Inner districts – Local tips (relaxing)

Alphaville is THE place to go when you are interested in movies aside the mainstream. Although they even offer the current blockbusters. The staff has an enormous expertise when it comes to film, film critics, film theory and enjoy sharing their knowledge. They respond nicely to every question one may have- be it administrative stuff like price range or detailed information on movies or a recommendation.

Even non-insiders will be treated nicely which is to be pointed out because Vienna is sometimes known for its -let’s put it that way-not so nice aka grumpy waiters and people in general.

Actually Norman from Alphaville wrote me an Email saying that the Banksy piece of art was not stolen but legally destroyed by the property management. The art theft story sounded way more exciting of course but actually this event points out that there is still a lot of ignorance to be dealt with when it comes to street art.

Another great and maybe comfier place is located in the 8th district – 8 1/2 – they even have a couch where you can be indecisive whether to take an arthouse movie or an independent documentary or maybe an asian slasher movie…

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Alphaville | Art & culture, Relaxing | DVD per night € 3.60
Schleifmühlgasse 5 | Inner districts | +4315851966
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 22:00, Sun 14:00 – 19:00

One summer about 8 years ago, it was love at first sight; it felt like meeting someone I have already known all my life. Maybe I felt like that, because the Café Rüdigerhof represents Vienna as it is.

For more than 100 years, the coffeehouse has been situated in one of the famous Jugendstil-buildings of the Wienzeile/ Naschmarkt-area. The golden letters saying “Café Rüdigerhof” invite you to a more glamorous era, and inside it feels like time stood still: The menu still offers traditional Austrian dishes which are prepared in a way like my granny used to cook them.

If you want to be on the safe side, take the “Wiener Schnitzel” but for people who love to take risks I recommend the “glasierte Leber”. If you really want to know what it is, I am sure one of the friendly, relaxed and caring waiters tell you more about it. You get all that for reasonable prizes – especially the lunch menus, which attract a lot of students to Café Rüdigerhof.

But it is not only students whom you meet at the coffee shop, it is everyone – from old ladies to artists; from knitters to couples in love and even some of the high-society of Vienna. In summertime, the crowd is mostly in the beautiful shadowy garden; in wintertime the cosy rooms provide a refuge from the stressful world outside. So, choose a coffee or tea – and enjoy Vienna as it is.

And please: Even if you really want to indulge yourself with a coffee and some desert, do not forgot to take a close look at the building from the outside – especially on the side. The house with lots of blue and golden decors is just one of a kind.

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Café Rüdigerhof | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Restaurants (Viennese) | Main € 5.50
Hamburgerstraße 20 | Inner districts | +4315863138
09:00 – 02:00 daily

The born and raised Viennese (actually pretty rare) owner and called to be cook and art host Christiane Weiss-Rohan fulfilled her dream in 2004 – to combine leisure time with business.

Her restaurant has got more of a Viennese living room accessible for everybody – single guests are as welcome as regular guests – than of a typical eatery. A melting pot of cultures, diverse individuals, artists, Viennese celebrities -a place where you can feel at home right away.

The cherry on the cake is the restaurants own library is stashed in a dark wood shelf- which accentuates to the living room flair. A chat with the owner or the other guests will extend your horizon.

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Catedral | Relaxing, Restaurants (International ) | Day dish € 5.90
Schleifmühlgasse 6-8 | Inner districts | +436763114843
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 00:00, 17:00 – 00:00

Living room ambiente at a video rental store…it is located right off the busy shopping street- a calm habour for movie-lovers (maily oldschool and arthouse).

Every 1st Sunday/month – “Patschenkino” (translates to slipper cinema) meaning that you can behave like at home, you can smoke, drink, feel free to chill, be yourself and enjoy THE art of movie making. They have a great selection of  Arthouse, classics, insider tips, movies for children, rare stuff and tv-series – and TATATATATA – the usual suspects: BLOCKBUSTERS.

And even the “gourmets” get there money’s worth – Illy coffee (Italian), Lasko beer from Slovenia, Austrian wine, healty juices, Frucade (a BOBO drink, I used to drink it as a kind, the relaunched the brand), Fritz Cola (same) and various snacks. You can either have them for take away or enjoy your snacks and drinks there.

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Cinethek OZ | Art & culture, Cinemas, Relaxing | Per DVD per night € 3.60
Lindengasse 53 | Inner districts
Mon – Fri 14:00 – 23:00, Sat 12:00- 12:00, Sun 12:00 – 19:30

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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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

I have been living in Vienna for more than 13 years now, and I am still happy like a child if I locate interesting spots: One of these findings is the “Pure living bakery”. When I accompanied a friend home from a walk in Schönbrunn, we literally stumbled over this tiny cafeteria – and knew: We have to come back!

“Pure living bakery” is unique here in Vienna, it could rather be found in California: Rumours say that the owner, a former stewardess, collected not only recipes and ideas for the delicious cakes, muffins and waffles on her trips but also every little detail of the interior. Soaps, “furniture buttons”, candles, mirrors, mugs, gift wrap paper – it is amazing how much fits in the quite small shop-restaurant. And the good news is: You can buy almost everything you see to decorate your own kitchen or bathroom.

Apart from the cosy atmosphere, the kitchy interior you definitely have to mention the drinks and food: My friend found THE best coffee ever (according to her of course) here and I have to admit, that I am in love with cinnamon roll or the New York Cheese Cake. Moreover, Pure living bakery offers bagels breakfast till 15:00 and on weekends, American Pancakes with maple sirup, strawberry juice and whipped cream. I could go on like this forever and I definitely have to come back – especially in April, when they re-open their beautiful garden…

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Pure living bakery | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Shopping
Altgasse 12 | Inner districts
Mon – Fri 09:30 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 18:00, Sun 13:00 – 18:00

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

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)