Inner districts – Local tips (bars & cafes)

Have you ever dreamt of a place where you get a delicious breakfast for only 3 euros (coffee not included, but for half the price)? Yes? Then you should definitely head to this place!

The Tunnel is located in the 8th district, in a nice and quiet street. During the nice season there are even some places to sit outside on the sidewalk. Interiors are in dark wood, with some nice big sofas and all in all it is very cosy.

There are some very big tables, where you have to share the place with other people, and as well some smaller ones if you have to discuss something serious with your breakfast partner!

There is a difficult choice among 8 international yummy breakfast dishes:
*Muesli with yogurt and fruits 
*Spanish omelet
*Greek omelet 
*Ham omelet
*Continental
*Continental vegetarian
*Arabian breakfast (my favourite: with homos, eggplant salad, stuffed vine  leaves, feta cheese, olives and Syrian Bread)
*Italian breakfast

Breakfast from 09:00 to 11:00 (self-service!)

Lunch from 11:30 to 14:30

The lunch menu is 5 euros and there is always a meat and a vegetarian dish, or you can choose from “a la carte” menu which includes vegan and vegetarian dishes aswell!

At 21:00 the party starts with concerts, student gatherings, cheap beer and good atmosphere. Food is served until 01:00 am, and Pizza even until 01:30!

Oh and they also exhibit each month works of different artists!

PS: If you prefer to be served at your table for breakfast, the little brother Cafe Merkur (check the Café Merkur article) is offering the same breakfast from 10:00 to 12:00 with service for €3,50. It’s just around the corner!

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“Der Tunnel” | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Restaurants (Intern.) | Breakfast € 3.00
Florianigasse 39 | Inner districts | +4319475720
365 days from 09:00 to open end!

Ever tried hemp or chili beer? no? So you should definitely come here, this is the place for beer lovers in Vienna. Best is to start with some rustic typical Austrian food to fill your stomach up, so you don’t get drunk immediately!

They have quite strong “bock” beer which contains around 6,2% alcohol. Most of their beer is self brewed and wholly natural without preservatives (compared to industrial beers).

Food is also good and inexpensive, and they serve huge portions! So if you are a small eater, one dish will be enough for two people.

The place is usually very crowded in the evenings and it can happen that you don’t find space if you come in a bigger group, so reservation is recommended!

At lunch you can have a main dish for 4€ – 5€ and it is also less crowded than in the evening.

The main restaurant area is non smoking, but they also have smoking areas, which are usually more quieter as they are smaller. The atmosphere is in general very much like in a pub, so don’t expect anything too fancy!

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7Stern Bräu | Bars, Restaurants (Austrian) | 0.5l beer € 3.50
Siebensterngasse 19 A | Inner districts | +4315238697
10:00 – 00:00 daily (closed Dec 24th)

This cultural center, bar and restaurant is a hidden spot in the popular 7th district. Especially their green hidden inner court yard, which can be used all year long, is a rare place to find in the middle of the center. They serve from breakfast to dinner and cocktails, basically everything. Their Lunch menus are very popular as well. In busy lunch hours and evenings the service can be a bit slow, but is always very friendly!

The warm ambient inside and the cosy yard give space to colorful crowds from young to old, cultural interested people, intellectuals, students, activists and many more. The upper floor of the building is used for workshops (feminist, anti-racist), exhibitions and other events.

A yearly highlight for us: The Roma festival in September, with Roma music and exhibitions! Great atmosphere is guaranteed!

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Amerlingbeisl | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Restaurants (Austrian) | main € 7.00
Stiftgasse 8 | Inner districts | +4315261660
09:00 – 02:00 daily

Chelsea is THE place to go if you need Indie and Alternative music to keep your vitals stable. Although it may happen to you that you walk in on some electronic or metal music (if you don’t check the program first), it concentrates mainly on rock and its musical siblings.

Don’t be put off by the dirty looking exterior, inside it is a little bit better. But who wants to experience dirty Rock’n'Roll in a sterile environment anyway.

I am usually one of the first to take the dance floor there because, especially on the weekends, it gets really, really crowded. So after powering myself out, I usually go outside to catch my breath and enjoy my beer, because when it’s not too cold there are chairs and tables outside.

I like this place so much because the music is really good and danceable and it is one of the few places where you can get pear cider (which I love, by the way).

Besides whoever is in charge of the music selection there, shows real talent in picking live bands to play at the Chelsea. Those are mainly little known but from all around the world.

Therefore, if you need your weekly (or daily) dose of freaking-out-to-alternative-rock just try out the Chelsea.

