U2: Museumsquartier. Alternatively, U2 or U3: Volkstheater. Entrees €7-10. Sandwiches €8. Cafe latte €3.50. Open daily 10am-2am.
YAK AND YETI
Hofmühlgasse 21
NEPALESE
1 595 54 52 www.yakundyeti.at
Take your taste buds on a journey east for some traditional Nepalese cuisine. Thursdays is “Momo Day” so you can sample all the sauces and fillings in an all-you-can-eat momo (Himalayan dumpling) buffet (€12). Or, on Tuesdays, eat Dal Bhaat (a rice, lentil, meat, and veggie meal) with your fingers in the traditional style (all you can eat; €10).
U4: Pilgramgasse. Or bus #13A: Esterhazygasse. Appetizers €3-4.25. Entrees €5.50-18. Desserts €3.50-4.50. Open M-F 11:30am-2:30pm and 6-10:30pm, Sa 11:30am-10:30pm.
UBL
Presgasse 26
VIENNESE
1 587 64 37
Just down the street from the Naschmarkt, this Viennese beisel holds its own culinary clout in the city dining arena. The traditional Austrian dishes, often with slight influences from other cuisines, have garnered much acclaim and won awards. Enjoy your schweinsbraten, schnitzel, or semmelknodel on the surprisingly peaceful, although narrow, terrace, barricaded from the street by tall, thick trees.
U4 or bus #59A: Kettenbruckengasse. Entrees €8.50-16. Open daily noon-2pm and 6-10pm.
ZU DEN 2 LIESERLN
Burggasse
VIENNESE
1 523 32 82 www.2lieserln.at
So many schnitzels, so little time. This traditional beisel certainly offers the Viennese weiner schnitzel (pork with a side potato salad), but there is also a fascinating selection of schnitzel specials to choose from—“Cordon Bleu” and “Puszta” are among the list. Enjoy your schnitzel in a warm, wood-paneled interior or a pleasant outdoor seating area with large sweeping trees.
Bus #48A. Weiner schnitzels €8.50-13. Open daily 11am-11pm.
LUCKY NOODLES
Mariahilferstr. 77
ASIAN
If you are in the mood for fast and easy takeout, you can’t go wrong with a steaming box of Lucky Noodles, either with vegetables, chicken, or both. No fance or schmance, just noodles, and the steady stream of people means the noodles are always fresh. Add your own sauces, and even use chopsticks.
U3: Zeiglergasse. Noodles €2.50-3.50. Open daily 10:30am-11:30pm.
FRESCO GRILL
Liechtensteinstr.10
MEXICAN
660 467 89 83 www.frescogrill.at
This is Vienna’s version of a Tex-Mex joint—minimal decor, maximum burritos. The ingredients are tasty, fresh, and not as greasy as you would expect, so you can indulge guilt-free. Quesadillas, taco salads, chips and salsa, and beer are all on the menu.
U2: Schottentor. 30min. free Wi-Fi access for customers. Can create student account for a 5% discount. Burritos €4.60-6.60. Open M-F noon-9pm.
NICE RICE
Mariahilfer Str. 45, im Raimundhof 49
VEGETARIAN, INDIAN
1 586 28 39 www.raimundhof.at/nicerice/
Down a cobblestone alley filled with boutiques and cafes, this cheery restaurant offers Indian-inspired all-vegetarian meals. Entrees include basmati rice with hummus and tofu (€8.50) or Indian samosas with salad and yogurt sauce (€9.30). The outdoor seats are perfect for mango-lassi-sipping (€2.80) and people-watching (priceless).
U3: Neubaugasse or U2: Museumsquartier. The restaurant is down an alleyway off Mariahilfer Str. Entrees €4-15. Open M-Sa 10am-7pm.
ELEPHANT CASTLE
Neubaugasse 45
INDIAN, CAFE
0699 920 84 59 www.elefantcastle.at
Walk into this tiny cafe and mistake it for someone’s kitchen. The Indian-inspired food is made in front of you with a healthy homemade flair. The mango chutney is particularly tasty (in anything!), while the curry dishes are heartier than the simple and slightly small sandwiches.
