A few days ago, a new “insider tip” for high-quality vegan food at a fair price opened in the 20th district of Vienna under the name “Jaffa Vegan Streetfood” in a very inconspicuous place between a Bipa drugstore and a doner kebab restaurant.
Previously, this business premises housed a branch of a well-known bakery chain. The chain closed its doors some time ago. For several months, the new tenant has been drawing attention to the upcoming opening by means of poster advertising on the windows. This week, the time has finally come: after quite a long wait, "Jaffa Vegan Streetfood" has opened its doors.
Although Vienna's Brigittenau has a few very good restaurants, even locals don't think of them first when they think of a good lunch or dinner. The entire district around the famous Wallensteinplatz, where the "Vinobodana" theater is located, has been undergoing gastronomic upheaval for more than a decade. Only a few traditional establishments have been able to survive. The region is characterized by snack bars, which mostly serve Turkish cuisine. Of course there is also a pizzeria and even an extremely good Vietnamese restaurant, but otherwise the selection is rather poor.
Vegan specialties spice up “Vienna’s gastronomic Siberia”
Sharaf Jaffa, an experienced restaurateur with Arabic roots, has decided to go a different way and bring a breath of fresh air to Brigittenau. His concept is fundamentally different from that of local competitors, because "Jaffa Vegan Streetfood" specializes in vegetarian and vegan dishes. A symbiosis of Jewish and Arabic cuisine is offered, as can be seen from the menu handwritten on slate boards.
You notice that the restaurant only opened a few days ago when you enter, because the entire interior not only looks completely new, but it is. The "Jaffa Vegan Streetfood" doesn't have a lot of space to offer, because there are only a few tables. From the beginning, the aim was to specialize in to-go customers, which is also what the name suggests. There is currently no delivery service, but the option to pre-order by phone for collection is to follow soon. There are no printed menus yet, because the operator is still waiting for the delivery from the printer.
But what really counts are the food and drinks on offer. They specialize in vegetarian and vegan cuisine with a Jewish-Arabic touch. Accordingly, vegans and vegetarians get their money's worth here, but meat lovers are left out in the cold. Meals don't necessarily have to be of animal origin to taste delicious. This is exactly what the new restaurant impressively proves.
First taste, then order
During the unannounced test visit by the Aviation.Direct editorial team, the staff first greeted us with a sample. Since everything is completely new, we asked the staff for a tip on the food. They then recommended a field bean bowl and a shakchoka bowl. No sooner said than done, and we waited to see what was served, since we didn't really know what it was.
The food is freshly prepared in front of the customers. The bowls are then served by the staff in attractive porcelain. This is accompanied by the flatbread typical of Arab-Jewish cuisine, which is also served on porcelain. Fresh vegetables such as rocket, onions and so on were served as a side dish. Everything was fresh and presented in a very attractive way. To put it simply: you probably wouldn't have expected a restaurant that specializes in street food "to go" to serve food at the level of fine dining. The drink ordered was homemade lemonade, which was extremely tasty.
Portions large, fresh and tasty
Both bowls far exceeded the team's expectations. They tasted extremely good and the portion size was very large, so you'll definitely be full. Meat would have completely ruined the composition, by the way, because both dishes simply didn't need meat to taste delicious. Brigittenau is now enriched by a small but fine restaurant that serves extremely good vegan and vegetarian dishes. It remains to be hoped that the owner will be able to maintain the high quality that he currently delivers in the long term. Even though his restaurant is very small and not exactly in an area known for top-class gastronomy, "Jaffa Vegan Streetfood" has no need to "hide" at all, but offers fresh and great quality that is on a par with top-class gastronomy.
For many restaurant visitors, price is an important criterion in times like these. Vegans and vegetarians are often burdened with high prices in restaurants, but especially in everyday life in supermarkets. The economy has recognized this relatively new trend and is asking for a lot of money, even though the cost of goods for meat-free dishes is usually cheaper. However, the profit margin increases if you ask this customer group to pay a lot. The bill that was presented at "Jaffa Vegan Streetfood" was all the more surprising.
Fair prices and competent staff
The large broad bean bowl cost 5,50 euros. The equally large Shakchoka bowl cost 7 euros and each glass of homemade lemonade cost 2,60 euros. That makes a total of 17,70 euros for lunch for two people. Given the high quality, the freshness of the ingredients and of course the good taste, you can not only speak of an absolutely fair price-performance ratio, but even of a bargain for lovers of vegan and vegetarian food. An absolute insider tip for lunch or dinner.
Possibly very important for vegans: The staff will verbally inform you when ordering a meal that is not vegan. For example, when suggesting an order, the waiter said that he wanted to point out that this dish contained chicken eggs and voila, he had a comparable product that was completely vegan ready to recommend. For real vegans, this is really great service and exactly what you expect when you enter a restaurant that advertises the word "vegan" in huge letters above the entrance door.
Accessibility and opening times
The newly opened "Jaffa Streetfood" is located directly at the Rauscherstraße tram and bus stop (lines 5 and 5A) in 1200 Vienna, Bäuerlegasse 29/8. It can be reached using the above-mentioned public transport routes of the Wiener Linien. The entrance is in the direction of Westbahnhof (tram 5) or Griegstraße (bus 5A) immediately after getting off between Bipa and a doner kebab restaurant. The opening hours are printed on the receipt from Monday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 22 p.m.
Drivers should note that it is not possible to park directly in front of the restaurant, but there are paid public parking spaces run by the City of Vienna about 50 meters away. The short-term parking zone in this district is as follows: Monday to Friday (except public holidays) from 9:00 a.m. to 22:00 p.m. It is therefore advisable to arrive and depart by public transport, as this saves you having to look for a parking space or buy paid parking tickets issued by the City of Vienna.
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