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Chelsea | Bars, Music | Wieselburger beer € 3.50
Lerchenfeldergürtel 31 | Inner districts | +4314079309
Mon – Sat 18:00 – 04:00, Sun 16:00 – 03:00

“This is the most urbane and sophisticated cocktail bar in town, frequented by journalists, actors, and politicians”, says not the owner but a review of the New York Times describing Club Barfly´s. And I fully agree.

It is the only cocktail bar I frequently visit, because of the great ambience and the amazing menu. With about 400 cocktails, 400 kind of rum and 1000 of whiskeys listed on the menu there is at least one to discover every single day of the year.

Leather chairs to sink in, cozy darkness, jazz or swing piano music in the background, Latin-American live performances from time to time, strong men behind the bar – and great mixed cocktails of course make Club Barfly´s into a place where time stands still.

So, stop and relax, take it easy and enjoy the silence as long as you want to.

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Club Barfly´s | Bars, Music | Cocktails from € 9.00
Esterhazygasse 33 | Inner districts | +4315860825
18:00 – 04:00 daily

Very well hidden in a backyard of busy Mariahilfer Straße, you can find not only one of the most stylish spots here in Vienna, but also one of the most creative Sushi and Asian restaurants in town.

Maki filled with chocolate, peanuts, curry-chicken, cream cheese – doesn´t sound like traditional Japanese dishes, right? Well, you can get those in Dots Experimental Sushi too. But as the name implies, the restaurant is mostly known for the very weird recipes and they are really worth a try.

A straight tip for Asian food lovers, Dots also provides great atmosphere for a night out: A huge cocktail-bar with all sorts of wine and drinks, DJ music (House, lounge, … – check out the monthly schedule on the website), so everything to enjoy your evening. And design fetishists are going to be fascinated by the modern, stylish interior full of glass, white furniture – and a lot of “dots” of course.

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Dots Experimental Sushi | Bars, Music, Restaurants (Asian) | Cocktails € 7.00
Mariahilfer Straße 103/G7 | Inner districts | +4319209980
18:00 – 02:00 daily

Starting 1996 with the no.1 Austrian Barkeeper school, the American Cocktail Bar machBar (now Eberts Cocktail Bar) was founded by Christian Ebert 10 years later. Situated on the ground floor of the school, the connection between those two places may not be visible – but tangible it is.

The bar in dark wood, the big couches, the beautiful lights, everything in red and beige colours, do not really give the impression of a classroom though. It is too warm, too cosy, too comfortable, too inviting for it. But take a look at the bar itself, at the menu offering more than 250 different cocktails and drinks or just ask the barkeeper to mix something for you – and you will know immediately: Here are professionals and connoisseurs doing their job!

And you are right: Every barman working in Eberts Cocktail Bar also has his daily job – which is teaching others how to become a barkeeper in school. Cocktail experts are fascinated by the detailed and professional explanations, others just love the delicious taste of the drinks.

You can also rent it for private parties (up to 100 people), I can only tell you from my experience: It is going to be a night you will always remember!

Just go there and enjoy your cocktail, especially during Happy Hour which is Monday till Thursday from 18:00 to 21:00, Friday and Saturday from 19:00 to 21:00 and around midnight.

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Eberts Cocktail Bar | Bars, Music | Cocktails from € 5.50
Gumpendorfer Straße 51 | Inner districts | +4315865465
Sun – Thu 18:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 19:00 – 04:00

As soon as the first sun rays come out, there is one spot where people already sit in the sun, enjoying their café latte or their Aperol spritz – and this is Kunsthallencafé located on Karlsplatz.

It immediately gives you a holiday feeling when sitting either on the big terrace of the restaurant overlooking the Naschmarkt (see the Naschmarkt article) on one side or the Karlschurch at the other side. And when summertime is really here, there is also the chance – if you are fast – to grab one of the chairs in the grass and get the impression of chilling out on the beach.

Kunsthallencafé is the little sister of “Motto” (check the Motto article), it is the summer location of Bernd Schlacher, who is the owner of not only Motto and Kunsthallencafé but of another spot, “Halle” in Museumsquartier as well.

The system is basically the same in all three of them: Providing good atmosphere with chill out (and sometimes live) music, Asian-Austrian-Mediterranean kitchen for prices which are affordable but not too favorable, tempting the young, urban, stylish people to go there and have a good time. Well, and this is what you can expect from Kunsthallencafé for sure!