U3: Neubaugasse Sandwiches €3.50-5.50. Curries €6.50-8.50. Open M-F 11:30am-3:30pm.
Outer Districts
HEURIGER HIRT
Eisernenhandgasse 165
WINE TAVERN
1 318 9641 www.zurschildkrot.com
The slightly strenuous trek to reach this hillside heuriger (wine tavern) is completely worth the experience of sipping spritzer and looking over the sweeping views of the vineyards, lush hillsides, and the tiny town of Kahlenbergerdorf alongside the Danube. There is no fancy decor, just peeling picnic tables and some hanging lanterns, and you will likely be the only English-speaker there. The self-serve menu changes daily, and you can walk into the kitchen and point at what you want. Bring your own water—there is no drinking water available, only wine!
Bus #239: Verein Kahlenbergerdorf. From the stop, walk through the small town to your left and up Eisernenhandgasse at the back. It’s about a 15min. walk up the hill. The place is popular with locals, so if you plan to come around 7:30 or 8pm, make a reservation. Pay as you go. Meat portions €3-6. Salad portion €2-4. Slices of bread or garnishes €0.40 each. Open Apr-Oct M-F 3pm-late, Sa-Su noon-late; Nov-Mar F-Su noon-late.
CAFE DOMMAYER
Auhofstr. 2
VIENNESE
1 877 546 50 www.dommayer.at
This traditional coffeehouse has one of the most elegant courtyards in the city—sweeping green and white striped umbrellas shade high hedges, as though made for ladies sipping on tea with pinkies up. The waiters in white button-down shirts, black vests, and in some cases black bowties offer additional elegance, yet somehow the atmosphere is friendly, not stuffy. Take a book, order a coffee and dessert, and spend a few hours.
U4: Hietzing. Coffee €2.30-6. Entrees €4.80-12. Desserts €2.40-3.50. Open daily 7am-10pm.
FRANCESCO
Grinzinger Str. 50
ITALIAN, BIERGARTEN
1 369 23 11 www.francesco.at
After all the schwein and suppen, some Italian cuisine is just what the doctor (or chef) ordered. Francesco serves pizzas, pastas, risottos; and at quite reasonable prices, as well as some pricier meat and fish dishes. The large open courtyard is shaded by a canopy of green, while inside the feel is rustic Viennese, with exposed brick, dark wooden tables in cozy booths with low ceilings, and even gold-framed paintings and some statues scattered throughout. Italian food in a Viennese hunting lodge... makes total sense.
Bus #38A. Entrees €6.50-24. Open daily 11:30am-midnight.
KENT
Brunnengasse 67
TURKISH
1 405 91 73 www.kentrestaurant.at
Kent likes to advertise itself as the “best Turkish food in the world,” and it might not be too far off the mark—it’s at least the best Turkish food in Austria. At this more casual cafe location (they also have branches in districts X and XV), you can see all the food in trays before you order—see whether the stuffed eggplant or moussaka catches your eye. There are also plenty of meat dishes from the grill, salads, and dips.
U6: Josefstadter Str. Entrees €5-11. Open M-Sa 6am-2am.
MAYER AM PFARRPLATZ
Eroicagasse 4
WINE TAVERN
1 370 12 87 www.pfarrplatz.at
This heuriger is tourist-friendly without being overly touristy. In other words, there are a few souvenirs for sale but no tourist buses at its tiny plaza location. The long courtyard is filled with wooden tables and flowers, while indoors the restaurant could be your grandma’s living room—flowered drapes matching flowered hanging lamps, muted green and rose tones, and even portraits of old ladies on the walls. Order a meal off the menu or frequent the buffet, where you put together your own meal and pay by portion.
Bus #38A. Menu and buffet style offerings from €10. Open M-F 4pm-midnight, Sa-Su 11am-midnight.
