7 fancy bars for when you’re in the mood for a fancy night out in Vienna

Fancy Factor: Craft cocktails in a dimly lit atmosphere, this bar is a visual space you’ll want to share all over your social media channels. The dark walls are the canvas for an exotic, bold, street art like painting with a glow-in-the-dark factor to it.

The Birdyard Eatery & Bar features two floors – upstairs being a fancy feeding area (also known as a restaurant), the downstairs being a very special bar. Dark flower and animal paintings cover the walls, which act to wrap you up nicely in a surreal world, and a cosy lounge bar atmosphere. And don’t go thinking that’s just beautiful wallpaper – no, no, no – that’s a real painting.

The drinks on the menu go beyond your standard (while you can, of course, order all the cocktail bar classics, as well) with plenty of original house creations.

Good for… impressing your next Tinder date.It’s not a bar everybody knows about, but with it’s impressive features on all fronts – from the interior to the drinks menu to the service – it will no doubt impress your date and lead to good things. Otherwise, it’s got some nice big booths that act as the perfect spot to warm up on a night out with friends.

Fancy Factor: It’s intimate, it’s cosy, there’s leather padding on the walls, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the bar staff are made up in white shirts and black ties. It’s got the elegance and allure of a place you want to sip, rather than shoot down your drink, while being all dressed up and feeling like you own this town, and that you’re finally succeeding at adulting. The bar is housed in a 850+ year old building in the city center, and while the bar is relatively new on the scene, it looks like it has been a veteran in the scene for years now.

Good for… the kind of night that you want to be fancy, but not too fancy and the people behind the bar are familiar. When seeking a place where you don’t feel judged when you do that laugh that you do that sometimes comes out as an odd exaggerated snort.

Fancy Factor: Ring a bell, head down some grand stairs and you’ll be entering one of the classiest joints in Vienna’s 9th district. The paintings from a bygone era and all of the marble and dark wood adorning the interior will make you feel fancy, even if you’re wearing your plain white undies that day. While the cocktails are pricey, you pay for what you get – the selection is vast and the drinks are damn tasty, and they won’t be what you expect.

Good for… an affair, we guess. ‘Cuz it’s kind of hidden and dimly-lit, which we assume would be perfect for an affair (not that we’re talking from experience). Or some roleplaying with your partner, if you’re into that kind of thing. Oh, this one will also impress the out of town-ers, without a doubt.

Fancy Factor: Where once cashiers counted cash, mix-masters have cashed-up guests counting out cash for cocktails (say that 10x quickly) in The Bank Brasserie & Bar (we’ll call it ‘The BBB’ for short). Even though this new creature in Vienna’s nightlife is housed in the Park Hyatt Hotel, it’s clear it has serious intentions for the resident night owls of the city, and those intentions involve becoming a known spot for breaking boundaries in the craft of cocktails.  It was always going to be opulent being born into the historical building that was once a bank, and there’s enough of that grandeur to remind you that this place deserves brushing your teeth and dressing in a swanky outfit. But they’ve added enough original touches that make the place interesting, beyond it’s bling.

Good for… an afterwork business meet. This cosmopolitan bar does inspire and impress the business-types. Maybe it has something to do with it being housed in an old bank. It’s sweeping bar is a good spot to sit if your drinking and thinking alone (no shame in that). Meanwhile, it’s kind of sofa setup offers privacy. This fact, along with it’s warm golden glow, encourages tipsy fooling around and flirting on a date.

Fancy Factor: Well, for starters, this bar lives within one of the fanciest hotels in town. Then there’s the interior – the walls are covered  in richly decorative blue brocade, while those chandeliers are 100% crystal beauties. Sitting in the velvet couches and armchairs, you’ll immediately feel like you’re the boss (or start really stressing about what the bill is going to turn out to be)

Good for… impressing visitors from out of town who you can tell that in Vienna, people only go to grand and opulent looking bars like this, or if you’re looking to treat yourself, or a friend, or your Mr, or Mrs lover-lover to a very unique night out

Fancy Factor: on the 6th floor of the famous Haas House, which houses the Do & Co hotel, the Onyx bar boasts a window wall that looks out upon Stephansplatz and the cathedral. With a strict dress code, guests are all made up to impress. This is the kind of bar people want to be seen in, as many politicians, actors and other wannabe celebrities are regularly spotted reclining in one of the armchairs at Onyx. You shouldn’t go taking your shoes off and putting your feet up on the chairs, but it is a cosy kind of fancy vibe happening here.

Good for… when you’re wanting to put the idea in somebody’s head that you’re somebody in this town. Somebody super important. Or, you can just go here for some quality people watching with a friend that you both enjoy taking the piss out of the kind of people hanging out at such places.

Fancy Factor: This gorgeous American-inspired bar is legendary amongst those who crave cocktails on a regular basis in Vienna. It’s a classic, and it’s classy. The original Roberto is located just up the road, and it’s where the locally well known bartender, Roberto Pavlović-Hariwijadi established his fame as one of the cocktail kings of this town. We find the 2nd edition of Roberto is the fancier of the two locations, and we can’t explain why, but going to either of them you’ll be served up a good dose of fancy flair. Their cocktails are the cream of the crop, and the bar staff is as charming as bar staff can be. Roberto is packed with old world charm vibes and handsome looks.

Good for… a hot date, or for after that promotion when you feel like spending all of the money you’re about to make