The quarter around the Karmelitermarkt in the 2nd district has a very special charm. The 2nd district, Leopoldstadt, and specifically the Karmeliterviertel, is the centre of Jewish life in Vienna, with numerous kosher stores, restaurants, bakeries, butchers, as well as schools and religious institutions. That was also the case in former times: Until the Holocaust, many of Vienna's Jewish population live in the 2nd district, which gave it the nickname "Mazzesinsel" (mazzes, or matzo, is the word for unleavened bread). Strict orthodox Jews, dressed in their traditional black robes and tall hat, with a long beard and sidelocks, are a common sight in the streets hereabouts. However, a younger and more modern Jewish lifestyle is also evident in the Grätzel.

© WienTourismus/Erli Grünzweil

Market ambience

The Karmelitermarkt is the heartbeat of the district. At Karmelitermarkt, apart from fruit and vegetables, many flower stores, long-established market booths like the Gumprecht horse butchers, there is also a farmers' market on Fridays and Saturdays. And lots of food and drink, of course.

Zimmer 37 is a delicatessen shop and restaurant combined. The owner offers vegetarian Five Elements cuisine. Fine weather can be enjoyed in relaxation in the sunny sidewalk café. Extended breakfasts - until long after midday on Saturday - can be enjoyed in the café-bar Einfahrt, located right on the edge of the market. Concerts, readings or cabaret evenings are often held here of an evening.

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Tewa, like its sister restaurant at the Naschmarkt, offers modern and organic trendy cooking at the Karmelitermarkt. Directly adjacent is Kaas am Markt, a mix of delicatessen and restaurant, with excellent organic and slow-food products and snacks. The cute Cafemima offers various breakfast options and light dishes throughout the day as well as a nice atmosphere.

At the Weinschenke am Karmelitermarkt, there are wonderful burgers, Pizza from the wood oven and authentic southern Italian cuisine are served in the Pizza Quartier. The Contor is a cozy wine bar and vinotheque with a focus on Austrian wines. A bit farther, around the corner from the Karmelitermarkt, is the cake shop Fett+Zucker. A small shop with cute vintage furniture and a cozy atmosphere offering all kinds of cakes to lift your spirits.

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Karmelitergasse leads straight into Karmeliterplatz. Along the way the cozy café and bar Katscheli and the aperitif bistro Madai, the latter located on the corner of a pretty little square, tempt in passers-by.

Neighborhood life can also be enjoyed in the many bars and restaurants on Karmeliterplatz. The bars and restaurants on Karmeliterplatz show how diverse this neighborhood is: Café-Bistrot Harvest serves vegan cuisine, Kulturcafé Tachles offers Polish specialties, and Schank zum Reichsapfel is a city heuriger with good wine and a wonderful heuriger buffet. In between them, Weinbar Vinifero invites you to try natural wine. Common to all these establishments is that they have pretty outdoor dining areas.

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The Schöne Perle restaurant has made a name for itself as something of a culinary pioneer. The kitchen in Leopoldsgasse in the former Jewish quarter has been putting a new spin on traditional Viennese cuisine. Nowadays, the Schöne Perle is a successful example of the new bistros, with elegant interior furnishings and good food.

On the way towards Augarten, there are other restaurants worth a mention: Pizza Mari is a trendy pizzeria with very good Neapolitan pizzas. Okra Izakaya serves modern Japanese cuisine of a high standard, and Skopik & Lohn beckons with a cool interior, an outdoor dining area, small dishes, and good cocktails. A tip around the corner is Kraus on Grosse Pfarrgasse. Here, there is casual fine dining in a stylish ambience.

Off to the Augarten!

In the Augarten, the oldest baroque garden in the city, two anti-aircraft towers act as a memorial to one of the darkest chapters in Austria’s history. Two world-famous Viennese institutions also call the Augarten home – the Augarten Vienna Porcelain Manufactory and the Vienna Boys’ Choir.

Visitors on the lookout for a slightly unusual museum can make a detour to the Museum of Crime, which is housed in one of the oldest buildings in the district – the Seifensiederhaus. The museum presents stories of Vienna’s criminal cases, ranging from jealousy-filled murders by poisoning to the assassination of Emperor Franz Joseph to the infamous serial killer Jack Unterweger. Steady nerves will come in handy, but true-crime fans will certainly get plenty of value here. Even if you do not visit the museum, it is worth taking a look at this 17th-century gem with its charming arcades in the inner courtyard, known in Vienna as the Pawlatschenhof.