Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated June 16, 2016.

Updated June 16, 2016: Bio Bar Bruschette has closed its doors. At the same address, another vegan restaurant (Vegana Indiana) opened in June 2016. (Update February 24, 2021: Pleae note that Vegana Indiana also closed at the end of 2019).

Bio Bar Bruschette is owned by Antun Petrovic, who also owns “Bio Bar von Antun”, which I just reviewed.

Bruschette and the original Bio Bar are very similar. Both serve organic, vegetarian food, and offer many dishes for vegans.

The vegan dishes are all clearly labelled on the menu, although it is only available in German at this location. Bruschette also serves a much smaller selection of dishes than Bio Bar in the 1^st district.

Bio Bar Bruschette opened its doors last May (2012). Here’s a bit of trivia about the building’s history: The great-grandfather of an old high school friend of my mother’s opened a bakery there in 1868, and both he and his family (a son, I think) baked and sold bread there for a long time. Other bakers took over in the following years, but until the end of 2010, when Antun Petrovic rented the space for his new restaurant and renovated it top to bottom, bakeries had been doing business on these premises continuously for more than 140 years.

Bio Bar Bruschette is located in the 12^th district, which is of interest to tourists mainly because of its proximity to Schloß Schönbrunn, one of Vienna’s biggest tourist attractions (located a few minutes further afield, in the 13^th district).

Both the restaurant and Schloß Schönbrunn are located along the U4 subway line. If you’re planning a trip to Schönbrunn, consider lunch or dinner at Bio Bar Bruschette. (They are only two stops apart on the U4.)

Since my mother’s friend has a history with the building, we invited her to join us for lunch last week. As usual, my mother and I shared some dishes, so I got to taste two dishes instead of just one.

The menu at Bio Bar Bruschette is considerably smaller than the one at the original Bio Bar, but you will find many of the same dishes here (with plenty of vegan options).

As an appetizer, we ordered a plate of marinated and grilled Mediterranean vegetables. Zucchini, eggplant, olives, artichokes, stuffed wine leaves, served with hummus and freshly baked bread. The dish is lightly seasoned with garlic, herbs, and olive oil, and was a great choice. We both loved it, even my mother, who usually doesn’t like garlic or olive oil.

Naturally, we ordered a bruschetta (also available at the restaurant in the 1^st district) and shared it as an entrée.

“Bruschetta” is a certain kind of Italian bread, which is roasted and served with a variety of toppings. Sometimes the bruschetta is prepared with cold toppings, but we opted for Bruschette Brijoni, which is made with tomato sauce, smoked tofu, a variety of vegetables and herbs. The bruschetta with the toppings is returned to the oven, and the whole dish is served hot. It is topped with vegan sour cream and served with a small side salad. This dish, too, was very good. I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

Lunch for two came to 21.20 Euros plus tip. (6.20 Euros for the appetizer, 9.20 Euros for the bruschetta, and two large glasses of mineral water with freshly squeezed lemon, at 2.90 Euros each).

Please note that Bio Bar Bruschette is closed on weekends and on holidays.

Directions (since the restaurant is a bit out of the way): Take the U4 subway line to Längenfeldgasse (the U6 also stops there). Take the exit “Storchensteig” and turn left at the top of the stairs/elevator. Cross the street – this is already Schönbrunnerstraße – and turn right. It’s a 2-minute walk from here, and you can already see the yellow-painted house, in which the restaurant is located.

Address: Schönbrunnerstraße 235, 1120 Vienna

Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM and 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM. Closed Saturday, Sunday, and holidays.

Phone: +43 – 1 – 208 07 40

Website: no longer in service.

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated May 25, 2019.

Update May 25, 2019: This restaurant closed in 2017.

Original blog post:

Die Bio Bar is owned by Antun Petrovic, hence the restaurant’s full name. In Vienna, it’s commonly known as the Bio Bar, one of the very first organic, vegetarian restaurants. It’s been in existence for many years.

The Bio Bar is a symbol of sorts for the success of the green movement (organic and otherwise) in Austria. Today (2012), 20 % of all farmland in Austria is farmed organically. Worldwide, only the Falkland Islands (36%) and Liechtenstein (27%) farm more land organically than Austria.