STRANDGASTHAUS BIRNER’S
An der Oberen Alten Donau 47
VIENNESE
1 271 53 36
Along the edge of the Obere Alte Donau, the sliver of the Donau that runs through district XXI, Strandgasthaus Birner’s is a favorite a
mong locals enjoying the water and sunny weather. Three tiers of seating look out over couples boating and children splashing on the other side and are decorated with bright tablecloths and umbrellas, flowers, vines, and potted plants. Birner’s serves traditional Viennese dishes, but the best is an eis kaffee (cold coffee with ice cream; €4.20) after a day in the sun.
U6: Neue Donau. Entrees €5.50-14.50. Open daily 9am-11pm.
SAIGON
Neulerchenfelderstr. 37
VIETNAMESE
1 408 74 36 www.saigon.at
This Vietnamese restaurant is the real deal—from the crispy, light egg rolls with dipping sauce and mint leaves to the large bowls of noodle soup (pho.) The dishes are artistically arranged and garnished with cucumber and tomato slices and a flower-shaped radish, and luckily the meals taste as good as they look. Saigon also has a quick-meal stall in Brunnengasse market (in front of no. 40), with cheap boxes of noodles, rice, and meat for a meal on the go (€2.50-5).
U6: Josefstatter Str. Entrees €7.20-15. Open daily 11:30am-11pm.
FIGL’S
Grinzinger Str. 55
VIENNESE, BIERGARTEN
1 320 42 57 www.figls.at
This Viennese restaurant at the entrance to Grinzing offers traditional cuisine in a modern restaurant setting rather than a touristy heuriger get-up. The refined decor offers crisp wooden tables and booths, as well as a curved wooden bar around a large brass fireplace. The leafy courtyard offers private sections in a gentle slope out back, while the menu is a blend of traditional Austrian dishes as well as a Caesar salad (€12) or burger (€9.50).
Bus #38A. Entrees €7.50-23. Open daily 11:30am-midnight. Lunch menu served M-F 11:30am-4pm.
NIGHTLIFE
Inner City
FIRST FLOOR
Seitenstettengasse 5
BAR
533 78 66
This is one of Vienna’s classic bars in district I, with paneling and molding from the 1930s mixed with a modern fish aquarium running the length of the bar. Although the fish are on “permanent holiday,” as one bartender put it, the jazzy music and smoky velvet of this bar’s interior gives it plenty of good ambience. On an off night the friendly bartenders might even let you mix your own pisco sour.
U1 or U4: Schwedenpl. Mixed drinks €6-9. Open M-F 5pm-3am, Sa-Su 7pm-3am.
FLEX
Am Donaukanal
CLUB, BAR
1 533 75 25 www.flex.at
Located in a gritty, unused subway tunnel, Flex boasts the best sound system in the city as well as the most famous name. (In 2003, the magazine Spex voted Flex the best club in the German-speaking world.) Though 2003 is actually quite a while ago, people still flood this alternative venue. Come in break it down on the club’s dance floor which is attached to cafe’s Danube banks (where you can also easily bring your own booze... score!).
U2 or U4: Schottenring; Tram #1 or 31: Schottenring. Free entrance to Flex Cafe. Club cover €4-12. Open daily 6pm-4am.
VOLKSGARTEN DISCO
Burgring 1, Volksgarten
CLUB, BAR
1 532 42 41 www.volksgarten.at
Located on the edge of the Volksgarten green space, this popular club has been a part of the Vienna nightlife scene for almost as long as the 180-year-old building. Okay, not really, but in club-years, definitely so. The mix of indoor and outdoor space is adorned with plants, kidney-bean shaped tables, and colorful benches. The music ranges from R and B to reggae, and there’s always plenty of dancing.
U2 or U3: Volkstheater. Cover free-€20, depending on event. Open F-Sa 11pm-late; sometimes open during the week for special events.
DICK MACK’S
Marc-Aurel-Str. 7
IRISH PUB
1 676 706 81 24 www.paddysco.at/dickmack
Just beyond Schwedenpl.’s Bermuda Triangle and its pricey beers, Dick Mack’s is the Irish pub that all the local university students swear by. The decor is nothing special (it’s a typical pub), but the beers are cheap, cheap, cheap. You won’t be sorry you began the night here when you leave happily intoxicated and likewise happily not broke.
