Rinderwahn

Rinderwahn means mad cow disease in German and the name says it all. Right off the Kärnter Straße in the heart of Vienna a new burger joint has opened its doors. And what kind of doors, the moment you enter you already feel transported to a slaughterhouse with the white tiles on the walls. To be reminded that my burger was actually a living, breathing animal not that long ago is a weird concept of marketing, but there we go! The name says it all!

“slaughterhouse” @Rinderwahn

The puns seem to be intended because like a red thread you can follow them through the restaurant all the way to the bathrooms. Am I the only one who is not laughing?

bathrooms @Rinderwahn

The place is marketed to tourists and locals alike, apparently burger is the new pizza. So we just leave it at that and dive right in. Maybe it’s just me but the place is loud, like really loud. The seating is extremely tight which appears to be the new standard in restaurants (here I could admire the dental work of my neighbor) but with the difference that at Rinderwahn I can’t even understand the people I share the table with. The noise level only goes down after the place empties. So one might want to do something about it or it’s all part of the marketing concept. They proclaim their burgers are not fast food, but in the end you don’t want to linger anyway.

Furthermore if a restaurant already caters to tourists then at least it should have free wi-fi. Not that I usually need it as a local but when reception is not working in the remote corners of the restaurant, it’s no fun. And yes, I could talk to my friends instead but that didn’t work so well either.

The burgers then are massive and actually quite tasty. I tried the “scharfe Elsa” (hot as in spicy but also as in you look hot; the puns just never end) which was perfect combination of good grilled meat and chili. Also the fries were crisp and perfectly salted, just great. I got more annoyed about the tray it got served on which was lined with paper. I ate the burger by hand but my friends used cutlery and of course the burger juices soaked the paper and eventually you cut just through it. That starts to look disgusting after a while. And please put some towelettes for “hand eaters” on the table.

my spicy burger “scharfe Elsa” @Rinderwahn

We also tried the steak burger, very tasty, and Bella Luisa, a burger with bacon. And here we noticed the lack of seasoning in the end. Once you eat all the bacon then there is just unseasoned meat left in the bun. The bun by the way is great, not too thick and not too sweet, really goes well with burger. The meat soaked through the bottom half of the bun though once you reach the halfway point. This makes eating it by hand not any easier. Here again the towelettes would be much appreciated.

burger with sweet potato fries @Rinderwahn

Cat tried the “Hasenfutter” (rabbit food, haha I am still laughing now), leaf salad with chicken breast. She loved the salad which came in a bowl and just meant that the chicken had been a bit long on the grill. But the combination was great with the avocado and pico de gallo and the dressing for the salad was excellent.

“Hasenfutter” with chicken @Rinderwahn

So the food here gets high praise, I really liked it. Except the dessert but that’s okay because Rinderwahn is a burger place after all and these worked well for me. The mascarpone cream was way too sweet but the young man who ate it, loved it in combination with the even sweeter strawberries on top.

mascarpone cream @Rinderwahn

We also ordered some coleslaw as side order, which never made it to the table. No apologies for this though. The surprise came at the end when I noticed the steep price for the draft beer upon paying (receipt only upon request). That didn’t go down well with me, quite exorbitant especially for this concept. In conclusion, the food is good and service was quick. That’s the best I can say about this place. I for one will not be back. Yours, Pollybert

Rinderwahn
1010 Wien, Weihburggasse 3
Telefon: +43 (0) 1 5120996
Email: restaurant@rinderwahn.at
Mo-Sun: 12-24:00
https://www.rinderwahn.at/de/startseite.html