Inner districts – Local tips (snacks)

All Vienna based locals and travelers who love North American and British food products will go crazy when grocery shopping at Bobby’s.

You’ll find all the usual suspects to calm down your inner voice crying for the next trip to the States, Canada, UK and other countries that sell those kind of products. Chat up the person sitting at the counter in English. Locals love to get the feeling of being abroad and this little shop satisfies their cravings .

I personally love the soda Mountain dew and only found it there. Aunt Jemima’s American pancakes baking item. My mouth waters by the thought of it. There is even a book exchange shelf to be found right at the entrance. Check it out yourselves and get lost in the fascinating world of foreign grocery shopping.

One of my best friends recently told me about a new international grocery store in town: it is always good to have more than one option, right?

BOTELLINI, 1050 Wien  Pilgramgasse 16

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Bobby’s foodstore | Shopping, Snacks
Schleifmühlgasse 8 | Inner districts | +4315867534
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 18:30, Sat 10:00 – 18:00

There is already a puff piece about Tunnel (check the Tunnel article) on this website, but for those who are a little scared by the crowds and the size of this students “most go”, there is an alternative: Café Merkur.

Merkur, which has been re-opened just recently, is actually the smaller brother of Tunnel and can be found literally around the corner from the other spot. It has the same motto as the bigger brother: International food for affordable prizes.

Moreover, it has the same menu (so for this, take a look at the Tunnel article) and promotes the acts/ music shows and art exhibitions of the Tunnel. But for me, according to food and good service, Merkur is the better option. An additional plus is that in Merkur breakfast is served until 17:00 on weekends – and you almost always get a table there.

So, just enjoy the variety of breakfasts known from Tunnel with one of the (international) newspapers. There is hardly any better start into the weekend…

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Café Merkur | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern. ) | Snacks à € 2.50
Lammgasse 1 | Inner districts | +4319905413
10:00 – 02:00 daily

Austrian Gemütlichkeit, “coziness” describes this place perfectly. It is another traditional café, like so many in Vienna: International  newspaper, late breakfast, typical Austrian fare, comfortable sitting,  are the keywords for our beloved cafés.

The café Zartl was founded  in 1883, and didn’t change a lot since 1919 when a Monsieur called Zartl  took over this place. It has always been a meeting point for writers and  philosophers, especially during the years between the wars, writers such  as Robert Musil came here. Now a days you might come to write a blog entry, taking advantage of the Wi-Fi hotspot while drinking a Melange (Viennese coffee specialty with milk foam).

The waitstaff is not the most  attentive, neither the food has a super quality, but here you can spend hours relaxing, chatting and reading in a comfortable warm ambient. Have a walk at the nearby Prater before coming here!

Read more about Viennese coffee culture here!

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Café Zartl | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Austrian) | espresso € 1.70
Rasumofskygasse 7 | Inner districts | +4317125560
07:00 – 00:00 daily

Walking in, the inconsistency of the range of furniture will strike you. And every piece has a price tag attached. Right. They are all for sale. Young and striving designers leave their products in the Moebel, hoping to sell them. But don’t worry, you don’t have to stand while eating or drinking and you will not be charged for spilling.

Being a young and hip place it has to have healthy snacks and beverages like organic, ayurvedic and herbal teas and unfiltered juices. Besides, opening not until 10.00 and serving breakfast until 14.00 it becomes very clear what the targeted clientele is: students and artists.

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Das Moebel | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Beer € 3.20
Burggasse 10 | Inner districts | +4315249497
10:00 – 01:00 daily

A super supermarket, the Turkish Güvenir market in the 3rd district is a nice example for how much the Turkish community is appreciated in Vienna.

They have nice and good food and this supermarket sells basically everything one needs to prepare some Turkish dishes: they sell a large variety of salty cheeses (feta kind of cheeses), Turkish pasta and bread, and super sweet and yummy desserts and sweets.

Another highlight is their Burek, a fried pastry filled with salty cheese, minced meat, or spinach, or their Kebab.  Fresh fish and meat, Turkish antipasti are also good in quality and taste.

That they are in the Austrian “Genuss Guide” – A printed Guide for good and high quality food is another proof!

