#1 Yummie Check: Café der Provinz
Hi guys!
Here I am with my first review ever, guess where we are at?!
Café der Provinz! Probably one of my top 10 places to be in Vienna and definitely an insider tip!
I guess it was about 5 years ago when I first had the chance to discover Café der Provinz on a friend´s advice from college, where we wanted to discuss about a seminar project with a bunch of people. Well, after not able to convince him for another place, I thought to myself desperately``Whatever, let´s go and see what they got there´´ thinking that it would be an ordinary, boring coffee shop. I mean we wouldn´t stay there for hours anyways, so it could be bearable :D After strolling through cobblestone streets in the 8th district, there I was, at the beginning of a very quiet one; Maria Treu, facing a huge, white barock church named after the street itself.
A short statement for the ones who don´t know enough about Vienna, and the 8th district; It´s one of the most beautiful, noble neighborhoods in town, located in the inner city, just a few minutes from the Vienna City Hall and the Parlament.
Bohemian meets Shabby Chic
Well from now on, you know what I did next?! I just followed the signs; the smell of coffee and freshly made crêpes and waffles!
As I stepped in, it was love at first sight! Mismatched, renewed wooden furniture, handmade tables, vintage carafes, walls covered with posters of festivals, exhibitions and films, lovely lamps decorated with different vintage fabrics, old shipdeck floor... I was amazed by this bohemian, shabby chic look! Wanting to find more, I eagerly went into the next room, passing through the kitchen; two marble counters, where you can either take a look at how your ``galette´´ is made or how your espresso is prepared; shortly front cooking.
At the back of the crêperie, there is a huge corner with shelves decorated with organic tea-varieties, soaps, cups, bags or many different literature, art books (even children´s books) which you can buy or just read there if you have forgotten yours and they are also published by Verlag der Provinz.
You can even order a table, literally!! :D It sounds weird but true! Because of the reason that there were so many people willing to buy the handmade tables in the cafe, they decided to sell them with cooperation of ``Theater an der Josefstadt´´.
And if you are really very lucky, then you can find one of these stylish pieces put on the entrance for free, like I did once :D
Another interesting thing, which you could do here would be registering yourself for a scything course. I don´t know how I could explain this one, better ask Google. :D
Also in summer the crêperie turns into a great sidewalk cafe where you can sit outside and have conversation with your homie for hours or where you can have some privacy moment with your favourite book, or you can just relax with some great house wine or enjoy your dinner, the choice is yours! :D
All organic
Well, let´s go back again to that day:) During our lively conversation, something on the menu caught my eye and I was all distracted; Galette.
Have you ever heard of it?! I found out that it´s a norman-breton speciality which belongs to north west region of France; Brittany and Normandy. I guess you surely are familiar with it because of its relatives like crepes or pancakes. But this one is different! The thing which makes Galette unique is that it is always made of buck wheat and an egg topping and here would definitely be the place in Vienna, if you would ever like to taste some galettes! They are all organic; it means they are all made with buck wheat, spelt and soy milk which are 100% organic agricultural products. Also if you prefer to eat some desert, then you can choose from many Crepes or Waffles with maple syrup, chocolate and fruits, bio marmalade or even with chestnut creme. Although the dishes are prepared with fresh products, time to time it can happen that your galette seem to be a bit dry.
There is also a wide variety of tea; from self-created herbal tea blend to non-mixed herbal/ fruit / green or black tea, they got almost everything.:) If you are a coffee junkie, you can find grain coffee which is a better version of a usual one. Also organic wine is offered, even cidre.
Don´t be in a hurry Be prepared to wait for awhile, till your order gets served. Like the cafe itself, the waiters are also chilled and sometimes ignorant, a little bit, but that´s ok for viennese conditions :) Especially during weekend it can get so crowded, that the staff can be overwhelmed by many customers. All in all
Well, I must confess, I can´t remember the exact date, neither my friends´ names nor what our seminar project was about but all I can say is that I´ll never forget the sweet warmth and safeness of this place, I felt myself kinda at home!
YUMMIE FACTS:
Time passing till
the first drink was served; 7 mins 34 secs
the first meal was served; 16 mins 46 secs
Price: Main course (incl. drinks) appr. : 13 Euro per one person
Cafe der Provinz in Yummie Words: quite, peaceful, warm
Yummie Chic´s Order
For Vegetarians; Galette Tata with feta cheese, tomato, mint with an egg topping
For those who prefer meat; Galette Saumon with salmon, cheese, dill und onions with an egg topping
Yummie Chic´s Advice
Better come for lunch (from 12:00 till 15:00) on a workday, you can have salad or soup for the same price.
Don´t go there during rush hours as the brunch on weekends (overcrowded, slow service, limited choice and overpriced, no orders accepted on a la carte)
Keep in mind
- Cash Only
- Non-smoking / For smokers there are two windowseats outside - WLAN available
- For allergic people; Coffee is also served with soy milk.
Thumbs up for Cafe der Provinz!
www.cafederprovinz.at
PHOTO CREDITS: Christian Benesch