VIB GRILL & LOUNGE – Haidhausen – brasilianisch

This time we're starting a little differently: Are you looking for a special restaurant in Munich, one that's unique in style and concept? Look no further than VIB Grill & Lounge. Honestly, give it a try and you'll be amazed! Admittedly, the exterior isn't very inviting, even a bit off-putting, as the restaurant is located on the ground floor of an incredibly unattractive building and is surrounded by high-rise apartment blocks. But go in anyway. Even the website doesn't reveal much about the delicious food that awaits you, so you'll just have to let yourself be surprised. Don't let the restaurant's location or the lack of an online menu put you off: Go!

But let's start from the beginning with this brand-new opening in Munich-Haidhausen: Brazilian food, a fantastic buffet, incredibly good, warm, and exceptional service, and overall a concept that you certainly won't find anywhere else in Munich. But what makes it so special? The restaurant is divided into three distinct rooms, each one furnished with meticulous attention to detail and a harmonious atmosphere. Whether in the "Rio de Janeiro" room, the "San Paulo" room with just four tables where we found a seat, or the third and largest room (called Bahia, after the owner Simone Weissmann's birthplace) with its numerous long dining tables and comfortable seating area – each room has its own unique charm. The largest room features a bar right at the entrance, as well as the salad buffet, and offers glimpses into the smaller room with its enormous grill and buffet. From here, you can also access the large terrace in the courtyard. There's also a separate small room that provides a quiet and private setting. But no matter where you find a seat, you'll feel right at home and quickly immerse yourself in the world of Brazilian flair. Our room, for example—a relatively narrow space—featured very bright furnishings, ornate furniture, plenty of natural light, high ceilings, and two enormous, almost floor-to-ceiling, gold-framed black and white photographs of São Paulo on the walls, creating a very cozy and chic atmosphere. We found a spot right by the window on white chairs with velvet seats and a round table. As mentioned, all the rooms impress with their wonderful ambiance and welcoming atmosphere. Light parquet floors, high stucco ceilings, white or light-colored furniture, and perfectly coordinated artwork and details abound in every room. In total, the VIB Grill & Lounge offers space for over 100 people to dine, chat, celebrate, and enjoy drinks.

Don't expect a menu to be handed to you right away. Things work a little differently here: The buffet in the entrance area serves as the menu, along with the small grill room where numerous skewers of meat, fish, sausages, shrimp, and other delicacies rotate. Only the drinks menu was presented to us, firmly clipped to a heavy, black slate plate. The truly excellent (you absolutely must try it!) strawberry caipirinha is served by the head bartender himself, who mixes all the necessary ingredients fresh at your table from his small mobile cart. The taste was fantastic, and I would have loved another one immediately. We started with an aperitif, which the head bartender—an exceptionally friendly and attentive gentleman, like the entire Brazilian service team at VIB Grill & Lounge—created himself. A kind of Brazilian champagne cocktail, made with brown sugar cubes, cachaça (a type of brandy), nutmeg, a lime leaf, etc. It's just as delicious and satisfying as the buffet salads, the numerous varieties of fresh meat, the fresh (and very bony) fish, and the tasty scampi. Fish and meat are served continuously—literally, the Brazilian chef strips them directly from the spit onto your plate—until you turn the small paper tokens on the table to red. Yes, that's right: fish and meat are served again and again until you turn the glass coasters, which also serve as your "hunger barometer," over and signal with red: "I'm full!" Green means keep eating, red means stop. Alongside the fresh fish and meat, there are numerous salads available at the buffet mentioned above, which you can help yourself to until you're stuffed. This fantastic Brazilian experience costs €38 per person. This means salad, fish, meat, a wide variety of cheeses, and as much bread as you want. I was absolutely thrilled with the selection and immediately fell in love with a delicious salad with apple, peas, and carrots. I tried everything from the buffet. If you don't eat fish or meat, you'll "only" have the buffet to fill you up, but even then, it's wonderfully complemented by great wines, numerous cheeses, and fresh bread. The strawberry caipirinha is also vegetarian. 🙂 The potato salad, the antipasti mushrooms, the broccoli with cashew nuts, and the avocado slices with scampi on the buffet were all divine, and considering the seemingly endless array of fish and meat (unless you want it to be), the prices were perfectly reasonable. My companion didn't find the potato salad particularly impressive, while I thought it was better than a typical German salad—as always, it's a matter of opinion and worth a try.

We drank two different wines with our meal: a 2011 Chardonnay Miolo from the Brazilian foothills and a Miolo Sauvignon Blanc. Both were delicious. I personally preferred the Sauvignon Blanc. Both are very light wines, excellent with the fish. Of course, there are also various red wines for meat eaters, which we didn't try. You can certainly try the white wines mentioned. We also ordered a bottle of Surgiva water (0.75l for €4.50). But be careful not to overindulge in too many delicacies from the grill and buffet, as well as the delicious wines, because you'll understand why as soon as you're asked about dessert! Without exaggeration, VIB Grill & Lounge probably offers one of the best desserts, or rather, one of the best dessert selections, you can imagine. We were greeted by a huge, almost overwhelming tray piled high with different desserts – each one better than the last. Here, too, guests are shown a selection of desserts on a small trolley, and they can choose large or small portions and customize their order. In my opinion, this is definitely a better concept than in many other restaurants where the selection is limited to a specific dessert, cake, etc. We had banana mousse with caramelized sugar, a kind of strawberry tart with vanilla cream, a cake with very stiff lemon cream, coconut brûlée, a very creamy chocolate mousse—simply divine! According to the staff, it was all typically Brazilian. So, if the buffet and grill don't appeal to you, definitely come for the caipirinhas, wine, and dessert! You won't regret it.

The restaurant is easily accessible by public transport via Rosenheimer Platz (all S-Bahn lines and trams 15/25). Parking is readily available nearby. It's open from 4:00 PM Wednesday to Saturday and from 11:30 AM on Sundays. Especially now, with World Cup fever in full swing, this fantastic restaurant with its Brazilian flair, excellent service, delicious food, and that special something is definitely the place to be. Don't miss out and treat yourself – you won't be disappointed! It's also ideal for these warmer days, perfect for relaxing outdoors (on one of the over 100 additional seats on the terrace), sipping cocktails, and winding down the evening. Bring time and an open mind. A truly great restaurant. The VIB team also offers Brazilian cuisine. Catering and Event planning The only thing that leaves room for criticism is the explanation of the "concept" at the beginning. We sat at the table for a while without knowing exactly when we would be served what, or whether we should wait with the salads until the fish or meat was served. It took a while for these to arrive on our plates, but we had already eaten our fill of salads beforehand. A more detailed explanation would have been helpful.

I'll be back: Yes. If I want to enjoy something extraordinary, a great atmosphere, and good service. You should be in the mood for a buffet.

Place visited: VIB Grill & Lounge
Address: Franziskanerstraße 16, 81669 Munich
Website: VIB Grill & Lounge

Service: 10 out of 10
Ambiance: 10 out of 10
Eat: 9 out of 10
Price/performance ratio: 9 out of 10
Evaluation: 38 out of 40