Landia

Landia sits just off Vienna's main shopping drag, Mariahilfer Straße. A recent arrival to the Viennese vegetarian scene, it opened its doors in January 2009. I decided to give it a whirl, having heard great things about it.

I don't know if Landia would be considered upscale, but it certainly has a relaxing and well thought out interior. Glowing rocks, copious plants, and bookshelves lined with travel tomes invite the diner to indulge in more than just food.

The menu is all vegetarian and everything (save for the Mozzarella salad and honey tort) can be made vegan. I would describe the offerings as traditionally Austrian with versions of Schnitzl, Laibchen, and Knödl but there are also some more Easterly choices like samosas, curries, and pita.

As smoking is still permitted in Austrian restaurants, there are two dining areas, one for smokers and one for non-smokers. Though it's pretty impossible to avoid some amount of smoke when sitting in an enclosed space, Landia did a much better job than most restaurants. (A side note--actually, this whole review is pretty much a side note: The smoking section was better lit than the non-smoking section, even with candles. I preferred to think of it as more romantic, although I could see how, in some cases, gazing at a lover through a cloud of smoke could be desirable.)

I had the opportunity to sample two dishes: the Cordonbleu with parsley potatoes and the Indian plate, a daily special. The Cordonbleu is an Austrian invention which features two "pieces of meat" sandwiching a piece of vegan cheese and then deep fried in some sort of batter. It was delicious. The parsley potatoes (Petersilkartoffeln) were also quite good and the two went very well with the vegan tartar sauce. In addition, there was a salad of julienned vegetables drizzled with an irresistible dressing. Mmmm. At first I was a bit despondent because it looked like my plate didn't have a lot of food, but at the end of the meal I found there had been quite enough.

The Indian plate featured Basmati rice, a broccoli-vegetable curry, lentil curry, apple chutney, and a julienned salad. It was awesome! I think the chutneys (for some reason reminiscent of my childhood or Thanksgiving) were the best part. Delicious!

[I will make it a point to look up synonyms for delicious when I get a chance.]

To wet my whistle I ordered a hemp beer. It smelled like Birkenstocks and body odor. Just kidding!! It was a good beer and organic, though I can't say its effect on me was anything out of the ordinary. I fear that anything sinister in the hemp was removed prior to bottling. Oh, and I also drank, like, two liters of water. I was really thirsty when I got to the restaurant because I hadn't had anything to drink all day. The public fountains are shut off during the winter.

For dessert, I selected several titles from the bookshelf and then made the connection between the name LANDia and the travel theme. I recommend the book on weird hotels whose pages are filled with creative ways to spend a night and several hundred Euros.

Lest this review drag on too long, I will start to wrap up. The waitress was really nice. The owner, who serves as cook, has been a vegetarian for twenty years and was a chef prior to opening Landia. He was also very kind and accommodating; I think maybe his wife works there, too?

The other diners ranged in age from 23 to 47 though there was a man sitting alone a the bar who looked to be in his 50's.

Name:

Landia

Type:

Vegetarian/Vegan

Hours of Operation:

Monday to Saturday: 9-22

Price Range:

€ (€3,40 to €7,80) see menu

Don't Miss:

The Cordonbleu is really great and was fun to eat. It was also nice to have some vegan Tartar sauce. It's really cool to have the option of vegan for all the dishes. A breath of fresh air! Don't forget to check out the books!! There are so many!!

Address:

7th District: Ahornergasse 4, 1070 Wien, Tel. +43 01 2935627

How to Get There:

Take the U3 to Neubaugasse. When you get off the train, head up to street level and walk up Neubaugasse (it runs perpendicular to Mariahilfe Straße). You will pass Richtergaße and cross over Lindengaße. The next left will present itself, not as a street, put as a pedestrian path through an apartment building. Walk through this and you will emerge onto Ahornergaße. Landia will be on the right after 30m. Enjoy!