Bars and beerhouses
Alt Wien,
1., bäckerstrasse 9, tel 01/512-5222. this cafe/restaurant/bar is on a very medieval-looking lane in the central district and is a time warp of another kind: its folky-bohemian atmosphere could convince you you're in north beach or greenwich village, circa 1967. liveliest late.
American Bar
The American Bar sometimes called the Loos American Bar or Loos Bar 1., Kärntner Durchgang 10 tel: 01/5123283 e-mail: [email protected], open Thu - Sat 12PM-5AM, Sun - Wed 12PM-4PM (http://www.loosbar.at/ind...). This bar will delight fans of Art Deco. Famous for its architecture and interior decoration by architect Adolf Loos, it's a time warp of Vienna from 1908 when it opened. Drinks are expensive, but very good and the price is worth the experience. This is a quiet, sophisticated bar, where boisterous behavior or very casual dress will not be appropriate. Usually smoky due to small size. There's outdoor seating in warm weather but there's not much point in using it since what justifies the prices is the interior. Groups and sight-seers are not admitted.
Chelsea,
(http://www.chelsea.co.at) lerchenfelderguertel / u-bahnboegen 29-31 between the u6 underground stations thaliastrasse and josefstaedterstrasse, 407 93 09 [email protected]. daily 6pm-4am, su 4pm-3am. a wide range of international beers, often full house and dense. prices okay, 1/2l of beer is €3.1.
Flex
(http://www.flex.at) donaukanal, u2 or u4 schottenring, exit: augartenbrücke, 533 75 25 [email protected]. you haven't been to vienna if you haven't been to the flex - particularly if you are younger than thirty. situated next to the "donaukanal", a part of the danube, it's the meeting point of the off-mainstream, bohemian, artsy people. during the summer nights when it's warm, there are always a lot of people sitting on benches outside the club. it's easy to socialise and make new friends. inside the club you can enjoy bands and djs. at the bar you can ask for free soda water.
Schweizerhaus
(http://www.schweizerhaus.at), 2., prater 116, 7280152 13, mar 15-oct 31 11am-11pm. large beer garden in the prater, some say they have the best beer in vienna andthey also offer traditional austrian dishes at moderate prices. the schweizerhaus is also well-known for its excellent "stelze" knuckle of pork.
Shiraz
(http://www.shiraz.at), 9., stadtbahnbogen 168. phone: +43.664.3355555, [email protected]. this is a small and pretty comfortable, rustic-style bar in the "city railway bows". you can smoke water pipes and listen to "chill out" music. the owner, a persian, socialises with all his customers. everything is worth its price and you really feel that this bar is something special. its a good place to relax.
Europa
One of Vienna's most popular meeting points, Europa is an ideal place to relax with a fine drink after a tiring day.
Siebensternbräu (7-Stars-Brewery)
(http://www.7stern.at), 7., siebensterngasse 19. an excellent biergarten a few blocks east of mariahilferstr. they serve their own brews, which are all excellent. there is the usual assortment of bar food, friendly staff, and outdoor seating underneath an old linden tree in the middle of a hidden courtyard. everyday from 11am-4pm a selection of hearty dishes is served for €5-6. move indoors well before 11pm, because a local noise ordinance requires the bar to shut down the patio and the interior tables fill up quickly even more so than usual.
Stiegl´s Ambulanz
(http://www.stiegl.at/ambulanz/), 9., altes akh hof 1 alserstraße 4 u6 alserstraße +43.1.40211500, [email protected]. the stieglambulanz is a good bar run by the stiegl brewery where you can enjoy stiegl's beers. stiegl is one of austria's best common beers. the ambulanz is popular for students with its modern furnishings and relaxed atmosphere. try the "paracelsus", which you only get in stiegl breweries.
Wein & Co
A chain shop for wine lovers featuring a wine bar in every location. Shop locations include Naschmarkt, Marihilfer str., near Burggarten and near Stephansplatz.
water
Rather unusually it is necessary to say some words about Vienna's drinking water which is really unique in Europe.The majority of Vienna's water comes from the three "Hochquellwasserleitungen." Meaning "high-as in mountain spring waterlines as in aqueducts. Indeed the city's water flows through aqueducts from the mountains around 100 kilometres south of Vienna Schneeberg and Hochschwab. These were built during the reign of Emperor Franz Josef and supply Vienna with nearly unchlorinated high-quality drinking water, with a considerably higher quality than many bottled waters.So if you visit this city, it is not necessary to buy water, you can simply drink tap water here - unless you prefer sparkling water.
Another speciality is that at typical coffeehouses a coffee is always accompanied by a glass of cold clear water.In most restaurants, you can get a glass of drinking water for free with any order, just specify tap water "Leitungswasser".
nightlife
Despite Vienna's stuck-up reputation don't be led to believe it is a quiet city. There are diverse cafés, bars, clubs, parties and festivilles as well as thriving noctornal prostitution and casino scenes.
wine
New wine is usually enjoyed at a Heurigen family-run vineyard bars allowed to the the new vintage. Austria in general, but especially the area around Vienna, produces quite a large amount of wine each year. There are even many vineyards within the city in Döbling 19th District. The wine is not often exported and white is more common than red. Grüner Veltliner is a common tart and fresh white wine served almost everywhere. Officially the new wine season begins on November 11 St Martin's Day, but as early as September, some partially-fermented new wine called Sturm which is cloudy, because it has not been strained is available around town at stands and in 2L green bottles try the Naschmarkt â sometimes the vendors will have samples, it is less strong than wine, about 4 percent alcohol . Taverns can call themselves Heurigens whether the wine they serve is their own or not â for genuine in-house product look for a Buschenschank. This is a particularly Viennese Heuriger which can only be open 300 days per year or until their supply of house-made wine runs out. Heurigen can be found e.g. in Grinzing, Sievering 19th district and Mauer & Rodaun 23rd district areas, but also in almost every suburban area in Vienna. Even in the center, there are some Stadtheurigen. While the Heurigen of Grinzing are bigger and more famous with tourists, they are often a rip-off. If any of the yearâs vintage lasts until next year, it officially becomes Alte old wine on the next Saint Martin's Day.The Heurigen in the South of Vienna or in Perchtoldsdorf are much cheaper and serve the same quality as the Heurigen in Grinzing. Also in the Northern suburbs, you can find cheap and somewhat authentic Heurigen. Try the towns of Stammersdorf or Hagenbrunn, for example Karl Matzka (http://www.matzka.at.tt/), hard to reach by public transport.
After a long day, the perfect place to relax among Viennese are the Heurigen in the suburbs. Somewhat akin to a beer garden, except with wine, these tiny treasures are the only places authorized to serve new wine. New wine is made from the first pressing of the grape and can appear a little cloudy. Be careful, it's stronger than you might think! This is why it's served in very small glasses, .25L and up. Some Heurigen serve food, either elaborate Viennese specialties or very simple bread and cheese platters. No matter which one you choose, you're guaranteed to enjoy yourself. Just hop on a convenient outbound tram line, take it to the very last stop, and look for buildings with large, evergreen foliage hung over the doors. Each one is unique, but all are a good bargain. Locals invariably have a favorite: ask around.