Josef’s Spain

Location:Josef’s Genießerei
Website:http://www.josefs.at/
Address:Gartenheimstraße 1, 1220 Wien
Status:Closed (last checked on 27 November 2020)
Eaten:“Spanische Tapas,” two ½ Storchenbräu Dunkel, ¼ Grüner Veltliner (Hauswein)

Josef’s Genießerei is an anomaly. Located in Essling, on the outskirts of Vienna’s 22nd district, it could be expected to be a dark, smelly, and strictly locals-only Beisl. Instead, it is a Spartan but surprisingly competent bar, with a great choice of quality wines at low prices, a good selection of snacks to go with these wines and even some craft beer that I’ve never seen anywhere else.

Three of these snacks are of a Brettljause type, with Austrian, Italian and Spanish flavors respectively. The Austrian one, with its liver sausage and Blutwurst looked a bit too extreme, so I’ve settled for the Spanish one. True to its name, it contained all the stuff one would expect in a Spanish-styles snack plate: Serano ham, Chorizo sausage, Fuett salami and Manchego cheese. All of them tasted as expected, with no bad or good surprises. The “accompanying stuff” included, predictably, olives, and absolutely wonderful “red wine onions.” Finally, the plate came with a complimentary glass of white Rioja, smaller than an Achterl, but quite welcome nevertheless.

If you find yourself in the center of Vienna, there is hardly any reason to travel all the way to the Genießerei to get some wine and snacks (though you might save quite a lot of money). On the other hand, if you live in the restaurant-poor 22nd district, Josef’s little bar is a gem.

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