‘Mangiare’ in Vienna’s Second District

Near Webster’s new location, students will have interesting choices for eating out, including Italian style

Two restaurants on Praterstraße in front of, and right next to, Palais Wenkheim will probably be Webster students’ next hang-out places. With the big name signs above the entrances and large glass windows, pedestrians can feel indulged in the Italian atmosphere only by peeping in from the outside. Eatalico and Vapiano are the inviting places to have a quick and delicious Italian lunch or dinner.

Food decorations and paintings representing culinary motifs are mounted on the walls in both restaurants; pasta in glass containers in the display cabinets and fresh basil on the tables represent some of the Italian cuisine classic offerings.

Both restaurants offer menus in English and German, and staff is very polite and always willing to help the customers who are undecided what meal to have because of all the food to choose from. A wide selection of fresh foods is prepared directly in front of the waiting client; varying from homemade starters and salads, to a variety of pasta and pizzas, which can be chosen from. Small or large salads or pizzas can be ordered. Both places serve their food very quickly; usually one does not need to wait longer than ten minutes.

Vapiano can be considered more of a fast food restaurant. At the entrance the client is given a swipe card on which the price of the meal is loaded, allowing the customer to pay when leaving. One waits in line for the meal. Guests can choose where to sit, and most of the tables can fit around ten people, allowing them to socialize easily.

Vapiano can therefore be called an Italo-version of a fast food chain, namely a system gastronomy. It was founded by Kent Hahne, Klaus Rader and Mark Korzilius in 2002 in Germany, and is now expanding worldwide.

While the Vapiano chain is well established and has opened more than 100 restaurants – quite a few of them in Vienna, Eatalico is a stand-alone place, just two years old and not well-known yet among the Viennese. Mr. Huth founded it two years ago, with the idea of serving the client rather than having a self-service bistro – therefore in a higher league than Vapiano. The seating is also arranged differently; it is organized like in a normal restaurant where the waiter serves the customer.

One important aspect students should know about is that the foods offered in both restaurants are rather similar, however, a normal pizza at Eatalico, seven to eleven Euros, is XXL size. Therefore perfect to share with a friend.

“I think Eatalico is really cool. I didn’t expect such a huge pizza but it was very delicious. I’m sure I’ll come here often when we move to the new campus,” said Vanja Serbedzija, 19, freshman at Webster Vienna.

Both places will be perfect for Webster students even if they are just on a quick break; they will be great for students to hang out, eat and also study. However, only Eatalico offers Wi-Fi, while Vapiano avoids it so that customers can have an “earned break from the everyday life. Without emails and bad news,” as stated in their website. Customers in Vapiano might also have to wait quite a while before they can sit down, as it gets very full during the peak hours.

Whether we will see more Webster students in Vapiano or Eatalico we will know this coming August when the campus moves to Palais Wenkheim.