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Kunsthallencafé | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Relaxing, Snacks, Restaurants (International)
Treitlstraße 2 (Karlsplatz) | Inner districts | +4315870073
10:00 – 02:00 daily | DJ-Line Summer Wed – Sun, Winter Sat – Sun from 14:00

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Despite the sign “Hunde- und Katzenpflege” outside – which literally means “dog and cats care”, Mon Ami is a spot where humans are taken care of. Inside, the location is quite simple, rather plain: An ideal bar for private birthday parties and pre-drinking gatherings.

Soup and Snacks are served daily (€ 3,50 bis € 6,80),you can get a nice cocktails from €6,80 on and the home made sandwiches on Wednesdays are quite filling. There are DJ-Lines and Live music occasionally and you can access WLAN for free. Nothing spectacular, right?

Well, you definitely have to take a closer look: Mon Ami is not only a bar, but a fashion store. Inside the restaurant area hides a fashion shop – or rather a fashion studio of young Austrian designers. During the opening hours of the bar, you can take your drink and browse through the creative clothes, coloursful hats, knitted scarves and many, many other things. Or you can watch a designer creating and sewing a dress which can be found on the coat hooks the next day.

It does not surprise that from time to time, fashion design shows are taking place in Mon Ami too. Coffeeshop, bar, restaurant AND fashion – well, what more can you ask from your friend, mon ami?

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Mon Ami | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping, Snacks
Theobaldgasse 9 | Inner districts | +4315850134
Mon – Sat 16:00 – 01:00

“The world belongs to those, who know how to relish”: This quote by Giacomo Leopardi is the mission and the summary of “Motto”. There is hardly any other restaurant in Vienna which has been part of the insider scene for so many years now. Whenever you go there you can only be surprised how many beautiful and stylish people there are. But it is even more surprising how comfortable and well treated you feel in “Motto”.

Apart from elegant and stylish interior, amazingly friendly and service oriented waiters and good food which is a mixture of Austrian, Asian and Mediterranean cuisine, there´s another important part of “Motto”: It´s all about music.

From Wednesday to Saturday there is life DJ playing all kinds of chill out and relaxing music, every day with another motto (from pure jazz to deep house, electro to soul). And on Thursday, there is the special line up called “girls play for the boys”: The fabulous night for gay people, who come to Motto not only this night of the week – no wonder, if you look at the waiters…

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Motto | Bars, Music, Restaurants (Intern.) | Dishes from € 8.00
Schönbrunner Straße 30 | Inner districts | +4315870672
Mon – Thu & Sun 18:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 18:00 – 04:00

There is no better meeting point in Vienna than MuseumsQuartier (for “insiders”: Muqua): Either you go to one of the many museums or you have breakfast at one of the various restaurants. Either you buy good and quite unique presents or just get some new ideas at the shop. Whatever you want to do, you can find it on this 60.000 m2 area.

As one of the ten biggest cultural spots in the world, MuseumsQuartier offers a huge variety of different art museums like Leopold Museum and MUMOK (Museum of modern art), modern exhibition halls such as Kunsthalle Wien or festivals like Wiener Festwochen or ImPulsTanz Festival. Moreover, you can also find the Tanzquartier (the location for modern dance, both training and shows), the Architekturzentrum (center for architecture), a museum for children (ZOOM), some smaller galleries and production studios. It is just all in one.

But even though Vienna is known for its cultural taste, locals more or less use MuseumsQuartier for another reason: To hang out and enjoy each other’s company. Whenever you walk through the area you always see a lot of mostly young people sitting around, having some drinks, reading and simply having a good time.

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MuseumsQuartier | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Relaxing, Snacks, Theaters
Museumsplatz 1/5 | Inner districts | +4315235881
Museums generally 10:00 – 18:00 daily

The Point of Sale is not a retail store but a comfy local hang-out , at brunch and tea time (if you will) packed to the rafters. When I was someone fresh of the boat by that I mean new to the 4th district scene and a fresh(wo)man at university this place was basically my living-room.

This place (and the people frequenting it) and I clicked immediately. In summer 2008 it was redone and has got a fancier look to it now. It is not only eye candy to the design aesthete but also a culinary delight. It has got the charme of a French bistro (or like franchise chains like Pret a manger or Le Pain Quotidien). See and be seen through the huge windows is the motto.

Local comedians, artists and actors use this place as meeting point, to work on their stuff or to just hang out and have a coffee.

Now that it is summertime, you can enjoy a cafe latte outside while observing the bobos passing by.