Antun’s wife Madeleine is President of the Wiener Tierschutzverein, the second oldest animal shelter in Europe, which has been in existence since 1846. It does not euthanize and has rehomed countless animals. She is also one of Austria’s most widely-know politicians (and a prominent member of the Green Party), so the restaurant has been a hangout for green politicians and environmental and animal welfare activists right from the start. Not much has changed since.

The Bio Bar has a huge menu, and many of the dishes are vegan. The bilingual menu (German and English) also indicates which of the vegetarian dishes can be veganized. (Please note that on the website the menu is only listed in German).

The Bio Bar offers daily (vegan) lunch specials for about 8.00 Euros (soup, salad, entrée).

The evening menu is only available after 5:00 PM (a little later on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays). If you are a tourist from abroad, you should definitely try to have dinner at the Bio Bar instead of lunch. The restaurant specializes in adapting Austrian dishes for vegans, and many of those dishes are only available in the evenings.

Most Austrian dishes contain meat or milk, butter, and eggs. A considerable number of traditional Austrian dishes are desserts, but often eaten as entrees.

At the Bio Bar, you can choose between Wiener Schnitzel, Zwiebelrostbraten, Tiroler Erdäpfel-G’röstl, Erdäpfelgulyas, Wiener Würstchen, Pfeffer “Steak”, Cevapcici, and many more dishes. Palatschinken and Kaiserschmarren are famous Austrian desserts.

It’s worth noting that many of those dishes originated in other countries, but due to our shared history during the Austrio-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918), all these dishes are now considered thoroughly Austrian as well.

Ćevapcici, for example, are grilled minced sausages, and are a national dish in many Southeastern European countries. Goulash, a potato-meat-stew with paprika, originated in Hungary.

I had dinner there recently with my mother, who’s not only good company but also willing to share a variety of vegan dishes with me, even though she’s not a vegetarian. She also always picks up the tab. (Thank you!)

We shared the “Zwiebelrostraten” (13.90 Euros) and the “Erdäpfelgulyas” (8.90 Euros), as well as “Palatschinken” (5.90 Euros) and “Kaiserschmarren” (7.50 Euros).

For the “Zwiebelrostbraten,” Seitan (wheat gluten) is used instead of roast beef. It is served with roasted onions, potatoes, an apple-horseradish dip, and vegan sour cream. It’s very good, although I would have preferred the Seitan with a little less salt. The Zwiebelrostbraten is served with a side salad. The dressing is made with pumpkin-seed oil, another Austrian specialty.

As mentioned, Erdäpfelgulyas is a potato-meat-stew, and the Bio Bar’s vegan version is served with rehydrated soy meat. This was my favourite entrée.

For dessert, we shared Marmeladeplataschinken, crepes served with Powidl (plum stew), and Kaiserschmarren.

The latter dish is basically prepared from the same batter as the Palatschinken, but torn into pieces during the cooking process. Raisins are added, and it is sprinkled with powdered sugar. Kaiserschmarren is served with compote on the side. (Compote is a sort of fruit stew).

For drinks, we mostly stuck to mineral water. I did order a vegan non-alcoholic cocktail with pear-juice, soy milk, and shredded coconut, which contained a bit too much coconut for my taste. The coconut also didn’t blend well with the pear juice. (3.50 Euros)

The restaurant is located in the 1^st district of Vienna, at Drahtgasse 3, at the far end of Judenplatz. This is a pedestrian area, so there’s no traffic, and the Bio Bar has a Schanigarten (outside seating area). It’s perfect for summer evenings.

The inside of the restaurant could do with a new coat of paint and quite generally with a bit of a refurbishment. Not much (anything?) has changed since the restaurant opened its doors many years ago. Back then, the green movement was mostly supported by a few eco-warriors and students, and today it still has the look and feel of a student hangout, even though it is patronized by a much wider variety of people.

Antun Petrovic owns another restaurant, Bruschette Bio Bar.

Address: Drahtgasse 3, 1010 Vienna

Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday, 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM and 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM. Saturday, Sunday, and holidays: 12:00 noon – 11:00 PM. Closed on Mondays.

