Vienna Media News – June 2022 Exciting New Flavors on Vienna’s Culinary Scene

June 9, 2022 - The capital’s culinary scene has just welcomed another bumper crop of new arrivals: from classic Viennese eateries and coffeehouses to a spectacular project up on the Cobenzl hill with views over the whole city.

One of the capital’s most impressive projects is taking shape on the Cobenzl, a popular destination for day trippers and one of the landmark hills that frame the city. Operated by the Motto Group (whose other ventures include Motto am Fluss and Hotel Motto), the 11,000m² Weitsicht Cobenzl development is scheduled to open in fall 2022. It comprises four buildings, three of which are earmarked for meetings and events. The fourth, the Panoramahaus, is a new build with three glass-fronted levels and adjoining terraces. As part of the project, the historic Schloss Cobenzl will be fully refurbished and equipped with everything expected of a state-of-the-art event location. The Meierei building will undergo a refurb, too, which will bring the addition of new seminar facilities. Also set for a facelift, the architecturally-striking round café will reopen as a café restaurant complete with outdoor seating for day trippers. Its 1950s charm will be preserved, while the new interior will have a distinctly retro look and feel. Open from early till late, it will focus on down-to-earth Viennese cuisine with a typical Motto touch. The viewing platform on the roof is open to the public. All of the new buildings offer sensational views of the city below.

Enjoyment with a Clear Conscience!

In March 2022, Vienna welcomed its first vegan-only fine dining restaurant, Jola. Rather than opting for a classic à la carte model, it offers a surprise menu comprising several courses. All about seasonal and regional products, Jola is named for owners Jonathan Wittenbrink and his partner Larissa Andres. Wittenbrink previously worked under Paul Ivic at vegetarian gourmet pioneer Tian and was chef de cuisine at Tian Bistro. And now he is showing what he can do at his own restaurant.

Wildling, another place that swears by regional produce, serves up thoroughly refined mini dishes so that patrons can sample their way through the menu. Although the focus is very much on vegan and vegetarian specialties, Wildling also offers fish and meat options. There is lots of pickled veg to enjoy, with jars also available to take home from the restaurant shop.

Continuing the regional thread, new deli habs/GUT – coming soon to Praterstern – will also offer organic fare. Due to open in fall 2022, the vegetarian-only eatery has all the culinary angles covered, from breakfast and healthy lunches all the way through to after-work drinks.

There’s also news from culinary Renaissance woman Haya Molcho, who operates the successful NENI restaurants with her sons. In early summer 2022, C.O.P. will introduce an all-new restaurant concept. Short for collection of produce, C.O.P. is a joint project dreamt up by Haya Molcho and head chef Elihay Berliner. Farm-to-table sets the tone at C.O.P., with low-transport regional produce providing the focus, alongside the stories of the people who grow and supply it. Here, serving authentic cuisine – minus the fuss – is paramount.

New Arrivals on the Danube Canal

The Molcho family is also bringing a new concept to the Danube Canal: after a major renovation project, what was once Tel Aviv Beach is now back as NENI am Wasser – placing it firmly in the NENI stable. In its new incarnation, the location will serve fish and lots of veggies, as well as plenty of fiery spectacles all year-round in the show kitchen. The former laid-back beach club is now set to be every bit as popular in its new lease on life as a restaurant.

Fräuleins fabelhafter Sommergarten was supposed to open on the Danube Canal last year, but couldn’t due to pandemic-induced construction delays. But this summer it will – the planned Bavarian beer garden and BBQs for rent are right on schedule this time round. Between now and the official opening, its spot will be – as last year – occupied by a small pop-up.

New Locations for Viennese Cuisine

Things are also moving when it comes to restaurants specializing in classic Viennese cuisine. Reznicek, an old Viennese eatery, reopened in March 2022 under new management. The new owners have shaken things up, not just aesthetically, but by turning their sights on the menu, too. Committed to retaining the original authentic atmosphere, this traditional Viennese Beisl also shows its mastery of Viennese cuisine with a modern twist. An example of contemporary Viennese cuisine at the top of its game.

In the 22nd district, Gasthaus Napoleon reopened this April under new management following a complete refurb. Its new owners, the Querfeld family, operate numerous coffeehouses in Vienna (incl. Café Landtmann, Café Museum, Café Mozart and Café Residenz) as well as the Bootshaus an der Donau restaurant. And now they have added a classic Gasthaus to the portfolio in the shape of Napoleon. The Querfelds sourced the interior from an old pub in the Weinviertel region of Lower Austria. Food-wise, traditional dishes from the canon of Viennese cuisine lead the way at Gasthaus Napoleon. And even though these old walls have an illustrious history – which dates all the way back to 1494 – at no point did Napoleon Bonaparte ever actually eat here.

