From two-for-one offers on your favourite cocktail to rounds of reduced beer, there are some brilliant places in Vienna to end up on happy hour. Whether you’re visiting on a stag or hen, or simply on a boozy holiday with friends, choose between low-lit, smoky joints or sleek and simple cocktail bars.
Located in Vienna’s trendy 6th district of Mariahilf, Miranda is a chic and sophisticated cocktail bar. The decor is minimal – neon lights beckon you inside, where you’ll find millennial pink behind the bar and neatly arranged rows of white leather stools. The menu, which changes seasonally, features long drinks, such as the Nachtigall (vodka, champagne-reduction, grappa, verjus, lavender bitters, seasalt-essence) and shorts such as the Granaté (rosemary infused gin, cointreau, simple syrup, lime juice, cranberry juice, pomegranate, soda). Monday is ‘champagne day’, when you can sample their special bubbly cocktails. Their happy hour is between 6 and 8pm.
The 2nd district of Vienna, Leopoldstadt, attracts the city’s young and hip crowd. Bricks bar contributes to its lively nightlife, with decently priced cocktails and a dance floor that plays everything from disco and rock to house and electro music. The bar is perfect for those visiting on a shoestring and who want to boogie – happy hour is between 8–10pm and offers guests €5 cocktails.
Happy hour is an American invention, so why not celebrate it in an American bar? New York Bar is located a stone’s throw away from many of the central Vienna landmarks, including the Stephansdome and Habsburg Palace, making it a prime location for a few tipples after a day spent sightseeing. Happy hour is between 6 and 8 pm, and the cocktail menu contains all the classics, such as piña coladas and White Russians.
Strandbar Herrmann is not only a good place to end up for happy hour (between 5–6pm), but it’s also Vienna’s substitute for a beach – located on the Danube Canal and complete with a sandy shore and deckchairs for soaking up the sun (no swimming, mind). A wide variety of cocktails and beers are available during happy hour, including some seasonal specialities.
Popular with both locals and tourists, and of course fans of the famous author Charles Bukowski, this is a low-lit and intimate joint for cosy, late-night conversations. Located in the trendy 7th district, Neubau, the clientele at Bukowski tends to be on the younger side. Happy hour takes place between 11pm–12am, when cocktails and beers are two-for-one. Open until the small hours of the morning, this bar is for those who are in it for the long haul.
Cheap and cheerful, Blue Bar is a favourite with tourists. With long island iced teas and margaritas for as little as €5, you can’t go wrong. Located near the heart of the city, it is a great spot for a post-sightseeing drink. Daily specials are posted on their Facebook page – be sure to check it out.
