The Servitenviertel in Vienna exudes an extraordinary flair. The houses are particularly manicured and well maintained. The picturesque streets are lined with florists, handsome little shops and lots of eateries. Around the Servitenkirche, a Baroque church dating to the 17th century, there is an almost village-like atmosphere. In summer, people sit on the paved square in one of the many cozy dining areas. The beautifully preserved wooden facades of the shops, such as the Xocolat chocolate factory, where you can watch the chocolatiers crafting their chocolates and confections through the shop window, are a particular eye-catcher.

The Servitenviertel has a strong French influence. You can almost feel the presence of the Lycée Français, a French private school in the area. French is often spoken in the streets hereabouts and the local eateries exude Parisian flair. The heart of the district is Servitengasse. Located on the corner with Porzellangasse is La Mercerie. With this French bistro, the Servitenviertel once again does justice to its reputation as Little Paris. Old apothecary cabinets and a pretty tiled floor form the perfect setting for croissants and baguettes from the in-house bakery as well as for éclairs and tartes delivered fresh daily from Paris, which can be enjoyed directly in the bistro alongside French classics such as Quiche Lorraine and cheese platters. Right opposite in the Plain, there's healthy soul food with lots of vegan dishes.

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Steirasia is a restaurant for Asian and Styrian fusion cuisine. A culinary enhancement for Servitengasse.  The Porzellan is noted for its white interior, and the internationally styled menu is astounding. One door along, fans of Italian cuisine get their money's worth at Scala. Right next door to that, the Suppenwirtschaft offers healthy curries, salads – and soups, of course. In Gerald König’s delicatessen you pop in for oysters, beef or fish tartare, cheese and, of course, the appropriate accompanying wine.

Picturesque flair on Servitenplatz

The restaurants with outdoor terraces on Servitenplatz impress with a beautiful view of the Servitenkirche: In keeping with the flair of the district, Harald Brunner is serving up French-inspired dishes with an Austrian twist in his restaurant of the same name. Kiang Wine & Dine has great wines and Chinese street food that comes highly recommended. The chic Italian restaurant La Pasteria is also worth a visit and offers all kinds of pasta as well as selected meat and fish dishes of Italian cuisine.

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Detour to Berggasse

The establishments on Berggasse are also worth a visit: Zum Roten Bären is a hip beisl with a young crowd and good, uncomplicated Viennese cuisine. Good pub food can also be found at Rebhuhn, a classic Viennese beisl located on a street corner. The wood paneling in the restaurant is straight out of a picture book. By contrast, Ragusa, which is also located on Bergasse, specializes in fish cuisine from the Dalmatian coast.

Hidden jewels

A hidden culinary highlight can be found at Pramergasse 21. There is nothing to indicate that the unremarkable facade hides one of the best restaurants in Vienna. Passers-by could mistake Pramerl & the Wolf for a simple pub. Inside, diners can expect a welcoming ambience with an old wooden bar and wood-panelled walls, and there are only a few tables. The establishment serves radical modern Viennese cuisine that has been awarded a Michelin star, but without the fuss of haute cuisine. This is another great way to discover Viennese cuisine. Be sure to make a reservation as the restaurant is usually booked up weeks in advance!

There is an address one street further on, on Seegasse, where it is likewise worth exploring behind the facade. The inner courtyard of the Rossau Retirement Home contains the oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in Austria. Centuries-old gravestones were discovered here during renovation works in 2013. Visitors can look out over the historically unique cemetery, the history of which stretches back to the mid-16th century, from the balcony of the retirement home.

A visit to Sigmund Freud

Those who wish to continue following in the footsteps of Vienna’s Jewish community should pay a visit to the Sigmund Freud Museum at the renowned address at Berggasse 19. Sigmund Freud’s former private rooms were also opened to the public in 2020. The museum not only tells the story of the emergence of psychoanalysis, it is also a chronicle of the lives of a Viennese family around the turn of the 20th century. The founder of psychoanalysis lived and worked at Berggasse 19 between 1891 and 1938, before his emigration to the United Kingdom.

The Liechtenstein Garden Palace, a magnificent baroque palace with a beautiful park owned by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein, and the Strudlhofstiege are also worth visiting. Vienna’s most famous set of steps was built in 1910 and, with its curved stairs and green railings, is a spectacular example of Viennese Art Nouveau. The steps were made famous by a novel of the same name written by Heimito Doderer.