Situated in one of Vienna’s many beautiful and remarkable Art Nouveau buildings (already 110 years old!) this place combines great coffee with a special nostalgic atmosphere. Once you’ve entered the place you’ll recognize the many things that are to explore inside, from the many medal coffee badges and old fashioned lamps promoting Fanta lemonade, to that one of a kind cushioned telephone booth (maybe not suitable for claustrophobics).

This place represents one of Vienna’s traditional coffee houses, which means that there were already many generations spending time in here having a chat about life, discussing the latest urban news or reading one or another tome. Besides coffee and tea they offer a selection of Viennese pastries and cakes. Around lunchtime there’s also the possibility to enjoy an easily-affordable menu, maybe one of the reasons many students come here.

And when it’s getting warm outside you should definitely explore the Café’s terrace from which one can enjoy a view on the Wienfluss flowing by. Last but not least one should mention that the Café is open until 02:00 which makes it a great place to either start your night or get a caffeinated energy boost in between two club visits.

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Café Rüdiger Hof | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Viennese) | Strudel € 3.00
Hamburgerstraße 20 | Inner districts | +4315863138
09:00 – 02:00 daily

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

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

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 flavors, 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 | Little Kurt (small cup) € 2.50
Schultergasse 2 | Inner districts
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 22:00, Sun 15:00 – 22:00

This little restaurant, well actually size wise it’s more of a snack bar, really needs to find a new, more capacious location. Since what started as an insiders’ tip now happens to be really packed, many stop by for taking away the Thai delights.

When I got back from Thailand I had a hard time finding genuine Thai food in Vienna. So going to Thai Isaan Kitchen, I ordered in Thai language. The fact they understood what I tried to order left me proud but mostly surprised. I had found a place that made me feel like being back to the land of smiles after all.

Isaan, or อีสาน, is what the northeast part of Thailand is called; important part of their cuisine is sticky rice & all sorts of meat. The variety of the menu here however has got quite a selection of typical Thai food. From 12:00 – 15:00 you get lunch (2 meals, usually 2 differing ones) for € 6.90. Also in their menu they mark the dishes with 1-3 chili’s to tell you how much spiciness you’ve got to expect.

The restaurant is conveniently located just right next to the bus station “Hirschengasse” of the line 57. For desert I’d suggest to go for some nearby chocolate candies (check out the Blühendes Konfekt article!).

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Thai Isaan Kitchen | Snacks, Restaurants (Thai Isaan) | Soup from € 3.90
Gumpendorfer Straße 91 | Inner districts | +4315952800
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 22:00, Sun 17:00 – 22:00

This small market stall at the Rochusmarket (metro U3 Rochusgasse) is the perfect stop over for a nice lunch. The owner Roman is preparing a choice of delicious homemade soups (veggie and non-veggie) to take away or to eat there.

Not only his soups are a delight he also offers a small selection of good wines and depending on the seasons salads or other typical Austrian dishes.

If you are looking for a cheap and healthy lunch try KochbaRoman!

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KochbaRoman | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Soups) | Soup (small) € 3.50
Rochusmarkt 39a | Inner districts | +436643563904
Tue – Fri 10:00 – 19:00

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 hasn’t changed a lot since 1919 when a Monsieur called Zartl took over this place. It has always been a meeting point for writers and philosophers, such as Robert Musil, especially during the years between the wars. Nowadays 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, and the food doesn’t have a super quality, but here you can spend hours relaxing, chatting and reading in a comfortable warm ambient. Perfect for watching Viennese personalities and maybe getting to know some really interesting people…there is nothing better than that in a Viennese café!

Have a walk at the nearby Prater before coming here!

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Café Zartl | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Espresso € 1.70
Rasumofskygasse 7 | Inner districts | +4317125560
07:00 – 00:00 daily

This place, packed with people, food, cosmetics, herbs etc is a great and well-known establishment for everything concerning a healthy lifestyle.

Located downtown in the neat and trendy 7th district, you can enjoy a tasty meal on the nice tables outside on the street (when it’s sunny) or inside in a modern and bright area. Choose from the salad and antipasti bar or from the canteen-like area with warm dishes of strong Asian and Arab influences. Though not cheap the food is really “yummy” and of superb quality. The atmosphere is special as it’s a funny combination of an 80′s health food store, an eco-chemists, a hippie self-service restaurant and a modern canteen.

So when you feel the vitamins dancing in your veins after some antipasti, you can end up shopping for ecological shampoo, biological controlled cultivated seeds or delicious goat cheese from an organic farm.

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Naturkost St. Josef | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Organic) | Antipasti salad € 6.00
Zollergasse 26 | Inner districts
Mon – Fri 08:30 – 22:00, Sat 08:00 – 14:00

A place to chat, for people from different countries. A colourful street market with fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese. A long alley with plenty of stalls with cheap clothes, shoes and fabrics. A stuffed alley with loads of groceries, turkish restaurants, shops, bakeries etc. An alley ending in a big market square, used both by bohemian society and local residents. A market with a shop for the best jam in the world (apart from home-made one) called Staud’s. A market square with cafe’s, restaurants and bars or just benches to sit and relax.

Check it out, I think it’s a very different part from Vienna, which most tourists will not see (who just know the Naschmarkt). And worth to see! Not to forget that fruits and veggies are way cheaper than on any other market in Vienna…

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Brunnenmarkt & Yppenplatz | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants
Yppenplatz | Inner districts
Mon – Sat til 18:00

Topkino is the place if you are a true lover of great movies (subtitled, original versions; films from all over the world), but can’t resist to have a beer or two after (or before) going to the movies. And if you’d rather have a solid meal in your stomach before watching some of the serious films, this is the right place as well. At Topkino you really find 3 in 1!!

Topkino is situated in a nice old building and the bar is a long and spacious room with very high ceilings, packed with people on old sofas, chairs, at coffee tables etc.

The showroom of the cinema is neither huge nor too comfortable, but they really show very special movies, you hardly see in any other cinema (though Vienna is a great place for movie connoisseurs) and of course also award winning movies from Filmfestival in Cannes or other smaller film festivals. So it is definitely worth checking out the programme before or after going to the bar.

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Topkino | Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Ticket cinema € 7
Rahlgasse 1/Theobaldgasse | Inner districts | +4312083000
Bar: Mon – Sat from 15:00, Sun 10:30 – 00:00 | check website for cinema