 5, oesterreicherimmak.at

Most museum eateries serve basic snacks but this restaurant at the Museum of Applied Arts, or MAK, has two menus. One is traditional, the other is what chef Helmut Osterreicher calls 'newly invented' Viennese cuisine. The new menu offers sophisticated creations such as celery cream soup with trout caviar or crispy pike perch, orange fennel and curried wheat. The menu serves Viennese classics such as kalbsrahmbeuscherl, a rich stew of cream, calf heart and lungs cut into small pieces, or tafelspitz prime boiled beef.