Hefenbrüder is a really weird name in German. It’s kind of a slang expression for people who know each other from prison. Despite that rather unfortunate choice of name this pub fills up quickly. Most of the tables are for large groups and the restaurant is rather busy in the evening. They also have shuffleboard table you can rent with your friends. Even though one wall has a really cool mural, the overall atmosphere reminds me of a mess hall. Lots of cold industrial charm.
Never mind though, the list of available craft beers is extensive, either bottle or draught. I tried two different ones and was very happy with my choice. The beer is expensive though. This might look like a student place, prices are definitely higher though.
dining hall @Hefenbrüder
The pizza on the other hand is rather an acquired taste. It’s not round but square and you can order it by size. So for the two of us the waitress recommended half a meter of pizza. This felt like a lot but she assured it us it would be fine. For this size you can choose three different kinds of toppings. Something I love because usually one topping gets boring after half a pizza. So we ordered eggplant cream, potatoes and rosemary, beef tartar, anchovies and onion relish, and cauliflower, almonds, and oranges.
square pizza with three kinds of toppings @Hefenbrüder
First off, the pizza was really big and we sent about half of it back to the kitchen. The second thing you notice is that you get scissors to cut it. Maybe it’s just me but that had the distinct smell of student living. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I want to be just that. But not when it comes to food. The third thing I noticed was the oranges. Definitely not an orange on that pizza but rather tangerines from the can.
So the first impression was not the best. Once I tasted the pizza my impression was unfortunately confirmed. This is not a pizza. This slab of dough with toppings is a Focaccia. It’s similar but not the same. The part of the ‘pizza’ with the tangerines was too soft, probably due to the fruit. The meat was not of good quality and also not well seasoned. It’s not enough to stick a chili on top and hope for the best.
The most interesting part was the eggplant potato topping. As you can the rosemary also had only decorative duties. All in all Hefenbrüder was rather disappointing. I do have to say though the Focaccia dough was lovely. A slight crunch on the outside and soft in the middle. But overall, go for a beer if you want to, but make a wide berth around the food. Yours, Pollybert
Hefenbrüder
1060 Wien, Mariahilfer Straße 117
Tel: +43 1 9409400
Email: info@hefenbrueder.at
Mon-Sat: 16:00-23:00
https://www.hefenbrueder.at/