U1 or U4: Schwedenpl. Beer €2. Mixed drinks €2.80. Open M-Sa 8pm-4am.
ONYX
Stephanspl. 12
BAR
1 535 39 69 www.doco.com
The floor-to-ceiling windows of this sixth-floor bar in Haas Haus give unparalleled views of Stephansdom. It feels as though you could literally reach out and touch the roof. The view is to die for and so are the pricey drinks, especially the Frozen Blackberry with vodka and lemon, which mainly draw Vienna’s young business crowd to the bar’s sleek couches and stools.
U1 or U3: Stephanspl. Mixed drinks €9-14. Open daily 9am-2am.
PLANTER’S CLUB
Zelinkagasse 4
BAR
1 533 33 93 15 www.plantersclub.com
Low leather chairs, small coffee tables, and palm fronds adorn this colonial-style bar with deep wood accents and soft green and yellow lights. Be prepared to stay a while because the cocktail menu is at least 20 pages, and each one seems to be tastier than the last. There are over 450 single malt whiskeys alone. The place gets crowded around 10pm, so come early to snag a seat. The neighboring restaurant of the same name also comes highly recommended.
U2 or U4: Schottenring. Mixed drinks €7-15. Open daily 5pm-4am.
Core Districts
STRANDBAR HERRMANN
Herrmannpark
BAR, BEACH CLUB
www.strandbarherrmann.at
This canal-side venue is as close to a beach bar as it gets in Vienna. Parts of the ground have been covered with sand, and there are plenty of deck chairs for sunbathing during the day (although swimming in the canal is generally not recommended). By night, beers are passed around, and there is plenty of live or mixed music to set the scene.
U1 or U4: Schwedenpl., exit to Urania. Or U3, Tram #1, 2, or 2A: Stubentor. Beer €3.30-4. 80. Open daily 10am-2am.
CHELSEA
Lerchenfelder Gürtel/Stadtbahnbogen 29-30
BAR, CLUB, MUSIC VENUE
1 407 93 09 www.chelsea.co.at
Back when the area was a red-light district, Chelsea opened in the Stadtbahnbogen, soon to revolutionize the Gürtel nightlife scene. The exterior lacks the glass facades that many of the newer Gürtel venues boast (look for the brick walls covered in posters instead), but that suits Chelsea’s down-to-earth plain quality that gives it a pub vibe. With rock, Britpop, and funk blaring, the people are always ready to party. Come early because it gets packed.
U6, Tram #46, or Bus #48A: Thaliastr. Cover free-€12. Open daily 6pm-4am.
BABU
Stadtbahnbögen 181-184
BAR, CLUB
699 1 175 40 72 www.babu.at
This large restaurant, bar, and club expands over four archways of the Gürtel underneath the train tracks. Inside, it’s all glass and air, with a split-level design and crisp white seats. From the top floor, you can look out the windows onto the Gürtel, while below in the bar a gussied-up crowd schmoozes and sips cocktails.
U6: Nußdorfer Str. Open daily 6pm-late.
PRATERSAUNA
Waldsteingartenstr. 135
CLUB
1 72 919 27 www.pratersauna.tv
One of the newest clubs in Vienna’s “in” scene, Pratersauna is a former sauna converted into a club. A deck and lawn with chairs encircle the pool, which looks temptingly lit up on warm summer evenings, but unfortunately it’s not open when the club is in full swing. (And yes, they will kick you out if you try to swim. Also, Let’s Go does not recommend swimming under the influence.) The alternative, warehouse-style dance floors reflect the minimalist music that is generally played and is too monotone for anyone who’s looking for a dance beat. The high entrance price is mostly due to hype; spend willingly but don’t be surprised if you are a bit underwhelmed. Oh yeah, and it generally doesn’t get packed until after 2am.
U2: Messe. Or Tram #1: Prater Hauptallee. Cover free-€
15. Beers €3.80. Mixed drinks €7-9. Open W-Sa 9pm-late. Pool open W until 4am.
B72
Hernalser Gürtel, Stadtbahnbogen 72
BAR, MUSIC VENUE
Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide Page 6