7 (+6) reasons to love the 7th district. Your Ultimate Guide to Neubau

Walking along Westbahnstraße, you can’t really help but notice one common pattern when peering in the shop windows – there’s cameras, cameras and all things cameras on display.

There’s no doubt that this street is Vienna’s hub for photographers and photography lovers, whether you want to get your trusty camera fixed, window shop for a new lens that you can’t afford, or check out some vintage cameras at the many second-hand camera shops along the street.

Any camera nerd’s heart will be beating at a high shutter speed while walking along this street, but once you stop at the Leica shop there’s no getting around contemplating some serious spontaneous splurges on  camera equipment.

Another must stop is the very well-known photography gallery and museum, WestLicht, that annually houses the extraordinary and always moving World Press Photo exhibition, and other fascinating exhibitions.

There are two streets in Neubau that often come to mind when friends are brainstorming where to meet up at a bar or cafe in Neubau – Zollergasse and Kirchengasse.

You can grab your organic (and DAMN pricey) morning bread at the hipster bakery, Joseph Brot, or start your day with a morning coffee at Treubleiben.

A cafe fitting for morning and evening is the fabulous (and very handsome) Figar. This cafe onKirchengasse possesses a loyal following by those who know it, and has people hanging about from early morning, until late at night.

On Zollergasse, you’ll find another well-loved cafe, Liebling. It’s got the good looks of a shabby-chic cafe, and it’s also fitting for coffee, or late night drinks.

Then there’s the out-of-the-box pizzeria, Momo Pizza Gourmet, a bit further up the road. This place will change your perception of what pizza should be.

You can also geek out on comic books, graphic novels, and art books to your heart’s content at Bilderboxvienna. The store is stocked up on books for art fanatics, photography enthusiasts, and also those active in the graffiti scene. You can even purchase supplies if you don’t want to just read about art, but also make it. And if your bank card isn’t burnt after a visit here, continue your shopping spree at the clothing label’s store, Ferrari Zöchling, or at the Berliner hipster store, Kauf dich glücklich. (read about more shopping places in reason number 11 😉 )

Grab long drinks at the intimate bars with personality at Ganz Wien,or St. Art, and if you still happen to be roaming the streets in the middle of the night, don’t be surprised to still see some liveliness going on along Zollergasse. The vibrant lights of Café Europa stay shining until 5 in the morning, and if you’re hungry, the kitchen can whip you up a super late-night meal until 4am.

*Opening hours may vary due to Corona.

Where: various locations in 1070

For some, coffee is just a wake-up call, for others, it’s an experience on quite another level. The 7th district in Vienna is home to many of the coffee shops at which making coffee is an art.

On the corner of Westbahnstraße and Zieglergasse, you’ll find Wolfgang Coffee, which is integrated into the clothing store, QWSTION, where they’re working with a variety of specialty coffee beans.

Cafe Comet, located on Kirchengasse, usually has 5 to 10 single origin varieties on offer any given day, and you’ll always get the friendliest service crowd behind the counter who just so happen to be highly educated when it comes to coffee.

An oldie in the coffee business with 100+ years of experience in roasting coffee, J. Hornig, can be found on Siebensterngasse. They also claim to take their time with the roasting process, assuring that the slow process brings out the finest taste of their beans.

The hip and vibrant Jonas Reindl is one of the latest specialty coffee shop additions to Neubau. They’ve gone a step further at this new address, and set up their own coffee roaster in their slick looking new coffee shop on Westbahnstraße.

Although Vienna is quite known for its classical music, the city is packed with many fans and aficionados of the vinyl and vintage CD era, you know, when records were all the rage. One great store where you can still find well maintained retro music is Sing Sing Records. At the record store around Neustiftgasse, you can try your luck at selling old DVDs and CDs you don’t listen to anymore. And if you enter the record packed shop don’t be surprised if it seems familiar. The store has been used as a set for movies and series on television.

