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.
Address: Floßgasse 4, 1020 Wien, Vienna
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.
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.
Cabaret Fledermaus sits behind a discreet Spiegelgasse facade in the 1st district, running themed live music and party nights from pop and salsa to rock cover sets in an old-Vienna theatre room.
Tip: Free entry from 21:00; cocktail prices match the postcode. The stage runs live music most nights, DJ sets after.
Sky at Steffl runs on the seventh floor of the Steffl department store on Kärntner Strasse, reached by a glass panoramic lift that opens straight onto a wraparound terrace over Stephansdom, the rooftops and the Inner City.
Tip: Walk-in Friday and Saturday 17:00 to 01:00 without reservation. Sunset arrival on a clear day is the calmer way in.
Der Dachboden sits on the eighth floor of the 25hours Hotel above the MuseumsQuartier, with a long timber deck looking across the Hofburg, the Burgtheater and the Volkstheater rooftops, and a list of well-priced local cocktails.
Tip: Lift access from the hotel lobby on Lerchenfelder Strasse. Sunset queues build from 19:00; weeknight afternoons are calm.
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 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.