Phone: +43 – 1 – 968 93 51

Website: this restaurant has closed.

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated December 13, 2019.

Address – store #1: Rotenturmstraße 14, 1010 Vienna – 1st district
Address – store #2: Mariahilfer Straße 33, 1060 Vienna – 6th district
Address – store #3: Neubaugasse 9, 1070 Vienna – 7th district

Opening Hours: Opening hours vary throughout the year, longer opening hours during the summer months.
Company Holidays: All of Eis Greissler’s ice cream parlors are closed during the winter months.
Phone: No
Website: https://www.eis-greissler.at/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EisGreissler
Email: blochberger@eis-greissler.at
Free WiFi: No
Austrian Debit Cards: No
Credit Cards: No
Bathroom Facilities: No
Dogs Welcome: Yes
Seating Available: No
Outdoor Seating Area: No

In the spring of 2011, Eis-Greissler opened its first store at Rotenturmstrasse, a five-minute walk from St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the city center.

Greissler is a word unique to the Viennese dialect. It is used to describe a very small grocery store, and Eis-Greissler is exactly that: a tiny store, with an old–fashioned décor. Eis-Greissler isn’t a vegan ice-cream parlor, but all the ice cream at this store is organic, and every day there are several vegan flavors to choose from.

The first scoop of ice cream costs 1.60 Euros, you pay a little less per scoop for additional scoops. Take-away boxes are also available (8.50 Euros for 500 ml, 14.00 Euros for one liter of ice cream). (2019 prices; please note that prices are due to change in the coming years.)

I used to be a fan of this company, but lately not so much. In 2019, Eis Greissler created a (seasonal) flavor called Pink (raspberry vanilla) and donated parts of the proceeds of the sale of this particular flavor to an organization which supports medical research. Unfortunately, due to legal requirements, this automatically means animal research. Needless to say, I am highly critical of this decision. While the funds of the sale of this particular ice cream flavour were dedicated to a non-animal related support program of this organization, that organization profited as a whole – which I simply cannot support. I now buy most of my ice cream at Veganista, which has eight vegan ice cream parlors in Vienna.

Original blog post: December 3, 2019 by Ingrid Haunold
Updates to this blog entry will be posted at a future date.

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated December 3, 2019.

Updated December 3, 2019: Please note that this blog entry is outdated. I have written an new review, which you can find here.

Original blog post from 2012:

In Vienna, we take our ice cream seriously. The city is full of ice cream parlours, many of which produce their products fresh on the premises. I’ve never tasted better ice cream than the kind that’s produced right here in my home town – and that includes ice cream I’ve eaten all over Italy as well as all the premium US brands.

When I decided to become a vegan, my choices became severely limited. Even though most ice cream parlours produce one or two vegan flavours, they don’t label them as such, and if you inquire about vegan flavours, most salespeople are overwhelmed with the request for detailed information. Does the ice cream contain milk or milk powder? Does it contain cream? Yoghurt? And what about eggs? Are you sure it’s really vegan? Their responses usually don’t inspire confidence, and as a result I’d just about given up eating ice cream altogether.

Then, in the spring of 2011, Eis-Greissler opened its first store on Rotenturmstrasse, a five-minute walk from Stephansdom, right at the heart of the city.

“Greissler” is the German term for a very small grocery store, and Eis-Greissler is exactly that: a tiny store, with an old–fashioned décor, reminiscent of days gone by. It’s lovely.

Eis-Greissler is owned by a couple of organic farmers, Andrea and Georg Blochberger, whose thirty-five cows produce the milk for the yoghurts, cream, and ice cream they manufacture in a small dairy adjacent to their farm.

Their milk products are sold to kindergartens, schools, hotels, and restaurants in Lower Austria, where their farm is located, as well as to other Austrian businesses. Last year, they decided to open their first ice cream parlour in Vienna.

Eis-Greissler isn’t a vegan business, but it’s the only ice cream parlour in Vienna that offers a large variety of vegan flavours, all of which are also clearly labelled as such. That, and the fact that all their milk products are organic, is why I am such a big fan. (Many other ice cream parlours use milk products and eggs from factory farms.)

