Das Loft ★ 4.5
€€€€leopoldstadtMon-Thu 16:00 to 01:00, Fri-Sat 16:00 to 02:00, Sun 17:00 to 01:00
Das Loft runs on the 18th floor of the SO Vienna hotel on the Donaukanal across from the Urania, with a Jorrit Tornquist multicoloured glass ceiling and a 360 view that takes in the Stephansdom spires, the canal and the Prater.
Tip: No reservation needed at the bar; tables fill on Friday and Saturday. The rooftop is glass-enclosed, so winter visits still work.
Atmosphere Rooftop Bar ★ 4.3
€€€€innere-stadtDaily 17:00 to 01:00, seasonal mid-April to late summer
Atmosphere sits on the eighth floor of the Ritz-Carlton on the Ringstrasse, opening seasonally from mid-April with a California Soul concept, sundowner cocktails and a view across the Stadtpark to the Belvedere.
Tip: Open weather permitting from mid-April to late summer; reservations recommended for the prime terrace seats on warm evenings.
Tür 7 ★ 4.7
€€€josefstadtMon-Sat 19:00 to 02:00, closed Sun
Tür 7 hides behind a plain Josefstadt door marked only with a brass 7, with a 35-seat parlour room, no printed menu, and bartenders building bespoke cocktails to each guest in turn.
Tip: Ring the bell and wait; if full nobody enters. Reserve by email for groups over two and brief the bartender on a spirit you like.
Loos American Bar ★ 4.6
€€€innere-stadtDaily 12:00 to 04:00
Loos opened in 1908 on the Kärntner Durchgang off Kärntner Strasse as Adolf Loos's American Bar, a 27 square metre room of yellow marble, mahogany and mirrors that still serves the canonical Vienna cocktail list.
Tip: Walk-in only; 27 square metres means standing room after 22:00. Order a classic; the room rewards a Negroni and a slow drink.
Kruger's American Bar ★ 4.4
€€€innere-stadtMon-Wed 18:00 to 03:00, Thu-Sat 18:00 to 04:00, Sun 19:00 to 02:00
Kruger's has run at Krugerstrasse 5 since the 1920s as the oldest cocktail bar still trading in Vienna, with the original Chesterfield leather, 1920s lamps, two long bars and a list that runs over 100 cocktails.
Tip: Daily happy hour to 20:00; cigar smokers go to the back room. The whisky and rum stock is the deepest in the 1st district.
First Floor ★ 4.3
€€€innere-stadtMon-Wed and Sun 18:00 to 20:00, Thu 18:00 to 02:00, Fri-Sat 18:00 to 04:00
First Floor anchors the Bermuda Triangle on Seitenstettengasse with a giant planted aquarium behind the counter and an Eichinger oder Knechtl interior, running over 300 cocktails and a live jazz set on Thursday evenings.
Tip: Climb the staircase from Seitenstettengasse; the bar is on the first floor as the name promises. Thursday jazz draws a packed counter.