Coffeehouse Cachet

There’s also a lot brewing on the capital’s coffeehouse scene. This year Café Freud opened for business only a stone’s throw from the Sigmund Freud Museum. It combines traditional Viennese coffeehouse charm with contemporary design elements. A huge wall painting of Sigmund Freud keeps a watchful eye over proceedings while visitors sit down to coffee before or after their time at the museum.

Café Exchange got up and running inside Otto Wagner’s Austrian Post Savings Bank building on Vienna’s showpiece Ringstrasse boulevard in an initial phase in May 2022. The historic banking hall, one of the out-and-out highlights of Viennese Modernism, is now open to the public again. The University of Applied Arts Vienna is also moving in, turning this impressive space into a hybrid exhibition hall and café in the process. By September 2022, Café Exchange will be operating at full capacity.

A new coffeehouse also took up residence inside the Volkstheater as part of its major refurbishment project. Liebling im Volkstheater welcomed its first patrons on May 9. Visitors can look forward to a contemporary bistro menu peppered with dishes featuring regional ingredients. Open all day, the new café is not tied to the theater schedules and also has an outdoor section in summer. There is also a bar for the evening crowd to enjoy.

Alles Wurscht is the name of a new sausage stand on Börseplatz in the first district. And this particular Würstelstand really stands out from the crowd, with sausages that are in a class of their own: exceptional quality and cooked to perfection. It goes without saying that the fermented sides such as kimchi are homemade. And anyone who doesn’t fancy sausage or Leberkäse can try calamari fritti, truffle fries or beef tartare. Unsurprisingly – given that the operator is an award-winning chef – they too are a hit.

International Trends

When it comes to Japanese cuisine, Mochi is one of the city’s best-loved restaurant companies. And in April it added another offshoot to its portfolio, this time in the first district: o.m.k. 1010 is cast in the mold of a Japanese gourmet deli, where the dishes can either be ordered to eat in or take away. Japanese products from artisanal suppliers are also on sale.

At new hotel The Leo Grand, avant garde fusion cuisine provides the leitmotif, with Viennese and French influences making themselves felt throughout. Dots at the Leo Grand opened in May. Guests can choose to either dine in the opulent all-weather courtyard or in one of two private dining rooms, one inspired by the Far East and the other by the Orient.

Z’SOM, which made its debut in April, caters to the casual fine dining market with its internationally inspired dishes. And even though the cuisine is international, the ingredients are regional – which needn’t be a contradiction in terms, by any means.

Addresses:

Weitsicht Cobenzl, Am Cobenzl 96, 1190 Vienna, weitsichtcobenzl.at
Jola, Salzgries 15, 1010 Vienna, www.jola.wien
Wildling, Laudongasse 8, 1080 Vienna, www.wildling-foods.at
habs/GUT, Praterstern, 1020 Vienna, https://habsgut.at
C.O.P., Biberstrasse 8 1010 Vienna, https://copvienna.at
NENI am Wasser, section of Danube Canal opposite Obere Donaustrasse 65, 1020 Vienna, https://neni.at/restaurants/am-wasser
Fräuleins fabelhafter Sommergarten, 1010 Vienna/ Rotenturmufer 1890/3, 1010 Vienna, https://fräuleins.at
Reznicek, Reznicekgasse 10, 1090 Vienna, www.reznicek.co.at
Gasthaus Napoleon, Kagraner Platz 33, 1220 Vienna, www.napoleon.wien
Café Freud, Berggasse 17, 1090 Vienna, https://cafefreud.at
Café Exchange in der Postsparkasse, Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna, www.dieangewandte.at
Liebling im Volkstheater, Arthur-Schnitzler-Platz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.volkstheater.at
Alles Wurscht, Börseplatz 1, 1010 Vienna, www.facebook.com/alleswurschtwien
o.m.k. 1010, Hoher Markt 2, 1010 Vienna, www.o-m-k.com
Dots at the Leo Grand, Bauernmarkt 1, 1010 Vienna, www.theleogrand.com
Z’SOM, Gusshausstrasse 12, 1040 Vienna, https://zsom-restaurant.at