Image by Diana Pereira

Kandisky is an unusual kind of place suitable for bohemians, romantic and mystic people. It’s a small cozy artistic coffee place located in one of the very beautiful passages in the heart of the 8th district not far from the Museums Quartier. The waiter is a special character that will be happy to have a chat with you and tell you stories about Vienna or have a discussion about your home country. Don’t be in a hurry, because the service can be a little slow.

This place is connected with the art gallery besides it. You can expect a very relaxed and quiet atmosphere, nice homemade cakes, a large selection of good teas served with honey in colorful mugs and homemade soups and toasts. As well as an amazing choice of jams that you get in proper large jam jars. Breakfast is served all day long!

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Café Kandinsky | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks
Lerchenfelderstrasse 13 | Inner districts | +4319694001
Tue – Fri 09:00 – 19:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 16:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Diana Pereira

Located in the inner districts, it can be a good choice if you don’t want to meet (other) tourists on the neighbor table. Wratschko is a local old style pub/restaurant where you can have a plate of good tasty food.

It is quite traditional and probably not appealing if you look for something hip or trendy! The inside is rather simple but very nice and cozy. The worn wooden tables, the low ceilings, the lamps, the white translucent glass panels and the simple decoration makes you believe that you are in the countryside in the 50′s! Menus are written by hand which I think is also pretty charming and fits the picture of being a traditional and a unique place.

The dishes are of course also traditional. They are cooked with local and fresh bio products. It can take a little longer to be served but you can be sure it is all carefully prepared. The Wratschko is a proper Wiener pub, the way you can imagine it!

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Clemens Wratschko | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Austrian)
Neustiftgasse 51 | Inner districts | +4315237161
Mon – Fri 17:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Diana Pereira

Take the tram number 38 to the end station and experience the countryside within the city. Grinzing it is called. Just the area itself deserves a visit.

This neighbourhood is famous for its “Heuriger”. The word itself means “this year”. Heuriger are the typical Austrian wine taverns, where the winemakers serve their own productions from the most recent year.

The wine served is of course local and they must have a special license to sell it. Originally most of the foods offered in these places are cold dishes as they are not really restaurants. Nevertheless delicious homemade meat and bread spreads that go wonderfully with your glass of wine! Nowadays they offer also sometimes warm homemade dishes. Usually you can listen traditional life music.

Heuriger Zum Berger is a good choice! It has a very comfortable and familiar atmosphere. The courtyard is quite nice. If the weather allows you to sit in the courtyard you will enjoy it even more. You can combine your visit to a Heuriger with a walk through the vineyards, or a day trip to Kahlenberg, here are some suggested hiking paths.

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Zum Berger | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Trad.)
Himmelstraße 19 | Outer districts | +4313205893
Wed – Sat from 15:00, Sun from 11:00

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Image by Sabrina Grohsebner

May I introduce you? This is Kurt. YoKurt.

It seems the Frozen Yoghurt idea is quite new to Vienna and there are not too many places offering it yet, the more I was amazed by exploring this place. It not only dares to take the role of a trailblazer in Vienna’s dairy culture but also wins everybody over with its friendly and cheerful staff and ambiance. Don’t miss checking out their trademark, you don’t get to see too many flying cows these days.

About the product! You’ll get to choose between different flavours, aside from the classic pure one they are varying regularly. Just to name some types: Mango, Blackberry, or – real good one -Pomegranate with Raspberry. And topping (caution, wordplay) it all: a great variety of nuts, cookie crumbles, muesli, sauces and fresh exotic fruits (preferential Fair trade) you can jazz up your Kurt with.

Here’s a well-tried combination, especially in Christmas time: Pure Yogurt + ginger bread crumbles + cinnamon apple mousse, a real kickshaw.

As Kurt’s situated right next to ‘Artis International’ Cinema which shows most movies in English, a medium cup of fresh and mellow Fro’Yo also turns out to be a  great popcorn-alternative..

And that’s not even all! Kurt not only refreshes people in Vienna’s streets with light delicacies in a hip an original way but also takes interest in ecologic and ethical issues which makes him use biodegradable spoons and cups only and participate in human rights projects.

A real delight, both for your taste and your good conscience.

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Kurt | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Frozen Yogurt from € 2.50
Schultergasse 2 | Inner districts
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 22:00, Sun 15:00 – 22:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Sabrina Grohsebner

Here’s your chance to discover a brand spanking new Bistro right in the middle of Vienna’s university area: Nascha’s.

Nascha’s philosophy is simple: high quality food, student suitable prices, love for the extraordinary.

Being around university campus a lot of time I’m happy to have known this place right from the beginning and I can say: I am hooked.

When you enter the place you’ll first notice the spot’s sweet and enchanting style, beginning with the American diner alike wall paper and the colorful balloons hanging from the ceiling up to the original English school tables from the 60′s, 50 year old chewing gum beneath the table boards included.

Talking to the very welcoming shop owners I found out about the name’s meaning(s): Firstly it refers to the German expression “Naschen” which means “to nibble”, secondly it hints at the Russian expression for “Ours”. (Psst!..there actually is a 3rd meaning that the lovely staff will be happy to share with you if you ask them.)

And what’s most important, the food. There’s a regularly changing variety of luscious organic soups, bagels and quiches. I tried their soups a couple of times, so believe me when I say: they’re a real treat! Plus they have wide a range of sweet delights such as Fudge in a Cup, Ice cream filled fruits and a lot more of lovingly chosen appetizers.

Or to put it in the words of Theodor Fontane: “The magic lies within the detail.”