Das Market may also have its walls full of different tunes and jams, but the record store focuses on serenading you with the genres Disco, Electro, House and Techno. If you happen to walk in on a lucky day, you just might catch a live performance. Just a few minutes away you can scour the shelves of Substance and if you make a good find from their international collection see if you can find your favourite band’s merchandise as well.

Whenever you feel like taking a trip around the world, just have a stroll around Neubau and stuff your face at the vast amount of food joints and restaurants serving up all kinds of international cuisine.

On your stay-at-home holiday in Italy, you should definitely make a pit stop at La Pausa and Bros Pizza, where you’ll get a fix of some delicious variations of pizza, all prepared in the unique signature way of each of these joints.

From a tasty Indian curry at Natraj, heart-warming Vietnamese pho at Pho84, yummy Korean baos at Bao Bar and a delicious Pinoy Adobo at Pinoy Food – any lover of the diverse wonders of Asian cuisine won’t be disappointed in the district of Neubau.

If you’ve got some cravings for Spanish tapas, hop into Toma tu Tiempo, or Der Fuchs und die Trauben. Afterwards, you can take a trip to Morocco and get your grub on over at Petit Maroc.

Lovers of meat and all things American can find their meals of choice at Flatschers,  or the Burgermacher, who both absolutely know how to handle burgers and steak in their own way. And we can’t leave Spear out, who are known for their big-ass burgers, and their knack for making quality gin long drinks.

You can make your way over to Afghanistan with your tastebuds at Noosh, or head to the intimate experience that is Sibel’s for some home made Turkish Mezzas.

To try and satisfy your insatiable sweet tooth, stop by Tart’a Tata for some scrumptious traditional French pastries.

Other places you should check out that fit in a category of their own include Ulrich, Erich, Seven North and the Amerlingbeisl.

And, if you’re trying to stack up on your favourite international ingredients, PROSI exotic supermarket surely carries everything you’re looking for.

Vegans and those who want to dip their toes in the non-dairy cuisine once in a while will find their money’s worth in Neubau – this district is packed with restaurants, cafés and eateries serving plant-based and vegetarian food only.

At the all-vegan eatery The LaLa on Neustiftgasse, you can choose between sweet breakfast bowls, juices and smoothies, but also savory superfood lunch bowls and sweet treats. Everything is really colourful and perfect for the ‘Gram.

Right next to this eatery, you can check out the headquarters of the ice cream shop imperium that is Veganista. From the no-milk-product approach, creative flavours are born that you’d struggle to think up even when under the influence of a Veganista ice cream sugar high. You should also try one of the special ice cream sandwiches called Inbetwieners, or look out for all of their other crazy special events that they’re hosting throughout the year such as Krapfen, Zimtschnecken or Brownies filled with ice cream – YUM.

If you’re looking for a good lunch option, you should try Karma Food with a small eatery on Schottenfeldgasse. Their Indian-inspired soulfood lunch menu is changing on a daily basis, and you can choose among three different options, the majority of which is vegan.

Next on our list, and actually one of the latest additions to the vegan foodie scene in Vienna, is Vevi on Stollgasse. This is for those of you who are a fan of Vietnamese cuisine. Soups, salads, summer rolls, pho, rice dishes, desserts and ‘Vevi Specials’ – you name it, and it’s 100% plant-based. 

A spot for those looking for some down-to-earth, nothing too-fancy but still hearty and delicious is Landia. At the almost all-vegan restaurant on Ahornergasse, their focus is on regional, seasonal, organic ingredients. You’ll find international, hearty, down-to-earth dishes such as Cordon Bleu, Pirogi, Schnitzel or Goulash on their menu.

Then there’s the fast-food burger chain on Neustiftgasse, Swing Kitchen, where they’ve got hearty, crispy, and filling burgers that come with fries and drink if you go for the menu option. We like to add their garlic sauce to our fries, just so we’re extra kissable for the rest of the day.

