You’ll find students hanging around here at all times of the day. This place boasts one of the cheapest breakfasts in town (4–5€), and serves up portions fit for a king (or a hippo with a eating disorder) for reasonable prices. From their Syrian take on a sandwich (fresh Arabic flatbread with different fillings priced between 3€ and 4€) to their vast range of Palatschinken (crepes sweet and savoury, priced from 2–5€ depending on the serve), Café Merkur is perfect for a hearty meal for cheap.
Its kitchen reaches from Latin America (chili co carne), to Europa (Schnitzel, a grill plate and – oddly – a burger called bob for 6.80€), to Asia and the Orient. But we highly recommend sticking with the choices that come out of the Orient, especially the Arabian plate (tasty hummus, falafel, olives, Baba ghanoush, tzatziki, with fresh Arabic flat bread – all for 7.50€), or the Syrian speciality, Maklube (meat, rice, and fried vegetables for 7.50€).
Most dishes here hover between the 5–8€ mark. It has the feel of a student’s living room transplanted into a old Austrian Gasthaus, with its couches in the smoking area and plants all over the place. The plastic laminated menus will also make you feel comfortable enough to wipe your mouth on your sleeve.
For Breakfast, we recommend … The Greek (4.20€) or the Arabian (4.30€) breakfast. It’s served between 9am–12pm on weekdays and 9am–5pm on the weekend. This makes it a good hangover spot on the weekend when you’ve spent all your money the night before on vodka.
Plus: a decent coffee will only cost you 2.50€ (Melange)
They also … have a cheap daily menu for 5.50€. Check here for what’s being served up on different days of the week!
Cheapest Eat? Palatschinken (1 piece) for 2.80€
Other cheap eats we recommend
Lachs (salmon) Syrian Flatbread: 3.90€
Griechischer Bauernsalat (Greek farmer’s salad): 5.50€