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Nascha’s | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Bowl of Soup € 3.90
Garnisongasse 7 | Inner districts | +4319255636
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Sabrina Grohsebner

As the title implicates you’ll find several places within this spot, true to the maxim “Why be satisfied with just running a pub when you can have some many things at one time?”.

Pickwick’s is, above all, a real nice and relaxed Irish pub providing its guests with all kinds of beverages, snacks and music. What I personally love about the spot is that it really gives you a little bit of the feeling of being at home. Creating a great atmosphere, the place is furnished with some cosy armchairs, old fashioned sofas and big shelves filled with loads of books inviting you to stay a little bit longer and delve into English literature masterpieces.

And here’s the kicker: if you feel like exploring the place a little bit further, you should go and see the basement. Down there you’ll be amazed to see that Pickwick’s also houses Vienna’s biggest English video and DVD store, open way longer than all the other stores in town.

And just to make completely sure that guests are kept entertained, there are also weekly happenings such as Quiz Nights, Karaoke and similar..what more could you possibly wish for?

Pickwick’s offers you so many great and interesting things to spend your evenings with, and what’s best about it: every single one of them is worth a visit.

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Pickwick’s | Bars, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Beer € 3.00
Marc Aurel Straße 16 | Danube Canal Area | +4315330182
Mon – Thu 11:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 02:00, Sun 12:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Nora Droege

Nomen est Omen. So, as the name (Donau = Danube) suggests, be prepared to have the feeling of diving into a world of lights, music and sombre colors when entering the place.

This is a great place to start your evening at. Maybe you’re just done enjoying contemporary art in Museumsquartier (check Museumsquartier article) or need a chill out after an exciting shopping expedition on Mariahilferstraße, so much the better coming here as it’s right next to a couple of urban hot spots!

Donau shows itself as a wicked combination of a place where you can have a beer or two, get to know the newest tunes and still are able to have a conversation, as the music’s volume is not beyond the convenient. There’s also quite stylish snack bar and some really comfortable original cinema armchairs giving the place a certain old school Viennese character.

And – I love this interior’s element – don’t miss catching a glimpse of the ceiling and the remarkable art installation giving you the feeling of actually floating lazily along the blue river…

Plus; if you already feel like gaining an impression of what your evening might be like or if you just want to see whether you like the music or not, there is also an online radio station you should check out!

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Das Donau | Bars, Music, Snacks | Beer € 3.00
Karl Schweighofer Gasse 10 | Inner districts | +4315238105
Open from 18:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Linda Nepicks

…in Vienna. That’s what the owner says about his shop. And it’s quite true!

Of course it’s possible to buy fish in other places in Vienna. But where can you find those very special shrimps delivered from Buesum, northern Germany!?! Which come along with tasty, so called Broetchen, a non-Austrian German word for bread rolls?! Fish salad, wraps, matjes, all for take-away or to enjoy in the shop.

The shop itself is small but stylish: high ceilings, blue tiles on the floor, white and wooden interior. Get yourself one of the few bar stools, a typical Hamburg beer to bridge the time you have to wait for your great fish bread roll to be finished. On a Saturday morning you can ask for a hangover fish breakfast, to fight the impact of a sinful Friday night.

This is the place for visitors whose hearts beat in the northern tune, or who just like tasty fish… and a piece of Hamburg in Vienna, just like me.

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Wulfisch | Bars, Snacks | Fish bread roll € 3.50
Haidgasse 5 | Danube Canal Area | +4319461875
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 20:00, Sat 09:00 – 13:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Linda Nepicks

In search for fresh vegetables, slow instead of fast food and a colourful market amidst nice old buildings? Then this is the right place to visit! In comparison to the famous Naschmarkt (check the Naschmarkt article), the Karmelitermarkt is much smaller and has a less exotic variety of fruits and vegetables, but here you will find the local people of the second district go shopping.

Especially on a sunny Saturday it’s very lively and after or before getting your bags filled, why not enjoy a coffee or a decent meal. Some of the small market stalls consist of just one or two rooms which function now as a restaurant or café like Marktachterl or like Madiani, a great place for Georgian food.

On a Saturday morning you can find a lot of food and herbs from organic farms of the nearby region on the Karmelitermarket but the earlier you come the better – though the official opening times are till afternoon. In the surrounding streets there are even more food stores or snack bars like Wulfisch or nice small shops like Kabine.

The history of this very old market and the district itself is quite interesting: apart from the Nazi-time the Karmeliterquarter had always been a multi-ethnic place with a huge jewish community. Nowadays you find shops for kosher food beside Turkish or Serbian stores and Georgian restaurants.

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Karmelitermarkt | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks
Leopoldgasse | Danube Canal Area
Mon – Sat from 06:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna

Image by Linda Nepicks

..and an even greater area for sitting outside when it’s the time to enjoy warm evenings outside on the Radetzkyplatz, surrounded by flowers and plants in the so-called “Shani-Garten” (the Austrian word for outdoor dining area). But alas- this is only for summer time.

But in winter time you can enjoy the interior of this traditional Austrian tavern, with simple but cosy furnishing. Wild provides very good Austrian cuisine mixed with some modern culinary ideas. The prices are a bit high, but the atmosphere – indoor and outdoor – is quite special. The food is very tasty, there is a selection of very good wines!

At Wild you get an idea of Austrian “tavern-culture” without ending up in a gloomy smoky Inn where vegetarians are seen as people from outer space.

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Wild | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Austrian)
Radetzkyplatz 1 | Inner districts | +4319209477
10:00 – 01:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Vienna