Kipferl

Only been here once, and I didn’t leave happy.
We were sat in the café area which is good enough, and ordered a cheese board and the pancake, drinks were the wheat beer and an elderflower cordial. Food came relatively promptly, the pancake was OK, slightly raw and doughy in rh centre, and the cheese board was so so, there’s a brie looking slice which was a bit dry and crumbly, nothing horrible, nothing to shout about either. And this is the really annoying thing. As I turn around to the counter the waitress happened to be wiping my pint glass, seemingly because there was spillage, also evident by the fact that the beet head was 2 inches thick. As she put the pint on the table I asked was this meant to be a pint, they said it’s from a 500ml bottle. Without kicking up a fuss and be petty I didn’t ask for the fill bottle but clearly they simply tried to avoid making me aware of the spillage.
The last annoyance came when we had to sit with our bill for 10 minutes before they remembered us.

All around a very good meal. Brought an out of towner friend here and we both enjoyed it. We shared two of the Austrian tapas items — the small chicken schnitzel and the spinach dumplings — and the sausage with emmenthal cheese inside. Everything was tasty. The spinach dumplings were a new flavor and texture for us, not something that we’re used to, but quite good. We finished off with the apricot jam filled pancakes and the apple strudel. I enjoyed the main meal more than the dessert (but then, I usually do).

A Golborne Road gem. The neighborhood is lucky to have this A+ Austrian café. Knock-​out Wiener schnitzel, very good goulash with spätzle, varied selection of top-​notch Austrian beers, and friendly, unpretentious service that makes you feel right at home (if home is Vienna).

Kipferl near Ladbroke Grove in Notting Hill is a great Viennese coffee house, restaurant and wine bar. The menu is traditional and tasty with a wine selection that includes a range of Austrian specialties worth a try.
Since I first heard of Kipferl, they opened some new branches. When I recently walked around Notting Hill, I realised that the restaurant there is probably the closest to me and decided to check it out.
The menu is great with a wide selection of Austrian wines. After a little chat to the friendly Austrian running this branch, I decided to start with a glass Rotgipfler that he recommended. This is a kind of a strange white wine, I thought it had a bit too strong honeydew melon notes for my palate. It was not a wine I would buy again, but it was very interesting to taste, because you do not come across this grape variety very often. That alone, offering customers interestig choices, is a plus for me, even if I am not the biggest fan of the wine itself.
I started my dinner with a tasty Frittaten soup. Beautiful thin pancake strips in a decent broth. A simple and lovely dish that I have always liked and that I am not eating frequently since I have moved to London. So I probably enjoy it even more when I can get it somewhere.
I continued with classic dishes and ordered Wiener Schnitzel vom Kalb, a veal escalope. Compared to other schnitzels I had in London and Vienna, it was not huge. But in any case it was easily big enough for me. And most importantly, the schnitzel was really delicious. The breadcrumbs were fluffy and the cranberries complemented the escalope perfectly, as you would expect. The roasted mini potatoes with parsely were also tasty. Another highly delightful plate of food.
After finishing the Rotgipfler, I switched over to red wines and asked for an Austrian Zweigelt. What I got was a lovely light, fruity, yet dry wine with hints of cherry. This was exactly the type of red wine I like.
Kipferl also offers a good range of desserts. I went for the rich apple pie. It was delicios with nice cinnamon flavours, and it was surprisingly light, too.
Throughout the evening, the music changed wildly between German hip hop like Cro and I think even Italian songs, resulting in a funny mix.
Because I enjoyed my time at Kipferl so much and the staff were so welcoming, I stayed a little longer to read a bit and ordered a coffee. As you do at an Austrian place, I asked for a Wiener Mélange — basically a coffee with milk and cream, a bit like a cappuccino. I was almost surprised that the coffee was pretty decent. At many restaurants, the coffee is being neglected. Not at Kipferl where they import authentic quality coffee right from Austria. And because I still had some room in my stomach after letting the food set a bit, I also tried their Topfenkuchen, a nice and rich cheese cake.
It took me quite a while before I managed to check out a Kipferl branch since they opend their first restaurant some time ago, but I am sure this was not my last visit.
I had a great evening at Kipferl on Golborne Road in Ladbroke Grove. The nice conversation with the Austrian manager and the great service by the lovely waitress in combination with the interesting Austrian wines and the tasty food really left nothing to wish for. — «I’ll be back.»

Awesome Austrian café. A wonderful cup of Wiener Mélange and Jewish Apple Cake — dairy free ‘Apfelkuchen’, at the ever so charming Austrian café, Kipferl. Great staff too! So friendly and warm. Will be back for sure. They even gave me some free cake. Heard their evening food is great too. A hidden gem.

Both me and my boyfriend were craving some German/​Austrian cuisine and we ended up here, we both got käsekrainer, pretty tasty and accompanied by a very nice mustard, obviously not as good as the one you can get in front of Albertina in Vienna, but a good sausage. The bread was also really good! And Austrian. My mélange was on point and so was our Topfentorte and Apfelkuchen. Our mulled wine was forgettable but overall a rly nice experience! And the service was great!

Had a leisurely coffee and cake here. Staff is courteous and friendly. Cake was good although I had envisioned there to be a wider variety. Would go back.

A nice sausage and sauerkraut in another authentic feeling café/​restaurant along this road. Like Snaps and Rye sitting in Kipferl is like being in another country, this time Austria. Not only the décor but right down to the plating of food and the serving of tea is very Austrian, which is a wonderful thing in a city full of me too «trendy» places. Loving the additional food places on Golborne Road to add to the great classics, I hope it doesn’t become overly gentrified with chain retailers and food outlets.

Something’s happening down Golborne Road and foodie heaven is spreading. With Snaps & Rye next door, John Doe up the road just opened, and across the road from some of London’s best street food stalls, Kipferl is the latest addition to the street’s culinary portfolio. This is not helping my New Year’s resolutions!
From the outside Kipferl still looks a bit like the unexciting pizza take-​away it has replaced, once inside you get a hint of the Austrian hospitality you would expect from a Viennese coffee house. They’re not quite there yet in terms of interior design, this is work in progress … but the cakes are perfect already!
I was almost a bit disappointed to learn that Kipferl is a sister to an existing café in Islington. Then again, with cake this good it would be a crime not to share the joy across post codes.