Other entries in the hotel boom include the totally remodeled Almanac Vienna (Parkring 14-16. www.almanachotels.com), opening soon right on Vienna’s famous Ring, and the Rosewood Vienna (Graben 21. www.rosewoodhotels.com) slated for a 2022 opening in the city center, with 99 rooms and suites planned for this historic 18th century building.
Once you’ve settled into your new boutique hotel, it time to try some of the plethora of new restaurants supplementing the tried-and-true favorites in Vienna. Seven North (Schotenfeldgasse 74. Tel: +43-1-376-1077. www.sevennorthrestaurant.com), in the new Max Brown Hotel, is a buzzy, friendly spot where you’ll embark on a culinary journey with a variety of small plates that demonstrate the chef’s wild creativity. You might start with a carpaccio of charry roasted beets, or spinach stems (yes, just the stems) steamed to melt-in-the-mouth softness, coming in a twisty envelope of parchment paper, and that’s just the beginning of this culinary adventure! As the menu says, “Being wild means that all the rules are changing.”
Exhibit at Leopold Museum
Photo: Milan Gonda
In the charming Spittelberg area lies The LaLa (Neustiftgasse 23. Tel: +43-660-710- 7851. www.the-lala.com), a fun little vegan spot that opened in May 2019 next to Veganista, the well-known vegan ice cream joint. At The LaLa, all pale green and pink in a crazy Viennese fantasy of L.A, is casual and fun, with great, healthy food. “Beach Breads” (open face sandwiches) range from Bravocado (pesto, avocado, tomato, microgreens) to Nuts about You (nut butter, marmalade, and bananas), while “Fresh Rounds,” served with quinoa or brown rice, come in such varieties as Green Valley (kale, broccoli, avocado). Wash it down with The LaLa, a smoothie made of strawberries, cashews, and vanilla.
A new bar/eatery, Bruder (Windmühlgasse 20. Tel: +43-664-135-1320. www.bruder.xyz) has a long table at the middle and a bar to the right. Shelves and window ledges are covered with concoctions of fruit soaking in alcohol for their house-made infusions that are used in ultra-creative cocktails. The food is just as inventive as the libations, and the originality that starts with the drinks continues through the small plates you’ll have alongside them.
Secession Building
Photo: Bertl123
Das Bootshaus (an der unteren cherished coffeehouse/café/bar/gathering place for the community and open since 1896, has been renovated and enlarged– but don’t worry, its amazing mirror (claimed to be the largest in Europe after Versailles) is blessedly intact! Vienna might have a dynamic party scene (for the latest news consult www.facebook.com/lgbtvienna), but I still find myself going back to restaurants like Motto (Schönbrunnerstrasse 30. Tel: +43-1-587-0672. www.motto.wien) and its sister restaurant right on the Danube canal, Motto am Fluss (Franz Josefs Kai 2. Tel: +43-1-252- 5510. www.mottoamfluss.at), both longtime community favorites with creatively-prepared food and warm welcome.
