Lusthaus Jause

Located just behind the famous Lusthaus in the middle of Prater, Gösser Bierinsel is, frankly, a rather basic, dark and not especially cozy Gasthaus with inconvenient opening hours (no food after 16 p.m.), but exactly that gives it a certain charm. I was expecting a tourist-oriented establishment with an English menu containing the standard list of dishes foreigners usually look for. What I found inside this old wooden hut was a dusty bar, worn-out toilets, and a smoking room full of beer-drinking Austrians.

Thanks to my complete lack of expectations, I did not find the Brettljause bad. True, it was not at all a varied one – Speck, cheese, Schweinsbraten and simple breakfast ham being the only ingredients – and very supermarket-y, with only the Schweinsbraten looking half-way authentic. It’s also true that the roll and the Salzstange that the Jause was served with (at extra cost) were, though fresh, poor substitutes for the customary dark bread. Yet somehow, I found myself enjoying it. Perhaps it was thanks to the perfect mixed salad that I took as a side dish, or maybe because the horseradish made me cry a couple of times, like only the real Styrian horseradish can.

There is no good reason to go to Gösser Bierinsel to taste their Brettljause; honestly, you can create it at home in five minutes and much cheaper. However, if you find yourself deep in the Prater and feel hungry, do not discount this little place altogether.