Donau hides behind a grey metal door on Karl-Schweighofer-Gasse between Mariahilfer Strasse and the MuseumsQuartier, running cheap drinks and underground electronic bookings across minimal, house and dubstep nights.
Tip: No sign on the door; ring for entry. Open seven nights; weeknights pull a local crowd over a cheaper bar.
Address: Karl-Schweighofer-Gasse 10, 1070 Wien, Vienna
Porgy & Bess moved into a former adult cinema on Riemergasse in 2001 across three floors, programming a broad reading of jazz that takes in electronic, world music, soul and singer-songwriter sets nearly every night.
Tip: Tickets via the website; the main floor seating sells out for named acts. Late jam sessions start around 23:30 on weekends.
Jazzland has run since 1972 in a rustic vaulted cellar under the Ruprechtskirche on Franz-Josefs-Kai, the oldest jazz club in Austria and a steady stage for traditional, swing and blues with over 300 American guest acts on its history.
Tip: Doors at 19:00, music at 20:30. Cash at the door; the food is hearty Austrian and the room is small, so come early.
Chelsea opened on the Lerchenfelder Gürtel in 1995 inside three interconnected U6 brick arches, anchoring the Gürtel strip with British indie bookings, alternative DJ nights and Premier League broadcasts on a worn floor.
Tip: Live shows usually 21:00 doors; the basement back room runs after the gig. Cash and card on the bar.
B72 has booked alternative Austrian and international acts since 1998 across two interconnected U6 arches near Alser Strasse, with a downstairs stage, two bars and a chillout balcony above the dancefloor.
Tip: Live concerts most evenings; DJ sets follow the gig and run until 04:00. Cash easier than card.
ZWE opened in 2007 on Floßgasse just off the Karmelitermarkt as a 40-seat jazz cafe, programming straight-ahead jazz, soul and funk sets six nights a week with a Sunday jazz brunch on the first Sunday of the month.
Tip: Phone ahead for a table on jam nights; the room turns quiet during the sets and the bar is cash and card.
Loop occupies two of the Stadtbahnbögen arches on the Gürtel near Josefstädter Strasse, running a stage that turns over from jazz and funk early to hip-hop and DJ sets into the small hours seven nights a week.
Tip: Concerts usually start 20:00; the U6 runs overhead and the room shakes during loud sets. Cash easier than card.