NaschMarkt

So much fresh produce and so much color!

The Naschmarkt has put every other market I have ever been in to shame. 1.5km of produce, meat, spices, candy, cheese, wine, coffee and prop-up eateries. Sit-down restaurants serving sushi, sausages, pizza and everything in between. Fruit stands selling the most exotic fruits I have seen since coming to Europe. Asian stores stocked with every variation of soy sauce imaginable. Gyro stands paired with fried noodles and a whole bunch of olives and feta counters. 

And lots of dried fruits and sweets.
We dried some dried kumquats from a stand which had a very intense citrus flavor. 

Handmade pasta freshly made in this makeshift dining room/kitchen. SUCH GOOD PASTA. 

We passed by this pasta stand and just had to stop. The pastas were all freshly made and next it to them were an assortment of sauces including wonderfully aromatic pesto and the classic marinara. We opted for some tagliatelle and prosciutto ravioli. The owner took our selection and immediately bustled off to the kitchen. Behind the pasta counter was a dining room kept warm by heating lamps. 

And the pasta. WOW. I think this was the first time I had pasta cooked truly al dente. The marinara sauce was light but surprisingly flavor. It was an epic moment. 

Stand upon stand, and deli upon deli of cheese, wine, and cured meats 

We also knew that we had to sample some of the plethora of meats and cheeses...with wine, even though we really know nothing about wine. We settled on a great spicy chorizo that and truffle cheese paired with honey. The wine shop was quite accommodating and paired our snackies with a lovely red and white. Best part is, we got to eat it all on a barrel. :D

A sampling of
+ Chorizo
+ Truffled Cheese with honey
+ Red & White wine
...all on a barrel. SCORE. 

Apart from my absolute adoration for European cafes, I think the Nachmarkt was definitely my favorite foodie experience of the city hence why I saved it for last! Now I'm on to a whole bunch of Czech adventures and then some brief posts on Italy (why they are brief, I will explain later). But for now, auf wiedersehen Vienna!