Italian, Greek, American, Indian bfast – you want it – they have it…

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P.O.S | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (International) | meal from € 7.00
Corner Schleifmühlgasse 12 | Inner districts | +4319669891
Sun – Thu 10:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 02:00

“By the way, the chair you are sitting on is for sale, oh and yes, the  book, which you just grabbed from the bookshelf as well. Of course we sell the record you are listening to.” That’s the phil, a colorful café-bar-bookshop-recordstore-interior shop-flea market and if you find something you can’t buy, then you are probably in the toilet, well actually I’m not even sure about that.

Actually the owner recently told us: “We don’t sell the toilet (except for the lamp maybe), we don’t sell the coffeemachine because she’s from the 60s and something special, we don’t sell the clothes we’re wearing, and we don’t sell the
artists (singers, writers, painters) when one of our from-time-to-time
events takes place.”

Students, young families, artists  and many more appreciate the easygoingness in the phil. The furniture are  mostly 70ies and as mentioned before, they can be bought. There is a  large corner with books, Dvds, records and posters which you can browse and sniff into while having a drink, and if you like it, you bring it home.

The place is non-smoking and food looks and tastes healthy. Bring your laptop to take advantage of the free Wi-Fi and make sure to reserve a table if you plan to come in a larger group.

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phil | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping, Snacks
Gumpendorferstrasse 10 – 12 | Inner districts | +4315810489
Mon 17:00 – 01:00, Tue – Sun 09:00 – 01:00

Located around the corner of the Rochus Market, this fancy multi-function place is popular for all-day-long-breakfast, business-lunchs, afternoon-friends-meetings, evening-after-work-cocktails and many other occasions.

Stylish interiors, red armchairs, fancy toilets, a place to see and to be seen. A large variety of food, inspired from the market next door, is served a bit slow, though breakfast and lunch “boxes” are convenient in price and quality.

The loungy atmosphere in the evenings make it a popular gathering place to enjoy a cocktail or two!

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Rochus | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (International) | lunch box € 7.00
Landstraßer Hauptstraße 55-57 | Inner districts | +4317101060
08:00 – 02:00 daily

Rupp’s is not only the vegetarian/vegan answer if you want to try typical Austrian food, it is also a cozy Irish pub with a wide choice of hundreds of whiskeys.

Here you find vegan Gulasch, Wiener Schnitzel and Bratwürstel among typical veggie dishes such as sojaburger, salads, chili sin carne, and breads with various spreads.

If you want to know more about their whiskeys, you’d better go there and find out yourself…for those who are not into whiskey yet or those who want to get a nice overview, we recommend you to attend one of their whiskey tasting events.

Irish pubs are traditionally non-smoking, so is the Rupp’s! They have a smoking room, which also has a soccer table!

Rupp’s guests are always friendly and usually it’s easy to find a table soccer partner or drinking mate..oh by the way, they have a nice choice of beers (also organic ones!).

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Rupp’s | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Vegan) | Veg. Schnitzel € 8.50
Arbeitergasse 46 | Inner districts | +4315452284
Mon – Thu 18:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 19:00 – 04:00, Oct – Apr Sun 18:00 – 02:00

„Welcome at the summit of coziness” – the restaurant „Salzberg” in the 6th district of Vienna sets itself a high goal. But it´s not a promise it cannot keep. On the contrary…

Where else can you both go for lunch with your grandparents from the countryside and chill out with friends after a hard day of work? Where else can you feel comfortable both at a business meeting and at the first date with the special someone? Where else can you both have late night dinners and great relaxing brunches? The opportunities to go to “Salzberg” are various. It has become one of those special spots close to “Naschmarkt” (see this article) but in a non-touristic area here in Wien.

In April 2004, “Salzberg” has been re-opened after some years of vegetating away. The former pub was renovated, and three friends took over the steering wheel to make “Salzberg” into the place it is now. The love for details, the family atmosphere with the owners taking care of the guests, a mixture of modern restaurant, bar and feel-good-area called “living room” are the secrets of the spot.

The food is a mixture of traditional dishes like Eiernockerl (give it a try!) and trendy kitchen with Mediterranean touch. The English menu will give you hints what to get. Special recommendation is the cheese dumplings with Toblerone filling, a self-made creation of Regina, one of the owners. You could also try the brunch buffet every Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 – 16:00 (Better book your table in advance!)

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Salzberg | Bars, Restaurants ((inter)national) | Normal dishes € 8.90
Magdalenenstr. 17 | Inner districts | +4315816226
Mon – Thu 11:00 – 01:00, Fri 11:00 – 02:00, Sat 10:00 – 02:00, Sun 10:00 – 00:00

A hooker saloon in former times, Tanzcafé Jenseits with worn-out red Brocade and Plush everywhere, cosy booths, dimmed light, golden lusters, cannot deny its past. And it does not want to hide it.