At a recent visit, eight of the eighteen flavours on sale that day were vegan. I was able to choose between strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, mango, pear, apricot, vanilla, and truffle ice cream. I decided on strawberry, pear, and truffle ice cream, and it was delicious.

So if you find yourself anywhere in the first district of Vienna, ignore all the other ice cream parlours and head on over to Rotenturmstrasse – their vegan ice cream is well worth a detour.

Please note: as Eis-Greissler is such a small store, there’s no in-store seating and there are no bathroom facilities.

Address: Rotenturmstraße 14, 1010 Vienna

Opening hours: daily, from 10:30 AM to 11:00 PM

Website: http://www.eis-greissler.at

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated June 24, 2012.

In 1998, the Vegan Society Austria (Vegane Gesellschaft Österreich) organised a number of events in a few Austrian cities. “Veganmania” gave local vegan businesses an opportunity to present themselves to a wider public.

For many, these Veganmania events were the first opportunity to taste vegan foods and drinks, or buy vegan clothes, shoes, and cosmetics. Local animal welfare organisations were also represented and provided information about a variety of animal welfare issues.

The Veganmania “summer tour” quickly grew, and more dates were added each year. In 2010, an event in Munich (Germany) was added, and several more in 2011. This year, for the first time, Veganmania events are organised not only in Austria and Germany, but also in Switzerland, Slovenia, and Croatia, in co-operation with local vegetarian or vegan organisations.

The success of Veganmania shows that there is a huge demand for vegan foods and products. In Vienna, where the Veganmania festival took place last weekend (June 15/16), three dozen vendors sold their vegan wares to the public. There was also a music stage, where bands performed throughout the two-day festival, and a parade was organised on Saturday.

I bought an ethical shopping guide from “animal.fair,” and vegan cakes and pastries from “Bernds Welt.” I bought my lunch from “Dharamsala,” a catering company, which offers Indian food.

The Vegane Gesellschaft Österreich offers more information on its Veganmania website. Unfortunately, all the information on this site is in German. However, there are many photos, which will give you a good idea about what to expect.

If you intend to visit Austria (or Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, or Croatia), I encourage you to check out my brand-new events calendar (in the right-hand column of this page). I will list all the upcoming Veganmania tour dates there, and will provide updates as necessary.

Website: http://www.veganmania.at

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated May 25, 2019.

Updated May 12, 2013, and again on May 25, 2019:

Yamm! opened its doors in May 2011 and quickly became a favourite among the locals. It’s packed every day during lunch hours, and is just as popular in the evening.

The restaurant’s prime location – opposite the University of Vienna – attracts a lot of students. It’ not just a student hang-out, though. There’s a play-area at the back of the restaurant, so it’s also a good choice for families with young children. Yamm! is a great place for locals and tourists alike who appreciate the casual atmosphere and the large selection of vegetarian and vegan foods. The non-smoking restaurant is quite big, it seats about 170 people. In the summer, the big sliding glass doors open onto a patio on the Ringstrasse.

At Yamm! you select your food from a buffet in the middle of the room and pay at the cashier. You pay by weight, soups, desserts, and drinks have set prices, as have the breakfast options and a few other dishes. But the buffet is the restaurant’s main attraction.

This restaurant offers a large selection of vegan food, which changes frequently. Just try a little bit of everything. All the vegan dishes are clearly labelled.

Yamm! also offers a large selection of vegan desserts.

You can  choose from a large selection of soft drinks, fresh juices, cocktails, and other alcoholic beverages. There’s plant-based milk for your coffee.

There’s free WiFi.

The staff at Yamm! are very friendly and helpful. During my last visit, I struggled with my tray – I’d chosen some food from the buffet, bought a drink, and a dessert, and my tray was full. (I did all this strictly in the name of research, of course! See photos above.) Somebody immediately came up to me and asked me if I needed help. (They didn’t know who I was – I’ve only been in contact with the staff by phone or Email to ask them about vegan sugar, wines, beers, etc. )

They also go out of their way to accommodate vegans. When I pointed out to them that one of the dishes – mushrooms marinated in wine – was not strictly vegan as the wine was not vegan, they immediately changed the recipe. The mushrooms are now marinated in olive oil, with herbs and garlic, and taste great!