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Güvenir | Shopping, Snacks | Burek € 1.50
Löweng 55 | Inner districts | +4317125632
Mon – Sat 08:00 – 20:00

The decent priced (not the cheapest in town but every cent of it is worth it – a justifiable investment leading to a high quality culinary experience) Kebab at the Kebab House is a not to be missed highlight in Vienna.

Either you go there after a night out at the club Roxy which is situated right across the street or for lunch, dinner – even if you only want to grab a snack to fight a sudden urge of gusto – this is the place to be.

The difference between a random Kebab kiosk and this place is that the staff and the owner guarantee that the meat is home-made and not from a wholesale (where often it’s not traceable if the cold chain was never disrupted).

It’s been more than 20 years (the restaurant was opened in 1987) and it is still THE place (even though this is -of course- my point of view and a matter of taste ). However I still believe this is one of the best places in town for a good Kebab- above all “mit allem, bitte!- meaning: with all ingredients please!” Bon appetite!

PS; Regarding the Kebabs – an advice by one of the locals: “mit scharf!” if you are into hot and spicy food “ohne scharf” if you are more into a slim version of the authentic Kebab.

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Kebab Haus | Snacks, Restaurants (Turkish) | Kebab € 3.00
Operngasse 26 | Inner districts | +4315875308
Mon – Thu & Sun 11:30 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 11.30 – 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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Eat vegan and take care of our environment – that is the (inofficial) slogan of “Loving Hut”, an international chain of vegan (!) restaurants, which grows and grows and grows rapidly – and which has finally arrived in Vienna as well.

The main principle and the theory behind the concept is simple: A vegan dish made out of organic ingredients uses 200 times less water than a meat dish. Moreover it produces up to 94% less CO2-emission within a year. You can find this calculation on the website, and it is quite impressive and convincing, isn´t it? Not convinced yet? There are even more arguments for being vegan on the website.

The first Viennese Loving Hut on the Neubaugürtel is quite unspectacular outside and you can overlook it quite easily as it is surrounded by grey-in-grey-buildings. Inside it is a bit nicer: Very light interior, including radio and television radiating music and images from the company owned happyness channel, “Supreme TV”. Soon after the first restaurant, a second Viennese Loving Hut has opened its doors in Favoritenstraße 156.

What food can you expect at Loving Hut? Vegan AND fairtrade dishes are on the menue, some soye products replace meat dishes and lots of the ingredients are from local and organic productions. All the food is also available as take away.

So, I actually could imagine worst things than eating vegan: In the end it´s all about saving the planet while eating, isn´t it?

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Loving Hut | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Vegan)
Neubaugürtel 38/5 | Inner districts | +4312939182
Mon & Wed – Sat 11:00 – 21:00, Sun 12:00 – 21:00

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?

News: On 30th of April, Mon Ami is celebrating in Gartenbau (21.30 start, entry: 7€, details on their website

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

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

Need some spices for a traditional Thai dish – don´t worry, go to Naschmarkt. You want to buy fresh vegetables from farmers – well, go to Naschmarkt. You are craving for sushi – the answer is obvious: Go to Naschmarkt.

For more than 300 years now, the area on the Wienzeile between Karlsplatz and Kettenbrückengasse is used for markets – and it is getting bigger and bigger.

You will find a visit at Naschmarkt recommended in every tourist guide, and it is always quite a challenge to find your way through the crowds. But still the Naschmarkt is not only a place for foreigners, but also for Viennese locals who love the international atmosphere: Little stalls with fresh vegetables and fruits, wines, cheese and sausages; stand-up buffets offering Italian, Turkish, Greece, Egypt, Indian, Slovakian and of course Austrian food; highly motivated sales persons welcoming you in different languages to their house – that´s what Naschmarkt is all about.

For the last years, Naschmarkt has also become the place for Asian restaurants so do not be surprised to stumble over a Sushi or Thai or Chinese bar every two minutes.

As there is also the biggest Viennese fleamarket every Saturday, especially during summertime it seems like all of Vienna is on Naschmarkt. So, if you are more up to go shopping and relax, it might be better to visit the place during weekdays or in the morning. And do not forget to take a look at the surrounding: You will find some of the most beautiful buildings in this area!

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Naschmarkt | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks
Naschmarkt | Inner districts
Mon – Fri 06:00 – 18:30, Sat 06:00 – 17:00 | Fleamarket Sat 06.30 – 18:00

“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

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)