Colorful tiles on the roof of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna

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Vienna Media News 06/2021 New wave of restaurants for Vienna

The Danube Canal will set the ball rolling with a pair of new waterfront bars. Very popular among locals, this centrally located haven is home to an extensive and varied culinary scene. Old favorites such as Strandbar Herrmann, Tel Aviv Beach and the Badeschiff will be joined by some new names this season. taste! Food Market and Fräulein’s fabelhafter Sommergarten are in the vanguard. From mid-June the focus at taste! Food Market will be on a constantly changing line-up of street food providers. All the guests have to do is pick up their food from the containers. A bar specializing in rum-based cocktails and a sandy beach with deckchairs – also open to non-patrons – puts the icing on the cake. The inspiration for Fräulein’s fabelhafter Sommergarten comes from Bavaria’s legendary beer gardens. There are also plans to kit visitors out with BBQ favorites and let them grill away to their heart’s desire. A pop-up bar with draft beer and spritzers will keep things ticking over until construction work is completed.

NENI im Prater: outside is the new inside

The new NENI am Prater offers top views of the Prater amusement park as well as the historic city center. Businesswoman and multitalented restaurateur Haya Molcho and her sons are the creative force behind the rooftop restaurant with spacious terrace on the top floor of hotel-hostel hybrid Superbude. The Molcho family has a proven track record in Vienna as the operators of NENI am Naschmarkt and Tel Aviv Beach on the Danube Canal, both of which fly the flag for cosmopolitan Middle Eastern cuisine. And things will continue in a similar vein at NENI am Prater where seating is arranged around the centerpiece of the eatery, an open kitchen. Chef de cuisine Andy Barotanyi and Haya Molcho put their heads together to come up with an epicurean masterplan centered on open-flame cooking. And the on-site bakery will supply freshly baked sourdough bread and focaccia every day. The grand opening is planned for June.

Kraus and Café Bellaria: Viennese coffeehouse reloaded

Kraus is named for Karl Kraus (1874-1936), the leading Austrian writer, publicist, essayist, satirist, media critic and publisher of Die Fackel newspaper. But why Karl Kraus? Because two famous editorial offices are located near the new café in the second district. Kraus, a stylish contemporary reimagination of the venerable Viennese coffeehouse, has a great menu and will morph in the evenings to give it more of a bar vibe. The interiors have echoes of the 1920s, and pink chairs and curtains provide a contrast to the teal of the upholstered backrests. Here, the accent is very much on intellectual discussions, just like in the coffeehouses of old – and the neighboring Kahan Art Space is designed to foster dialog. After a short soft-opening phase, Kraus will hit its stride on June 2, 2021.

Under new management, Café Bellaria, just next to the Museum of Natural History, is shaping up to be a Viennese coffeehouse with a contemporary twist. When its former operator retired there was plenty of interest in guiding the café – one of the oldest in the capital – into its next chapter. Ultimately, the honor fell to a pair of industry professionals who are committed to preserving its soul: David Figar, who is known for Figar in the seventh district, and his business partner, the former pro soccer player Rubin Okotie, who owns vegan-leaning Plain in the ninth district. The pair have an all-day, everyday blueprint in mind for Café Bellaria, with the doors staying open from early in the morning until late at night. Quality breakfasts and new approaches to Viennese classics are on offer, with vegetarian and vegan alternatives also available, including when it comes to the cakes and pastries. The evening selection likewise features vegan options with organic produce wherever possible. Viennese architects KLK have put their stamp on the interior, while outside there is a spacious seating area. The new-look establishment is set to open in July.

A culinary trip round the world

A high-profile Austrian soccer player is behind another new establishment in the city: David Alaba recently opened fine dining restaurant DaRose. Its name is a portmanteau of his first name and that of his sister Rose. Located on the Austria Campus in the booming Nordbahnviertel, the 120-seat DaRose will serve modern fusion cuisine in a chic interior and with lots of outdoor seating to boot.

