If you don’t have the time to read the review, WATCH this short and sweet video below!
Colourful and fresh is what they’re going for
Former pro soccer player, Rubin Okotie, opened up PLAIN back in January 2019.
It’s all inspired by his travels and years abroad, including the menu. Ironically (and perhaps a sign of the times) he took over a grill restaurant and transformed it into a colourful cafe, serving up healthy and fresh food that’s plain, but isn’t.
Thanks to its high ceilings, PLAIN is spacious, bright and very inviting.
A huge, eye-grabbing graphic covers one wall, and a wooden bookshelf covers the other.
There’s also a Schanigarten facing south, meaning it catches a good dose of sun breaking through the shady trees that line the sidewalk.
Beware – the garden seems to always be packed on sunny days.
Insider tip – the best time for snatching a good table outdoors is to visit early afternoon.
Besides its good looks, PLAIN is known for its delicious bowls
Recently turned vegan himself, Rubin has made sure there’s plenty of veggie and vegan options on the menu. Meanwhile, there’s also bowls with salmon, beef and chicken in the mix.
There’s a bunch of other ‘Soul food’ (their words not ours) in their menu – think bagels, soups, and smoothies. And like any cafe that understands its audience that likes a good sleep in, they serve breakfast all day.
Their signature bowl, Plain Gain, comes with smoked tofu, spaghetti squash (or some other veggie in season), and a bunch of other fancy and healthy sounding ingredients, such as almond cream and ponzu. It makes for one well-rounded tasty bowl.
Good to know – bowl creations are reengineered quite often so veggies in season are worked into their make-up.
You gotta’ try their meatless burger
Packed between a tasty bun of their meatless burger is the globally-hyped patty that looks like meat, smells like meat and actually (kinda’) tastes like meat, but is 100% vegan – the Beyond Meat burger. They neatly call it their ‘Beyond Burger,’ and it comes with an oh-so-delicious truffle mayo.
At PLAIN, you can browse through a small library of art, vegan cooking and fashion books
Brush up your know-how on Banksy, Warhol, or Franz West, read about colour combinations inspiring fashion, or get some cooking inspiration – if you find something in their small library that’s nicely arranged on their funky wooden book wall that we now want to build in our apartment, you’ll know that PLAIN is for your kind of people.
The art books are more than just for show – Rubin seems to know his way around the art scene. This has obviously helped him with putting together a originally beautiful looking cafe.
We talk art with him as if we know what we’re talking about for quite a while (the only art we’re fluent in is the art of bullshitting our way through conversations 😉
It makes sense – Rubin’s mum is an artist, so it’s kinda’ in his genes.
This new addition to the Servitenviertel in the 9th district gives the area a fresh, hipster-y, and young option that didn’t exist before. It’s also a cafe made for the modern day – where people with all kinds of diets feel at home.
Get content that you love in your inbox!
