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Austrian Restaurant 'Freud' Slips Into 41-Year-Old Bakery Spot

By Danielle Tcholakian | February 15, 2016 2:40pm

GREENWICH VILLAGE — A restaurant called Freud, helmed by a Michelin-starred Austrian chef, opened last week in the LaGuardia Place space vacated a little over a year ago by Bruno Pasticceria.

The bakery stood at 406 LaGuardia Place for more than four decades before it was pushed out due to rising rents in November 2014, according to a sign on the door first spotted by pseudonymous blogger Jeremiah Moss. (Bruno still slings its classic cannolis, cookies and cakes in Staten Island.)

Viennese native Eduard Frauneder, the chef at East Village Austrian tavern Edi & the Wolf, is now dishing up Austrian dishes with a contemporary twist on LaGuardia Place.

All Photos Credit: Freud/Noah Fecks

Specials include the Freud Burger, topped with with Farmhouse cheddar, onion jam and crispy fennel, and a pork neck served with bacon, caramelized lettuces and annatto sweet potatoes.

Beverage options, mostly hailing from Central Europe, include natural, organic and biodynamic wines, beers such as Radeberger Pilsner, Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen and a Session IPA called Braufactum Progusta on tap, and a drink menu crafted by the team behind The Third Man, a cocktail bar Frauneder opened on Avenue C next to Edi & the Wolf.

The signature cocktails at Freud include the Libido (above), made with tequila, lime juice, honey-jalapeño syrup, turmeric juice and Thai basil, and The Slip (below), made with Zubrowka vodka, lime juice, egg white, simple syrup and orange bitters.

Freud was designed by another Austrian native, Florian Altenburg, who kept the original Bruno Pasticceria tiled floor and sage green wainscoting, and used those elements to guide the restaurant's color palette.

The marble-topped cafe tables, vintage Austrian Thonet chairs, leather banquettes and art deco sconces are meant to recalled turn-of-the-century Viennese brasseries.

The bar is made from mahogany and complemented by a distressed mirror. The glass lighting was salvaged from the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

The restaurant seats 65, and will also offer outdoor seating once the weather warms up. Freud offers only dinner for the time being, but aims to serve a daytime menu soon.

Freud, 506 La Guardia Place, 212-777-0327. Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight; Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. through 1 a.m.