Jenseits means “Afterlife” or “on the other side”: Entering the Tanzcafé really is transferring you to another side – of Vienna, as it was but also as it is nowadays. First, you will be shocked by the air filled with cigarette smoke and all the people in the relatively small club. But within some minutes, you are going to be infected by the relaxed atmosphere and talk to one of the other guests having the time of your life.

It is not surprising that Tanzcafé Jenseits is known as one of those spots you can go to whenever you want: If you feel like going out after midnight, like joining a party till the sun rises and meeting lots of different people – you are going to find it there for sure. For further information about the DJ line-up and special events look at their website, which is not updated regularly but at least gives you a broad overview of the place.

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Tanzcafé Jenseits | Bars, Music, Relaxing
Nelkengasse 3 | Inner districts | +4315871233
Mon – Sat 21:00 – 04:00

All movie cinemas offer popcorn, chips, softdrinks, chocolate while watching the newest Hollywood blockbuster? All?! No, not all! One rebellious fighter against mainstream cinema remains: Topkino.

Located close to Mariahilferstraße, Topkino – together with the affiliated Schikander one of the repertory art-house cinemas in Vienna – is known for showing independent movies and focusing on small-budget-pieces-of-art. Another speciality is the Sunday film brunch where you can watch a movie (starting at 12.30) and indulge yourself with a great brunch buffet before or after the film. For those who don´t call themselves “early birds”, there is a special Saturday night line in March and April. And if you want to enjoy a movie together with all your loved ones, you can also rent the movie for private occasions.

As I said though, showing movies is not enough: Topkino is also known as a great hang-out location, restaurant and bar. The menu is quite something and the bar promotes itself on the website as offering everything from “real Italian cappuccino from a venetian coffee roastery to flavourful Single Mal Whiskey from the Scottish Highlands”. All this you can enjoy while surfing on the internet (WLAN is for free if you consume something) or – if you happen to be in Vienna around summertime – in the outdoor area.

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Topkino | Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.)
Rahlgasse 1 | Inner districts | +432083000
Mon – Wed 15:00 – 02:00, Thu – Sat 15:00 – 04:00, Sun 10:30 – 00:00 (Jul – Sep Sun from 15:00)

This little wine bar at the corner of the Rochus market in the 3rd district is a perfect place for aperitivo.

As we don’t really have the tradition for taking a pre-dinner drink in Austria, it can get a bit difficult to find a place like the Vinothek ROCHUS.

Their selection includes mainly Austrian and Italian Wines. They usually serve you a few little snacks to try for free, such as small plates of pasta and crostini. If you want to enjoy a good glass of wine with some antipasti you can order from the menu typical Italian snacks such as cheese, prosciutto, dried tomatos…

In tepid summer-nights it’s very pleasant to sit outside while enjoying a refreshing Spritz-Aperol (which you get here usually at the best price compared to all the bars around the market!). In winter the interior of the small bar offers a warm atmosphere.

You can buy of course all the wines by bottle and bring home.

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Vinothek ROCHUS | Bars, Shopping
Rochusmarkt 16-17 | Inner districts | +436643401789
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 23:00

Only fair traded and organic products are offered in Weltcafé, which is an important part of the student and alternative scene in Vienna. Located in the university district, it was the first coffee-shop mostly offering products from developing countries with focus on coffee, chocolate and tea in 2005.

But Weltcafé is not only a spot for getting extraordinary good coffee compositions or all kind of tea varieties, it is also known for international kitchen and exotic dishes for a fair price. Every day you get lunch menus including soup and main plate for €5,80 – and if you stay longer, you can enjoy the daily cocktail happy hour from 20:00 till 23:00, which is definitely worth a try as well. Moreover, there is a Sunday brunch starting at 10:00 and offering international breakfast from all over the world.

The relaxed and “living-room”-atmosphere of the place provides a good spot for music events, exhibitions, readings, discussions and much more. As part of the fair-trade scene Weltcafé´s intention is clear: They want to inform and teach people about fair trade, about developing countries, about political issues – it is about being aware. But it is also about entertaining, feeling good and having a great time!

In 2010, Weltcafé features one country every month – with special food, a movie evening, some discussions and exhibitions. In March it is all about Mosambik (e.g. a talk about development and tourism on the 24th of March) – and it´s worth the journey, you bet!

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Weltcafé | Art & culture, Bars, Relaxing, Restaurants (Intern.) | Snacks from € 1.70
Schwarzspanierstraße 15 | Inner districts | +4314053741
09:00 – 02:00 daily (Jul – Aug 09:00 – 22:00)