Insiders' tips

Gumpendorfer Straße lies between Mariahilfer Straße and Naschmarkt, and at first glance comes across as an unassuming side street. Right at the beginning of Gumpendorfer Straße, at the boundary with the 1st District, several trendy restaurants have made themselves at home. The Asian restaurant Ra'mien impresses with excellent cuisine and minimalist interior architecture. Unlike the Ra'mien Bar in the basement: here, the furnishings of an old Chinese restaurant form an attractive contrast to the electronic DJ sounds. The associated ShanghaiTan next door opts entirely for a dimly lit ambience. Exotic dining can be enjoyed here long past midnight, and there's a cellar with cozy booths.

One door further down Das Möbel – a beautiful shop – sells prototype and limited edition furniture and accessories. Diagonally opposite Phil is the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing coffee while testing out one of the preowned sofas and chairs. Most are original fifties, sixties and seventies pieces, and are for sale. That goes for the handpicked selection of books, DVDs and vinyl. Lichterloh specializes in 20th century originals, some of them very rare. The stock consists of exquisite interior design pieces, and Le Corbusier’s famous LC 4 lounge chair is among the highlights.

A step further – at the boutique Nachbarin designed by Vienna architects propeller z cool – unique fashion labels including Veronique Leroy, Sonja Bischur and Florian Ladstätter are up for sale. Just 200 meters further along is Saint Charles Alimentary. This spin-off of the Saint Charles lifestyle pharmacy on the other side of the road is Austria’s first-ever “pharmacy restaurant” where delicious menus are conjured up from hand-picked ingredients in a postage-stamp space. Some produce is also available for take out. Practically around the corner on Theobaldgasse is Mon Ami, a mix of café, bar, shop and boutique.