Check out the restaurant’s Website. There are many photos online, both of the food and the restaurant itself, so you’ll know what to expect.

Opening hours have changed throughout the years, they are currently (May 2019): Mondays – Wednesdays: 08:00 AM – 11:00 PM, Thursdays – Fridays: 08:00 AM – 11:30 PM, Saturdays: 09:00 AM – 11:30 PM, Sundays and public holidays: 09:00 AM – 3:00 PM.

Address: Universitätsring 10, 1010 Vienna

Website: http://www.yamm.at

Please note: This article was first published on The Vegan Tourist and last updated May 31, 2012.

Naturkost St. Josef is a popular vegetarian, organic restaurant attached to a small grocery store in Vienna’s 7th district.

The restaurant is only open during lunch hours. It’s self-service: you order your food at the counter, pay at the cashier, and take your tray to the upstairs cafeteria-style dining room, which seats about 70 people. Lunch is served from around 11:00 AM – whenever they finish cooking – until they run out of food, sometime between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. (That’s according to one of their staff members.) Try to get there early. Naturkost St. Josef is incredibly popular among the locals who work in the neighbourhood, and it gets very busy fast.

The food is fantastic. There’s a buffet with salads and antipasti, the majority of which are vegan. My favourites are grilled pumpkins with parsley, yams with sprouts, a spicy aubergine salad, and I also love their potato salad. You can choose from about a dozen different vegan salads and antipasti, all organic of course. I eat frequently at this restaurant, and I always sample a few of their creations from the buffet. The price is based on weight: 100 grams cost 1.79 Euros (including tax).

I also love their vegan kebabs. The kebabs can be ordered with either yoghurt dressing or a spicy, creamy vegan dressing. The kebabs are quite large, and cost 4.80 Euros.

The menu changes daily. There’s always one choice of soup and one main dish, which you can both order in two sizes. Soups cost 3.30 or 3.60 Euros, and the main dishes are 7.50 or 8.90 Euros. As this is a vegetarian restaurant, the main dishes are always prepared in such a way that they can be veganized. (I’m not sure about the soups – I’ll have to get back to you on that.)

In addition to the daily specials, there’s always a small selection of other dishes to choose from; however, most of these are not vegan.

Good news: Naturkost St. Josef recently started to offer vegan desserts on Mondays and Wednesdays. This is a trial run. If there’s enough demand, they might start offering vegan desserts on other days of the week, too. I bought a strawberry cake with a cream filling on my last visit, which just happened to fall on a Wednesday.

This restaurant is very vegan-friendly, even though it can be a bit confusing, if you’ve never visited before. Most vegan dishes aren’t labelled clearly. I spoke with the owner recently and he encouraged me to ask, if I’m ever unsure about a certain dish. There are tentative plans to label the vegan salads and antipasti at the buffet, but the owner told me that they were “better at cooking than writing.” That’s fine by me.

There’s free tap water to drink, which is made available in large pitchers. Just pour yourself a glass. They also offer fresh squeezed juices and other drinks. Last time I visited, I bought an organic raspberry soda (2.60 Euros).

The restaurant is adjoined by a small organic, vegetarian grocery store (they’re both in the same room, really). You can buy vegan snacks there, however, the store is mostly geared towards lacto-vegetarians. For example, they don’t sell vegan fruit yoghurts, and no vegan wines; but it’s a small store, so naturally its selection is limited. I still try to pick up a thing or two whenever I visit, to support this small Viennese business. A favourite are beauty products from Lavera (watch out for the Vegan Society’s sunflower symbol, as not all of their products are vegan).

Address: You can either enter through the grocery store at Zollergasse 26 or through the restaurant, at Mondscheingasse 10-12, 1070 Vienna

Opening hours for the grocery store: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM – 6:30 PM, Saturday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM; closed on Sundays. Lunchtime buffet from around 11:00 AM until 3:00 or 4.00 PM (whenever they run out of food). You can pay by cash or credit card.

Phone: +43-(0)1-526 6818

They don’t have a website.