Restaurants
Maria und Josef Modern cuisine with a Persian twist
© Maria und Josef
Map
Opening Times
Tuesday to Saturday: 4:00pm - midnight
Address
Maria und Josef
Rahlgasse 1
1060 Vienna-district 6
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Contact
price level
Anyone who thinks of Maria und Josef (Mary and Joseph) in the biblical story, of meagre stables and modest fare could not be more wrong. Instead, their accommodation is opulent, their table richly set. "We thought the name was funny," says Anna Jahanbekloo, who runs the restaurant together with her father. "Because everyone knows it. And because we are Persian."
For the dishes, they were inspired by the flavours there: saffron, pomegranate, and barberries. But the menu also includes Swiss Emmental (baked crispy) or the French dream couple Brie and walnut - an "eclectic mix with a Persian twist", as they say themselves.
The same goes for the interior design. Emerald green walls and ceilings meet gleaming brass lights, floor-to-ceiling windows and herringbone parquet flooring. The mood is exuberant. Plates are passed around at long tables amid laughter and the clinking of glasses, and heads are put together at small bistro tables like ours.
And soon plate Tetris is being played. The dishes are meant to be shared (always a good excuse not to have to decide), so the table gradually fills up with brightly coloured plates.
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But first, we start with antipasti, bread and zaatar butter, which satisfies the worst of our hunger while we study the menu. Spices such as zaatar, rose harissa and orange pepper are sourced from selected producers and can be purchased (for cooking at home) in the adjacent store.
There is also a large selection of wines and sparkling wines that can be enjoyed on-site for an additional charge. In the glass, there are various Austrian drops, homemade non-alcoholic drinks (kombucha and lemonades) and sparkling drinks, such as a wonderfully fruity bergamot spritzer.
After a short while, the first plates trickle in: Cauliflower baked in tempura batter with gomasio cream cheese and sautéed chicory (9.60 euros), which combines Persian (pomegranate dressing) and French (the Brie-walnut dream team mentioned at the beginning).
This is followed by the "Spicy Octopus" (15.80 euros). The treacherous octopus is always a good kitchen yardstick because, all too often, it ends up on the plate as tough as chewing gum, but here it is as soft as butter and bedded on fresh lemon aioli. It is served with golden rice, almonds, pistachios, and rose spice labneh. Side dishes and dips can be ordered individually and combined with fish, saffron chicken or braised lamb shoulder as the mood takes you.
Before Maria und Josef bid us farewell, they spoil us with sweets. There is baklava and brownie, figs and blue cheese. Again, eclectic with a Persian twist. A new, expanded cocktail menu will soon be available to match. A drink at the artfully designed bar and a few snacks to share - Maria und Josef is also perfect for this.
