Lunch is when this place comes to life and the colourful market atmosphere is so palpable, it’s almost edible. We’re sitting with the DO-AN manager, Memo, also known as Mehmet Uysal, who’s been running the place for the serial Naschmarkt restaurant owner, ‘Ibo’ (Ibrahim Kilicdagi).
In 1995, DO-AN was born as an Imbiss (takeaway setup), and has grown up to be a beloved character of the market’s makeup.
Set on a corner, the café now has as many tables outdoors as it does indoors, making it a popular sidewalk café in the warmer months (and also during winter amongst the braves who make the most out of the heaters and blankets provided outside).
Memo informs us that DO-AN was a pioneer in the makings of the Naschmarkt’s restaurant scene, being one of the first to open up in the ‘second part’ of the market. And even though it’s getting on in years, there are no hairs growing from its nostrils, yet instead the flair only gets better. The freshly painted Axel Schindler graffiti adorning the top of the bar – a piece personally created for DO-AN – adds to this.
But like any café/restaurant that stands the test of time, the main ingredient to their popularity’s fountain of youth is the tasty and light food and quick and personable service.
There’s Stammgäste (regular clientele) aplenty, while most staff members in the DO-AN family have been working together for many years, and hold personal relationships with the café’s visitors. And they’re quick: on a busy Saturday, waiting time between ordering and eating is typically less than 20 minutes.
The menu is perfect for a casual encounter or a quick lunch, with a menu comprised of soups, salads, grilled meat (lamb cutlets are amazing) and seafood dishes spiced with that magic oriental touch.
Meanwhile, it’s also the perfect fit for drinking litres of coffee with a friend, litres of summer drinks as the sun sets, or combining the litres of coffee combined with the reasonably priced yummy breakfast menu.
One particular dish by the man who has his fingerprints all over the menu, Chef Lui, who’s been around at DO-AN for 20 years, seems to have really hit the g-spot with the crowds, keeping them coming back for more – the “Exotischer Salat” (exotic salad). It’s apparently the secret dressing on it that’s got people hooked. When we ask Lui what’s in it, he smirks suspiciously and assures us that he won’t give the secret recipe up, even if his life depended on it.
Memo, on the other hand gave us more than a smirk:
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