One of the city’s most popular Japanese restaurants is branching out again, now with new premises on Hoher Markt in the old town: the Mochi universe already includes two restaurants in the second district (on Praterstrasse and Vorgartenmarkt) as well as a wine and tapas bar called Kikko Bā in the fourth district. And now Hoher Markt joins the fray with take-away joint o.m.k. going from strength to strength thanks to the addition of a Japanese grocery store and seating for 20 diners. The focus will be on vegetarian and vegan dishes and products, as well as coffee and craft beer. Japanese products from artisanal suppliers are also on sale. The opening is scheduled for fall 2021.

Right next to Naschmarkt, an art déco gem is being given a new opportunity to shine under its new guise as a Little House of the Arts (KHK). Besides acting as a museum and gallery space from summer 2021, the former home of the Novomatic Forum is already flying the flag for the art of fine dining at KHK restaurant 404 – Don’t Ask Why. Open all day from the middle of june, it specializes in gourmet Italian cuisine, Neapolitan pizza and aperitifs. 140 of the 210 seats are arranged outside on the giant terrace, where margheritas and margaritas provide the perfect combination for a memorable sundowner.

A Neoclassicist mansion house on Schottentor now has culinary credentials worthy of its striking architecture. Once the site of the Wiener Bankverein headquarters, this heritage-listed building now contains an Interspar hypermarket and à la carte restaurant Das Mezzanin, which opened at the end of May 2021. Over 100 years old, it retains its magnificent original banking hall which was brought back to its best as part of a painstaking restoration and adaptation project. Das Mezzanin will take diners on a culinary tour of Austria.

Der Heuriger – a true Viennese original

Another prominent location is about to welcome a new culinary hotspot: the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace will provide the backdrop for the Heuriger Joseph II wine tavern when it opens in fall 2021. Previously empty rooms have been given a makeover with guidance from the Federal Monuments Office. An outdoor seating area is also planned. The operators are focusing on Viennese wine, particularly products from the WienWein group. Schönbrunn Palace has a proud viticultural tradition, with vines growing in its grounds since the days of Maria Theresia. And now the vineyards at the Orangery are harvested by the WienWein group to make specialty Viennese blended wine Gemischter Satz. Heuriger Joseph II is also accessible after the palace grounds close to visitors.

Bright prospects for 2022

Even more projects will hit the Danube Canal in 2022: Die Werkstatt combines food, sport and entertainment at a single location. The focus will be on Viennese cuisine and Austrian cakes and pastries. The furniture at this multifunctional space doubles up as ramps for skaters and scooter riders. Urban Tribes, a meeting place for the cycling community, will have a repair workshop and bistro bar. And finally, Muse will pitch in with an augmented reality art gallery with bar/restaurant. Space will be set aside at all of these projects for non-paying customers.

Addresses:

  • Danube Canal, new bar and restaurant projects between the Salztorbrücke and Marienbrücke bridges, 1010 + 1020 Vienna, website under development! Food Market online: www.tastefoodmarket.com  
  • Kraus, Grosse Pfarrgasse 7, 1020 Vienna, daskraus.at 
  • NENI am Prater, Perspektivstrasse 8, 1020 Vienna, neni.at/restaurants/prater/ 
  • Café Bellaria, Bellariastrasse 6, 1010 Vienna 
  • DaRose, Austria Campus, Jakov-Lind-Strasse 2/2, 1020 Vienna, darosevienna.at
  • o.m.k. 1010 (name tbc), Hoher Markt 2, 1010 Vienna, www.o-m-k.com 
  • 404 – Don’t Ask Why, Friedrichstrasse 7, 1010 Vienna, www.dontaskwhy.atwww.kleineshausderkunst.at  
  • Das Mezzanin and Interspar hypermarket at the Haus am Schottentor building, Schottengasse 6-8, 1010 Vienna 
  • Heuriger Joseph II, accessible via Schönbrunner Schlossstrasse or the palace courtyard, Schönbrunner Schlossstrasse 47, 1130 Vienna, https://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/  


Contact

Vienna Tourist Board
Helena Hartlauer
Media Relations
Tel. (+ 43 1) 211 14-364