Selda Gürsesli, one of the residents living in the neighbourhood, could tell you a thing or two about this transformation. Living nearby, her desire for change was so throbbing, that she decided to take matters into her own hands, and opened up Menta on June 14, 2013.
Two years later, the café is still an anchor point of the now flourishing district, luring in passers-by, as well as the regulars who swarm in most nights of the week. It’s light, but tasty Austrian, Mediterranean and Oriental fused menu, breakfast and fresh homemade drinks also make it a popular hang out. Along with their moderate prices.
Menta is perched on one of the square’s round corners. It’s framed by trees and cobblestones. In summer there are tables and chairs under a sweeping awning out front. And the huge open sliding windows at the front of the café ensure swathes of sun get inside as well.
The interior is stylishly industrial, with raw naked grey walls, bulbous metal lamps and tables scattered around the place, which are surrounded by the holy famous Roland Rainer Stadthalle chairs. (If you don’t know why they’re a big deal, google it.)
It’s pleasant here anytime of the day. Out front in the garden you can listen to the trams and trains humming by, and slurp on your fresh iced mint tea, which at some point turns into your sixth beer, before you realise it’s already 11pm and you soon need to leave this oasis and go home.
I sit back on a chair next to the open window and enjoy a Radetzky breakfast, made up of fresh and crunchy homemade bread, with a lovely walnut spread, marmalade, butter and Bergkäse (alpine cheese), topped off with a strong Kleiner Brauner. Whether it be for a coffee, a wine, or a meal – Café Menta is a fresh option in Vienna’s 3rd district. As fresh as the smell of mint.
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