While Vienna is not a trendsetter in food trends, it is a quite decent early adopter, so we decided to map out the trends that will let you get a taste of the new stuff before it becomes mainstream, you know… like pulled pork did.
1. The reinvention of the sandwich
The hype around gourmet burgers and pulled pork sandwiches made people remember that eating food in a bun can actually be tasty! It was about time the classic Leberkässemmel got some company in this town!
So if you feel like a sandwich that goes beyond the imagination of your local baker, why don’t you try one – for example of the following: Pastrami Baby’s classic, Bao Bar’s steamed bun with tofu and fresh veggies or Old Quarter’s Banh Mi with garlic beef, mint and coriander.
From baguettes, to rye toast or steamed buns, the sandwich revival shows itself from its best side in Vienna.
2. Get out of the way, ramen! Make room for the thick and slippery superstar of the moment: Udon
While people are still forming never-ending lines at the Mochi’s Ramen Bar in Vorgartenmarkt we are slurping our udons in one of the more central and lesser known places (for now).
Here you can either go to the hip 7th district to Kuro Udon or take the more authentic path down to the Wienzeile and go to the tiny but grand Kuishimbo – a place that’s always busy and the reason is soup. Read a full review on the noodle wonder here.
The Udon soup is nothing but a bowl full of goodness: thick noodles, tofu, meats or fish, veggies and herbs – all having a blast in an intense tasting, Japanese broth, clear as they come.
3. Get everything delivered
The trend of urban delivery is here to stay. Just the other day we heard a bike from Rita Bringt’s bumped into a Merkur bike, that knocked over a Foodora guy who spilled soup out of his pink rucksack all over the Uber Eats biker who now tastes like ramen forever. Somewhere up in the sky, while holding a burrito, a drone was laughing at them, while dripping mayo on the parade. True story!
4. Hyperregional, rent your own piece of agricultural land just outside of Vienna, and let the hobby farmer in you out to play!
If you’ve read this far we assume you are surely the kind who grows their own herbs in pots and are also hooked on those champignons you can buy from the supermarket, in buckets filled with soil that continue growing at home. Well the next step after transforming your kitchen in a mix-and-match garden is to actually plant your own veggie beds. You don’t own any land, you say? Then rent some!
We recently heard of small businesses blooming (hah) around Vienna, where people who own agriculture land rent it out plot by plot to urban hipsters who want to get some real soil under their nails and give a second meaning to the rain every once in a while. That sounds like you? Then stop potting and start plotting, for example here.
5. From farm to fork
Admit it! How often do you find yourself asking a restaurant’s staff where they bring their meat from, if they make their own sauces or if that Benedict dude who brings their eggs is a genuine, local free-range enthusiast. Yeah, we just won’t trust a restaurant that can’t recall the name of each teddy bear of the farmer’s 6 grandchildren.
6. Put it in a bowl
The bowl hype began not too long ago around the world, when people wanted to cheat on salad and started adding grains, thicker dressings and roasted stuff. Although it sounds super simple, just a few spots do this right in Vienna. Our absolute favourite bowl specialist is Health Kitchen, where the owner puts the best culinary memories of his 12 years traveling into bowls and brings you anything from a New Zealand Salad to a Singapore Laksa or a Mexican Taco Bowl. They all make up for a meal and can be served for anywhere between 7.20€ and 10.90€. All pleasure, no guilt, we promise!
7. Taco me in and read me a story!
© El Burro
It’s time for a new roll to rock us this summer: the fancy, but underrated taco. Look out this summer for this finger snack that packs in all the trending ingredients from pulled meats to vegan friendly seitans or tofu variations. We love to roll with the ones at El Burro, where they taste exquisite and also surprise with specials every month.
8. No waste: supermarkets that sell in batch, pick up services where you bring your own dishes
The other day we saw a neighbour leaving the building with a bag full of empty jars, plastic bottles and tins. When we patted him on the shoulders to congratulate him on his commitment to recycling, he looked at us as if we’ve killed a puppy. He wasn’t going to throw anything out, but to reuse everything, by shopping in batch. Wait, you’re not a member of this Facebook group yet? Check out Zero Waste Vienna here.
9. Craft everything
Especially that wine. Wait a minute! Isn’t making wine a craft by definition? So what does craft wine add to the process? Do they make their own barrels, do they grow their own oaks? Or rather print their old labels, since we imagine all crafters of today are former advertisers in search for more “purpose”.
10. Home cooking seems to be as trendy as ever
Even the most convenient of ingredients are preferred made from scratch these days: bread, granola, stocks for soups, chutneys, sugar, spice and everything nice. And for those who want to keep all the pleasure and perks of home-cooking but are short on time, there are delivery services providing complete boxes with the best of organic ingredients and matching recipes! For example these nice guys at Adamah you see more and more at food festivals near you.
11. Migratory Meals
If you, like us, think that migration only makes a place culturally richer, and never poorer, will love this trend established all over Europe after we’ve welcomed refugees over the past years.
Migratory Meals refers to the restaurants that bring the culture of the newly arrived refugees primarily through food. Oriental restaurants open up a world of extraordinary culinary experiences while also providing jobs for refugees.
Our favourite one in Vienna is Habibi & Hawara in the first district, a place flavoured with great dishes, warmth and welcoming smiles, open for every open person.
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