{"id":70,"date":"2015-08-18T15:21:13","date_gmt":"2015-08-18T13:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=70"},"modified":"2025-10-27T18:50:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T17:50:56","slug":"supermarkets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/supermarkets\/","title":{"rendered":"Supermarkets"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/supermarket.jpg\" alt=\"Billa supermarket\" class=\"wp-image-16623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/supermarket.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/supermarket-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Vienna&#8217;s supermarkets are a treasure trove for tourists. All the chains offer decent quality at surprisingly reasonable prices for the capital city of a wealthy country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Commonest stores are Billa &amp; Spar<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promotions often involve significant discounts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strong selection of organic food<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free &amp; lactose-free products now frequent<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outlets at the airport, too<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch opening times, though<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a 2-hr <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/vienna-walking-tours-l205287\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_WalkingTours\" rel=\"sponsored\">walking tour<\/a>* for Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/shopping\/opening-hours\/\">Store opening hours<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/visitorinfo\/prices\/\">Prices in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Viennese supermarkets<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/billaplus.jpg\" alt=\"Billa Plus in Hernals\" class=\"wp-image-46810\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/billaplus.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/billaplus-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The Billa Plus stores are among the largest supermarkets in Vienna, along with Interspar)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have plenty of reasons to pop into a Viennese supermarket on your trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you might expect, prices are cheaper than those you&#8217;ll pay in souvenir shops, tourist outlets etc..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you want to buy drinks and snacks, the supermarkets offer considerably better value. Every outlet also runs regular special offers where you might get as much as 25-50% off selected items. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supermarkets also sell many of the typical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/shopping\/souvenirs\/\">souvenirs<\/a> of a visit to Austria, in particular sweets\/candy and chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main chains all stock, for example, two popular options for taking home for friends (or for yourself): Milka chocolate and the Mozartkugel marzipan chocolate balls. All in the same packaging but at a fraction of airport or museum shop prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, if you leave your shopping until the airport, look out for the supermarkets there (see below). You can buy drinks, snacks and chocolate for much less than in typical&nbsp;airport stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which supermarket?<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/bobbysfoodstore.jpg\" alt=\"Bobby's Foodstore shop window\" class=\"wp-image-48381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/bobbysfoodstore.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/bobbysfoodstore-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Independent grocery stores exist, too, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/shopping\/bobbys\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"201\">Bobby&#8217;s foodstore<\/a> with its Anglo-US selection)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for picking the right chain, well, there are no &#8220;bad&#8221; supermarket chains in Vienna. But here&#8217;s an overview of the common ones&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Billa Plus<\/strong> (formerly Merkur): the one I go to most often, being among the largest in size, so they remind me of grocery stores back in the UK. There aren&#8217;t too many around though<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Billa<\/strong>: probably the most common one you&#8217;ll spot. Good value. The same company (Rewe) owns both Billa Plus and Billa<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The organic food brands for both the above are <em>Ja Nat\u00fcrlich<\/em> and <em>Billa Bio<\/em>. And, if you really want to save, look for the in-house discount brand, <em>Clever<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also look out for the Billa &amp; Billa Plus flyers. As well as listing current promotions, they often contain stickers you can use to get 25% off individual items (subject to the usual small print).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Billa also has a solid presence at the airport, with stores at (last time I looked) the Terminal 1 check-in area, in the Arrivals hall in Terminal 3, and just off the Ausfahrtsstra\u00dfe road that leads out of the airport complex toward the motorway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Spar<\/strong>: this comes in several flavours. Interspar is the large version, Eurospar the next size down, and Spar the smallest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Spar also has its own organic food brand: <em>Natur*Pur<\/em>. And the in-house discount brand is <em>S-BUDGET<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both Spar and Billa also have some outlets pitched as more upmarket in their selection and presentation: Gourmet Spar and Billa Corso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All the above commonly stock pre-packed salads, sandwiches and other items that make creating a packed lunch easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between them, Spar and the Rewe brands have over two-thirds of the total market in Austria. But you have plenty of alternatives. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Discount chains: <strong>Hofer<\/strong> (essentially Austria&#8217;s Aldi) is probably the most prominent. It&#8217;s cheap and even offers its own organic line. Other popular discount chains are <strong>Lidl <\/strong>and <strong>Penny Markt<\/strong> (the latter also owned by Rewe!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Given Vienna&#8217;s cosmopolitan nature, the city has a decent sprinkling of international food stores, too, particularly small Turkish outlets. Try an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/shopping\/japanese-food-stores\/\">Asiatic supermarket<\/a> or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/shopping\/bobbys\/\">British\/US grocery store<\/a> (a lifesaver for those of us addicted to Branston pickle and twiglets)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For grocery shopping with more than a hint of luxury, try Julius Meinl am Graben in the pedestrianised centre (they also have a strong international selection, where I once picked up prawn cocktail-flavoured Pringles, which might count as a highlight of my entire life in Vienna)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><br><\/div><div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-slug-ids=\"exp206741,exp238032\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"DA_ConcTour\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Organic, vegetarian &amp; dietary options<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gourmetspar.jpg\" alt=\"A Gourmet Spar\" class=\"wp-image-46811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gourmetspar.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/gourmetspar-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Spar has its own in-house vegetarian and organic lines)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be astonished at just how many supermarket products carry an organic label; organic enterprises make up almost a quarter of all farms in Austria, and the supermarkets reflect that trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look for the word <em>Bio<\/em>, which is German for organic. So <em>Biobrot<\/em> is organic bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Organic meat can be expensive, but other products often cost little more than the conventional equivalent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As hinted at above, all the major supermarkets have an in-house organic brand and typically stock third-party options: look for <em>Alnatura<\/em> products, for example. And Denn&#8217;s is a chain of organic outlets with various locations in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The last year or three also saw a massive increase in the range of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/vegetarian\/\">vegetarian and vegan products<\/a> available (Austria took its sweet time about accepting vegetarianism fully).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Spar supermarket chain, for example, has its own <em>Veggie<\/em> vegetarian and vegan line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And gluten-free and lactose-free products usually have their own section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So what&#8217;s the catch?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>All the above sounds pretty good, so there has to be a catch. And that&#8217;s the opening times. Late-night or Sunday shopping? Largely impossible in Vienna with a few exceptions. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/shopping\/opening-hours\/\">See here<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vienna&#8217;s supermarkets are a treasure trove for tourists. All the chains offer decent quality at surprisingly reasonable prices for the capital city of a wealthy country. The Viennese supermarkets (The Billa Plus stores are among the largest supermarkets in Vienna, along with Interspar) You have plenty of reasons to pop into a Viennese supermarket on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16623,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-70","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eatingdrinking","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86719,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70\/revisions\/86719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}