Colourful right down to the plate.
Café Frida at the Yppenplatz.

Yppenplatz in Ottakring is one of the liveliest squares in Vienna. Right next to it is the Brunnenmarkt, and all around are street terraces (Schanigärten), market stalls and the buzz of voices in many languages. Right in the middle, at Payergasse 12, is Café Frida, named after the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. The editorial team visited it one evening and one morning to get to know the place at both times of day.

First impressionsA name that promises something

Name a venue after Frida Kahlo and you raise expectations. We expected a colourful place, and that is exactly what we got. The tables, the walls and the plates are colourful, and so is the square outside the door. Café Frida has flair without trying too hard. You sit down and feel at home from the first moment.

The atmosphereLife fills the room

Café Frida is not a place where you sit alone with your coffee. On both visits every table was taken, and at almost every one there were smiling faces. The guests eat, drink and talk to each other. This kind of atmosphere cannot be staged. It arises when people feel comfortable in a place.

Frida Kahlo on the wall, sunshine at the window.

The house ruleNo laptop, just life

A small sticker on the table caught our eye: “no laptop”. And indeed, nobody was working at any table. We asked the waitress, and she sent the boss over to our table. Onur Eyer has been in the hospitality trade for decades and explained what is behind the rule.

“Café Frida is not a workplace. It is a place to talk, to laugh and to get to know each other.”Onur Eyer, owner of Café Frida

People work every minute of the day anyway, says Onur Eyer. So Frida is meant to be a place to switch off and enjoy yourself. With those words it was clear to us where the good mood comes from. Nobody sits behind a screen here; everyone enjoys their food and the company. There is Wi-Fi, by the way, but the laptops stay shut.

For breakfastRich, regional and organic

For breakfast we ordered “Fridas Best”, the house’s big breakfast, and it was excellent: generous, beautifully presented and of a high standard in taste. Much of what is on the plate is organic and comes from the region, and you can taste it. The meat comes from the organic farm Höllerschmid, the dairy products from NÖM, and the eggs are organic too and come from Lower Austria.

The menu offers hearty, vegetarian and vegan breakfasts, plus good coffee. It is served daily until 3 pm, so if you like to sleep in, you won’t miss out on anything. At the weekend a reservation is recommended, as Frida is especially busy at breakfast time.

In the eveningCocktails for 9.90 euros

In the evening the café turns into a bar. We had cocktails, and the quality was excellent. The price surprised us: a cocktail costs 9.90 euros. For Vienna today that is a remarkable price, especially at this quality. Drinks are mixed fresh and without ready-made mixes, and the selection is large. The kitchen is open until 10 pm, the bar until midnight.

Drinks on Yppenplatz, until midnight.

Photos: Café Frida (cafefrida.at).