9 bars where to get your fix when craving comfort pub food on a cold night

This handsome looking outfit serves up American-style brews & eats in the 9th district. The Beaver Brewing Company became a favourite immediately after it opened, and this might have something to do with it packing 2 of the greatest things humans have ever invented – brilliant beer brews and burgers. And the burgers are legendary. Stacked high, with a fat meat patty and plenty of filling, these burgers are hard to get your mouth around so it gets messy, but who’s ever kept it clean when eating a quality burger. Their vegetarian burger, the smoky black bean, is a creative work of burger-enius (wait, does that word play work?), while the inclusion of another veggie option – the seitan burger – makes this one of the best options when there are vegetarians amongst your pub food buddies.

Other highlights of the menu includes their range of smoked meat-centric plates, like the Honey-style BBQ spare ribs, the smoked cocoa and coffee wings (yes, you’ve got to try these babies), and the quality pastrami sandwich – all of this involving a smoking at the bar itself with cherry and hickory wood.

This uncomplicated, honest pub defies all expectations – set in an outpost in the 3^rddistrict, on the corner of a main intersection, no normal place would survive in such a setting in lazy Vienna. But this is no normal place. Having won over a regular crowd lining its bar from the nearby businesses, its charming Irish owner, David, and his team have also made it known for its high quality kitchen. It’s said that one of the best fish and chips can be had here.

The atmosphere possesses all the warmth of an Irish pub, minus the kitsch and the sports on the television, actually there’s no television to be seen. The small place can be like a smokers lung around the bar. The walk-in, wood panelled fridge is part of the décor covered in tin beer plaques, while the BP petrol bowser behind the bar adds random character. The windows open the pub right up, and sitting by them can be one of the best spots in the house, we reckon.

The dining area is separate and pleasant, like a pair of old leather pair of slippers with a hole in the big toe is pleasant.

While through the week it’s a good local pub for quiet drinks, passing through the pub on a Friday, or Saturday night when live music draws a crowd is like squeezing through somebody’s intestines. The staff are a friendly bunch, and largely responsible for the regulars that line the bar most nights.

Their pub food game has also improved greatly in recent years, making it a solid option for such. If you’re looking for a hearty cottage pie, this is the place, and their fish and chips hits the spot. Their hand cut fries are cooked to perfection, while the club sandwich is a favourite for many that come here regularly.

This comfortable bar in Vienna’s 4th dedicated to craft beer has all the main ingredients for those nights when your mood calls for greasy food and a couple of Pale Ales. Craft Mühle lines up a list of craft beers on its menu, and their menu aims to pair whatever you choose with the perfect pub food. While the fish and chips are more like chips and fish nuggets, the ribs are on point and the burgers (while expensive) do their own thing, as in, there are some original creations in the long list of burgers. The prices in the food menu are slightly above average, which will irk you a bit, but the beer is at your typical craft beer prices. The tasteful interior pulls off a brewery look – industrial theme with lots of wood and steel, and the staff are friendly.

Another craft beer bar that matches the quality of its beer list, with an honest pub grub menu. While the tacky American connotation with the word ‘diner’ cannot be found anywhere in the looks, the diner theme can be found in the menu, right next to the Club Sandwich and the Chicken Ceasar Salad. And there’s nothing tacky about them.

The burgers win us over. The Mushroom Swiss and its surrounding moat of fries is impressively tasty, and would give many dedicated burger joints a run for their money. And we would have taken our hats off to the vegetarian burger alternative, the Pesto Bortobello, if we’d been wearing one.

Everything fits to the concept, but does so in an honest way without overdoing it – the likes of BB King and Frank Sinatra on the speakers, the waiter dressed in black and white, with breeches. It makes you grateful that such charm of the past can be lived in the modernity of the present.

Shebeen has been a favourite amongst locals and expats alike for years now, and this has a lot to do with its laidback atmosphere. The dark and candle-lit pub has a sweeping bar looking out onto a large area out front, and a non-smoking area out back. Consistent throughout the whole place is the pub vibe and an orange glow.

The pub food here is no-messing-around plates of the favourites. Amongst them is a monster list of burgers, which include a couple of monster creations, like the Aussie bite, and the Wagyu beef BBQ burger. Then there’s a Ribeye steak grilled like it should be, and a Peri Peri chicken covered in a spicy-sweet sauce that will have you licking your fingers until it’s all gone (don’t forget to get under your finger nails with your tongue). There’s even a quality Thai red curry thrown into the mix. Most dishes come with a side of more-ish home-made fries, and a (very) garlicky sauce.

While the stigma of it being a global chain restaurant may repel some, there’s no denying the rockin’ (yes, pun intended) pub food that the Hard Rock Cafe serves up.

This temple of Americana is all about rock n’ roll, and fresh and flavoursome classic American dishes. From outrageously good burgers, to buffalo wings and nachos, every dish is prepared from scratch and fresh in the Hard Rock kitchen. Even the sauces are prepared in the kitchen, and most ingredients to make up the menu are sourced regionally. This location that can be found in many corners of the globe is also known for its honouring of rock royalty, with its walls that are filled with memorabilia from famous musicians.

We recommend… having their Hot Fudge Brownie at least once in your life (once you’ve had it once, you won’t resist having it again)

You’ll often get ‘Aussies’ (that’s Australian for short for those wondering) walking into this place stating there’s nothing Australian about it. And they’ll definitely cry ‘WTF?!!’ when they find kangaroo meat and grasshoppers on the menu (even though grasshoppers were part of some indigenous tribes diet). However, whether this ‘outback pub’ behind the Vienna Staatsoper, Crossfield, resembles an Australian pub or not, it certainly is an exotic experience for Vienna. If you’ve never eaten grasshoppers, you’ll have to overcome some serious psychological tests to put one of these crunchy fried things in your mouth. Served on a bed of smashed potatoes with a small side salad, the grilled grasshoppers have become a well integrated dish in the kitchen.
Meanwhile, the crocodile steak served with garlic butter is probably something you’ve never tried before, and if so, probably only for the novelty of eating a prehistoric creature. And as for the kangaroo steak – well, if you can bear to eat these cute mammals, kangaroo has increasingly become the meat of choice in recent years for Australians as it is seen as a more eco-friendly and healthy alternative to beef. With very little fat on it, kangaroo has a intense taste with some comparing it to venison.

While it’s not like the original in Brussels which boasts an epic 2,000-plus beer selection, it is a treat for craft beer lovers, nonetheless. Choice still abounds with 13 of Delirium‘s beers on tap brought directly from their brewery, and dozens of other bottled Belgian beer, including some obscure brews.It’s the kind of unpretentious bar you feel like you can sink into like a cosy couch. The food menu is full of un-hipsterised (no avocado here, except in the veggie burger) honest pub grub, with a brilliant line-up of noteworthy burgers, along with the other greasy comfort food favourites, like BBQ chicken wings, a pulled pork burger, a club sandwich – you can guess the rest. Also, the fries are cooked Belgian style – fried twice – giving them a crunchy moreishness. It’s a tough ride for vegetarians here, except for the meatless burger… and the beer.