Loving Hut, which is part of a group with restaurants all over the globe, has a location on Neubaugürtel as well. They’ve got a wide variety of cuisines available, with a strong focus on subsidising meat. It’s one of those places where you’d also take your meat-loving friends, as the dishes are tasty, filling, and also affordable. You can choose from a wide variety such as spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish Kung Pao (with soy nuggets instead of the chicken), summer rolls to pasta, wraps, or burgers, so there’s bound to be something for almost every palate out there.

At the Chinese restaurant located on Kaiserstraße, Xu’s Cooking, they’re also serving an extensive range of meat substitute products – from fish dishes to duck, chicken and beef in many different versions, they seem to have it all. Almost everything on their menu is vegan, and vegetarian exceptions can easily be ordered plant-based too. Especially the daily lunch buffet is a big hit among their customers, where you can really fill your stomach from 11:30am to 3pm.

Oh, and if you’re looking for that special foodie experience that is an affordable version of Tian, the Michelin star gourmet vegetarian restaurant in the first district, check out Tian Bistro at Spittelberg. Dishes are exclusively vegetarian or vegan, with seasonal menus and suppliers from the immediate region they show their commitment to respect for nature, people and animals alike.

A staple for any legendary night out is definitely bar hopping in the 7th district, especially because there are so many cool and funky bars to try out. Wether you’re looking for a chill spot to catch up with some pals, or a stylish place that’ll give you an excuse to dress up a bit, Neubau’s got you covered.

Lots of homely wooden chairs, background noises of clinking Spritzer glasses and lively Schanigärten with a super cozy atmosphere can be found at Siebenstern, Wirr, Rundbar, Le Troquet and Ganz, where you’ll find yourself sitting and chatting for hours in amongst these bar’s irresistible atmospheres.

Anyone who’s feeling fancy for some passionately prepared cocktails and such will be happy to find themselves at Parfümerie, Moby Dick, or Agent Oscar, where one can spend their night being mesmerised by the bartending-skills of the talented resident mixologists.

The Dachbodenbar at the top of Vienna’s 25 Hours Hotel provides all the chasers of sunsets with a spectacular view of the sky and the city, as well as some well-made drinks.

A true gem that’s not very easy to find, but definitely worth the search, is Donautechno. It’s a wacky bar with loads of light visuals, Techno music blaring, and repurposed ski lift cabins for you and ya’ pal’s to rest your butts in.

While the streets of Neubau offer up high-end designs in boutiques, it also offers a lot in terms of vintage shopping. There’s the old favourite of Bootik54 on Neubaugasse. You may have to be patient while you spend your time browsing through this tiny store, or both stores (they’ve got another one right next door!), but it’s well worth your time. The same can be said about the Humana stores in the area, particularly the one on Lerchenfelderstraße. 

The cafe/ vintage store, Burggasse 24 has a brilliant range of vintage fashion, plus its a damn fine cafe to spend time in.

At Zweitkleid7 and Freudich Vintage Store, you’ll also find what your vintage-loving heart desires.

Then there’s the Neubaugassen Flohmarkt that takes up the whole street twice a year, which is definitely worth checking out.

Where: Museumsquartier, 1070

The number of reasons why to visit the MuseumsQuartier (known as MQ by the locals) can’t be counted on one hand…or even one hand and a foot, for that matter!

Now, to start off with – the MQ may primarily be the hub of Vienna’s culture scene and an urban space hosting awesome events, but it’s also got something on offer for the kids of the city. The theatre house, Dschungel Wien, is a cultural space for children and teens, offering up workshops and performances for all the young bright minds of the city.

The museums housed here are OBVIOUSLY one of the main reasons to visit the MUSEUMSquartier. There’s the MUMOK for those that like the far out modern art that make you go ‘Ummmm, what am I looking at here?’, and for those wanting to catch big Austrian names of art on the wall, like Klimt and Schiele, they can hit up the Leopold Museum. While you make your way through the Leopold museum, don’t forget to stop by the museums cafe, Café Leopold. The Café’s restaurant deck is usually full of a lively bunch on warm sunny day.

