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 1st 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 12th 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 13th 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 1st 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.