Vienna’s Coolest Cocktail Bars: The Local’s Guide

In the 19th century, the American cocktail bar scene took off, thanks to bartender and showman Jerry Thomas. His 1862 Bartenders Guide put mixology into the hands of everyone. From the first true cocktail, the Old Fashioned, to Thomas’s flaming Blue Blazer, the cocktail became a thing of art. Even European travelers couldn’t ignore the American cocktail bar, and the concept soon found its way into cities like Vienna, Austria. On a recent trip to Vienna, I asked locals to share their favorite haunts. Here are seven of their very best recommendations. 

When you’re walking the streets of Vienna and you see Loos American Bar, you might write it off as a sports bar, with blaring TVs, chicken wings, and cheap beer. You’d be wrong. Loos is a true piece of history and a longtime local favorite. Having lived in America in the 1890s, Adolf Loos brought the cocktail bar concept to Vienna in 1908. It’s a tiny space, with mostly barstool seating and a few green leather booths. Its mahogany bar, paneled ceiling, and checkered marble floor are iconic. Loos divides its menu by type of liquor, focusing on the classics and notable riffs on those classics. It was Halloween when I went, so I had a very satisfying corpse reviver no. 2.

In the heart of Vienna, off the main drag, is Truth & Dare. The bar prides itself on creating challenging new cocktails. It’s the winner of Mixology’s Best Bar Austria in 2023, 2024, and this October’s 2025 award. They have a weekly rotating menu of mini cocktails, alongside “true” classics like an espresso martini or gimlet. As the name suggests, it’s also a great place to take a chance on something new, like their OnlyFans Martini, made from Stoli Vodka, cranberry juice, Amaro Lucano, and Champagne.

With its golden-age lighting, Kleinod’s interior pulls from the coolest of architectural styles: Art Deco. The menu, however, is not stuck in the early 20th century. You can order the classics, like a whiskey sour, Moscow mule, or negroni. You can also be curious and try something more unconventional, like their One Piece–inspired D. Ruffy, a blend of Monkey Shoulder single-malt whiskey, Bananenlikör, Plantation Pineapple Rum, Mozart Dark Chocolate, and saline.

Leave it to the hotel clerk at Hotel Zur Wiener Staatsoper to know where people like to drink after a long work day. Josef Cocktail Bar has a creative menu, so I dared to try their Snickers Old Fashioned, which was a Bulleit bourbon infused with Snickers. It was playful, unadorned, and thankfully light on the Snickers. They also have a persuasive selection of classics, like a Paloma or Gin Basil. 

Decades old and not in a touristy area, Café Europa is in the popular and trendy District 7. It offers live music, pulling in the young, late-night, local crowd (food is served until 4 A.M.), and it has an outdoor dining area. Europa’s cocktail menu is full of classics, like a gin fizz, mojito, and cosmopolitan, along with several long drinks. I had a simple, refreshing gin tonic.

Not far from Cafe Europa, Miranda Bar’s pastel colors and tropical-themed menu conjures beachside vibes, but it’s a cozy and conversational space. They have their own creations, like the Irish Empire (Irish Whiskey, Riesling Vermouth, Imperial Ale, and soda), along with classics, like the Penicillin. Their friendly bartenders will chat while they mix drinks, which will make you want to order more.

Like a neighborhood hangout where style and mood meets comfortable couch seating, Bar Pani feels like being welcomed into someone’s home. The menu is divided by classic categories with creative modifications. Their section of “Old and New Fashions,” for example, includes takes on the Old Fashioned, like “Pecan Pie Old Fashioned,” which is roasted pecans infused Maker’s Mark bourbon, salted caramel syrup, and coffee-orange bitters).

The cocktail bar scene in Vienna made a roaring comeback in the 1990s, and it also seems to be experiencing a recent revival. As one bartender at Miranda Bar told me, Vienna’s cocktail scene is inventive and continues to raise the bar, now rivaling those in Berlin. So come to Vienna for the history, and stay for the craft cocktails.