During summer 2016 I spent three weeks in Vienna, in the lead-up to an important industry event I attended. Vienna is an amazing city—classy, intimidatingly aristocratic, with a sublime architecture and a lot of great places to eat and drink.
In this Vienna drinks guide I will share with you some of my favourite bars and restaurants where to drink something special, from early in the morning to late evening.
The map
Vienna is not as big as other European capitals, but this tour still requires some form of public transportation. Luckily Vienna’s underground network works well and taxis aren’t hard to find, so if you want to try all these places in one day, it’s totally doable.
Morning coffee: People on Caffeine
Ph. Yummie Chic, Foursquare
Address: Schlösselgasse 21, 1080 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
Online: poccafe.com
Obviously where you go for your morning coffee depends on where you’re staying, but if you’re at a walking distance from this address, I’d highly recommend that you get your first caffeine re-fuel here.
It’s a nice little coffee shop that looks more like a chemistry lab, serving superb third wave coffee. And barista was a joy to chat to! It has wifi, but it’s very small and cosy—so if I were you I wouldn’t really bother bringing your laptop, just focus on the delicious coffee.
Second coffee of the day: Akrap coffee
Ph. Spike Art Magazine
Address: Königsklostergasse 7 (Theobaldgasse), 1060 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5:30pm, Sat 11am-6pm
Online: akrapcoffee.com
Hands down one of the best espresso we had in Vienna. They’ve got triple shot espresso and cappuccino in their menu, which is not that common. There is wifi, and if weather is benevolent also a small outdoor seating area.
Before dinner: Zum Schwarzen Kameel
Ph. Zum Schwarzen Kameel FB page
Address: Bognergasse 5, 1010 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon-Sun, 8AM-midnight
Online: kameel.at
It’s an Austrian restaurant & wine bar that also serves excellent aperitivo, the Italian way. Trigger your appetite with a classic Negroni or Campari Spritz while watching people passing by.
Ideal if you’ve spent the afternoon in the Stephansdom area (the St. Stephan’s Cathedral).
Dinner: Salm Bräu
Ph. Salm Bräu FB page
Address: Rennweg 8, 1030 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon–Sun, 11am–midnight
Online: salmbraeu.com
Brewery, distillery, and restaurant. They make incredible craft beers according to the old traditional recipes, my favourite being the Märzen—strong and slightly less hoppy than all the other beers I normally like.
But the reason why I’m recommending this place for dinner is the food—to me, Salm Bräu felt like a perfect crossover between a traditional Austrian restaurant and one of those international BBQ joints. The ribs were amazing—so rich and tender, served with potato wedges and some sauces. There are also vegetarian options.
It’s also not touristy at all, and you know what it means when a place is packed full of locals.
After-dinner: Nightfly’s Club American Bar
Ph. Nightfly’s Club American Bar FB page
Address: Dorotheergasse 14, 1010 Vienna
Opening hours: Tue-Sat, from 8pm
Online: nightflys.at
For me, this is the champion of this short Vienna drinks tour—it’s an American bar situated in the city centre, only a few minutes from the Opera House.
Elegant, classy, comfortable, with a selection of high-level spirits that filled 70+ pages of menu, ranging from classic bottles to rare edition. The page with Islay whiskies was truly epic, with multiple editions from all distilleries.