Built on the rooftop of the Leopold Museum, you’ll also find the slick rooftop location, MQ Libelle, a newcomer to the spirited art square.
At Libelle you’re standing high enough to enjoy a view over the inner city.

Beside all of this, there’s Architekturzentrum museum to check out, and the many outdoor art exhibitions the space houses, like their forever changing dome passages that all have their own artistic thing happening inside.  

On the border of Neubau, you’ll find the busy and beloved shopping boulevard, Mariahilfer Straße, but if you want to level-up your current wardrobe then just turn into a few corner streets and discover some of Vienna’s unique and independent fashion stores.

At Art Point and WALL, you can find statement pieces with original cuts and unique styles. The latter stocks simplistic everyday wear and the other sells creative collections from her own designs. At the concept store, WeBandits, you’ll be handing over your credit card for some very unique pieces. Here, you’ll most likely meet racks of Korean fashion labels and items by Scandinavian designers.

In addition to having a range of minimalistic menswear and womenswear items, Kauf Dich Glücklich also brings happiness to their customers’ faces by offering cosmetics, bags, shoes, and home decor to give your four walls at home some Berliner spunk. Under the 2-floor store’s roof, you’ll find many different European brands, as well as products from the shop’s own brand.

Just up the street, Stil-laden is just the right dealer in your skater gear. This doesn’t just include bucket hats and comfy cargo pants, but also colourful skateboard decks and skater shoes. The store even has a coffee corner with reading material about outdoorsy activities that might get your heart to do a kick-flip.

Along Siebensterngasse, Sneak In has become an established chill point for skaters and sneaker-heads, alike. You can get a healthy veggie, or non-veggie, brunch and admire the wall of sneakers (of which some are limited editions). This business also occasionally hosts parties and events for local artists and performers.

At Qwestion, you’ll find bags, bags, bags, and accessories to put inside your bags. The company likes to keep their merch’ casual, but functional, which is reflected in their products.

Whenever you need to prepare for your next outing, try stopping by at Qwestion, and don’t hesitate to ask for their best travel and work bags.

On Zollergasse you can look up L’adresse for more accessories (said with a sexy French accent). This French concept store carefully selects their cosmetics and other lifestyle items from over 60 international brands. No more than 7 minutes away you can find spunky pieces with a modern Viennese Schmah at Kitschbitch. The corner boutique features tote bags, graphic T-shirts, and other accessories that have a knack at expressing just how every contemporary Viennese person feels at times.

For anyone who’s dreaming of filling their bathtub with ice cream and spending the rest of their glorious lives in there, Neubau has some absolutely delicious ice cream shops that you can’t miss once you find yourself in the district.

A true staple when it comes to the Viennese gelato experience is Paolo Bortolotti, which you can practically find on every street corner in Neubau; on Mariahilferstraße alone you’ll come across a whopping four of their shops!

On Stiftgasse, you’ll find Gelateria La Romana. This place doesn’t only look (and smell) incredible, but also serves you some of the creamiest Italian-style gelato in various unique flavours, like ‘grandma’s biscuits’, ‘cream of chestnuts’ or ‘bread, butter and jam’, just to name a few.

A store notorious for the long lines forming in front of it on a hot summer’s day is Eis Greissler, and it has some truly delicious scoops that are totally worth the wait. Some of their most well-known flavours are pumpkin seed oil, and goat cheese, which both taste way, way better than they sound.

And last, but not at all least in this list of ice cream places to stuff your sweet-tooth-face with is the entirely plant-based ice creamery, Veganista. Not only do they make super tasty vegan versions of staple flavours like vanilla and chocolate, but also come up with really cool (and very Instagrammable) flavour combinations like blueberry & lavender, basil, and tonka bean.