The concept of Vollpension Johannesgasse is one I wholeheartedly support. Bringing older and younger people together and creating a space where all generations feel welcome is a wonderful idea. The older generation at Vollpension contributes their baking skills, which is exactly what the café’s marketing is built on. Cakes and pies from your grandma simply taste better and leave you with a comforting feeling. This concept has enabled Vollpension to open a second location in the city as well as a small stall dedicated solely to Buchteln, yeast dumplings similar to doughnuts but baked rather than fried.
Vollpension Johannesgasse @Vienna
Without a reservation it is difficult to get a table. When I tried to book two days in advance, the original coffeehouse in the 4th district was already fully booked, so I reserved a table at the city branch instead. This Vollpension Johannesgasse café is located within the Music and Arts Private University and despite having a large outdoor terrace it is surprisingly easy to overlook.
inside the university @Vollpension Johannesgasse
Inside the university the café is on the left hand side. There are two tables directly in the café itself, which is barrier free accessible, while the main coffee hall is half a flight of stairs up and requires you to wait to be seated.
barrier-free seating @Vollpension Johannesgasse
When we arrived only a few tables were occupied, but all the window nooks were still free. Our assigned table, however, was directly above the main entrance, meaning that every opening of the door would have sent a cold draft upwards.
our designated table @Vollpension Johannesgasse
I asked to be seated at a window nook but was told these were either reserved or only available for walk in groups. No one arrived during our entire stay.
all window tables still available @Vollpension Johannesgasse
At least the grandmother hosting us moved us to a table slightly further inside the room, away from the draft, and shortly afterwards we had our coffees. The breakfast menu is rather limited and mainly consists of assembled plates. Apart from soft boiled eggs, shakshuka and grilled cheese, there are no warm dishes available. I ordered a ham sandwich served open faced with horseradish and pickles, along with a soft boiled egg on the side.
ham sandwich @Vollpension Johannesgasse
Unfortunately the egg was fully cooked, which was particularly disappointing since the bread was dry and could have used something to make it easier to eat. The horseradish clearly came from a jar and left no impression on the palate. The pickles, one mustard pickle and one cucumber pickle, were overly sweet and frankly inedible. The only genuinely good element was the ham from Höllerschmid. Overall it was a real disappointment though.
hard boiled egg @Vollpension Johannesgasse
Compared to the Shakshuka it was almost a winner. The shakshuka here is called a tomato dream, and for good reason, as it tasted almost exclusively of tomato sauce. The main issue was not just the flavour, although that too was questionable, but the way it was served. It arrived in a glass jar with a lid and had clearly been microwaved. The outside was hot while the centre remained lukewarm.
Shakshuka @Vollpension Johannesgasse
To make matters worse my friend had not studied the menu carefully and ordered it with egg and extra feta cheese, which turned out to be vegan. The cheese, not the egg! It tasted of nothing. Even visually it was obvious that this would be a disaster. Vegan feta is never even remotely close to the real thing and should be called whatever it is actually made of. It was the first time I have seen my friend leave half his breakfast untouched.
We then decided to try the Buchteln, yeast dumplings filled with Powidl and baked in the oven, served with warm vanilla sauce. After all, Vollpension is famous for its sweet treats and the smell upon entering the building is wonderful. Unfortunately the Buchteln were also reheated in the microwave. The vanilla sauce and the plum jam were piping hot, while the pastry itself had developed a slightly rubbery texture from the microwave treatment. Once again we did not finish the dish.
Buchteln @Vollpension Johannesgasse
When paying, the server asked whether everything had been fine. I answered honestly and explained our experience. He confirmed that the dishes were microwaved and apologised for the shortcomings. He offered to invite us for something on the house, but by that point we had no desire to try anything else. It simply was not good.
cake display @Vollpension Johannesgasse
Vollpension has a great concept, but the first district location does it no favours at all. I had the distinct impression that this branch mainly caters to tourists. The grandmother greeting us at the beginning asked where we were from and seemed genuinely surprised when I said Vienna. The cakes might be decent here, I cannot say. But breakfast should be avoided at all costs. Yours, Pollybert
Vollpension – Generationencafé in der Johannesgasse
1010 Wien, Johannesgasse 4a
Mon-Sun: 08:00-18:00
https://www.vollpension.wien/generationencafe/1-bezirk/
