A guide to local favorites in Siebensternviertel Vienna
The hip and picturesque Siebensternviertel looks and feels like a small town implanted into a vibrant metropolis. Its compact pedestrian alleys and cute 19th-century houses are populated by the city’s intelligentsia. Artists and academics from all corners of the world call the neighborhood home. The centerpiece is the Spittelberg, with its cultural establishments (such as the MuseumsQuartier), fancy bars, third-wave coffee shops and tiny concept stores.
Meet your local
Susanne has lived in Vienna since 2006. She originally moved there from the south of Austria to attend university and, like many before her, never left. She is now working as a freelance journalist and film critic for Austrian and international outlets. In her free time, she is either sitting in a dark screening room or enjoying a cup of coffee.
@SusanneGottliebWant to get in touch? Email bytheway@washpost.com
Where I live:
Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, located a bit southwest of the Inner City. Once notoriously dangerous, this multicultural neighborhood has gone through rapid gentrification and an immense image change since I moved here six years ago. It’s the perfect place to find ethnic food, cheap housing and green recreational areas.
Best way to get around the city:
Vienna’s public transport system is excellent and takes you even to the most remote areas of the city. The subway stations are clean, and the trains depart at regular intervals. Your ticket also allows you to take the S-Bahn within city borders.
Don’t leave without having:
Coffee and cake at a traditional Viennese coffeehouse. Try Café Landtmann or Café Centraal for the more classic locations, or try Café Hawelka or Café Sperl if you want something more eccentric. An enchanting part of the Viennese lifestyle, such coffeehouses have long acted as creative hubs for Austria’s artists and intellectuals.
But the local favorite is really:
The Mariahilferstrasse. It might be packed with shoppers during the day, but at night it offers a splendid stroll through its empty pedestrian zone, allowing you to take in the dimmed lights and the distant chatter of the night owls.
If I moved, I’d most miss:
The coffee and the quality of life. It’s hard finding comparable coffee abroad, and I’ve become a spoiled child when my transportation takes longer than four minutes to arrive.
Siebensternviertel
Amerlingbeisl
This typical Viennese restaurant, or beisl, is an institution at the Spittelberg that’s popular with locals and visitors alike. Relax in the ivy-covered courtyard and make your pick between the restaurant’s Viennese or international cuisine.
Stiftgasse 8, 1070 Vienna, Austria
Das Möbel Café
This trendy coffee shop has an unusual twist: Just as you would buy your drinks here, you can also buy the furniture. Das Möbel Café’s diverse mix of designer pieces for sale and the handpicked menu of quiches, cakes and daily specials make it a favorite.
Burggasse 10, 1070 Vienna, Austria
Die Werkbank store
Located on the corner between Spittelberg and MuseumsQuartier, Die Werkbank is one of many local shops that showcase the district’s young, urban and hip atmosphere. The collection here is eclectic, ranging from clothes to furniture to jewelry, but it’s all linked by an emphasis on handcrafted and upcycled products.
Breite Gasse 1, 1070 Vienna, Austria
Spittelberg moviehouse
Embedded in a row of bars and restaurants, the Filmhaus Wien screens a carefully curated program of international and local films. Besides new releases, it brings old classics back to the big screen.
Spittelberggasse 3, 1070 Vienna, Austria
DonauTechno club
The most exciting aspect of this small but excellent club is its versatility. The changing light installations and wall projections make it feel different on each visit. The bar has dim seating areas, prominent dance floors and Vienna’s only indoor Würstelstand (sausage stand).
Karl Schweighofer Gasse 10 / A, 1070 Vienna, Austria
Susanne Gottlieb
Susanne has lived in Vienna since 2006. She originally moved there from the south of Austria to attend university and, like many before her, never left. She is now working as a freelance journalist and film critic for Austrian and international outlets. In her free time, she is either sitting in a dark screening room or enjoying a cup of coffee.
@SusanneGottliebStefan Fuertbauer
Stefan, a contributing photographer for The Washington Post, was born and raised in the Austrian countryside but was drawn over 20 years ago to Vienna, where he lives now. He’s an admirer of the Austrian capital’s people and lifestyle and loves a good cup of melange (similar to cappuccino but different). When not racing his bike through traffic, he enjoys a relaxed ride on the tram, preferably on one of the models from the ’60s still running.
