North-west around the university and Servitenviertel: Pramerl & the Wolf's Michelin star on Pramergasse, MAST Weinbistro and Gragger & Cie's wood-fired sourdough on Berggasse, plus the city's strongest student-cafe density.
Wolfgang Zankl-Sertl's Pramerl & the Wolf on Pramergasse in Vienna's Alsergrund holds a Michelin star for a tight, six-course Austrian tasting served.
Order: The full chef tasting; the kitchen runs one menu only.
Tip: The room only seats around two dozen; weeknights are easier to book than Saturdays.
Reznicek on Reznicekgasse in Alsergrund is Simon Schubert and Julian Lechner's modern Wirtshaus, swapping the card each season alongside a serious wine list.
Signature: Seasonal Austrian carte, Backhendl, Schmankerlpfanne
Order: Whatever roast is on the card; the wine list is deeper than most Beisl in the district.
Tip: Mid-week dinner is easier to book than weekends; closed Sundays.
Servitenwirt on Servitengasse in Alsergrund sits across from the Servitenkirche, the church-square terrace among Vienna's quietest summer Schanigartens.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Goulash, Backhendl
Order: Wiener Schnitzel with cucumber salad, then a Topfenstrudel for dessert.
Tip: The terrace under the church plane trees is the room's headline seat; come on a weekday lunch.
Jonas Reindl on Waehringer Strasse in Alsergrund is one of Vienna's most consistent specialty roasters, with a Schottentor cafe and Westbahnstrasse roastery.
Tip: The Westbahnstrasse roastery does roastery tours by appointment; book through the website.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail, Subscription
Coffee Pirates on Spitalgasse in Alsergrund was Vienna's first organic-certified third-wave roastery in 2012, the counter still the AKH-quarter standby.
Tip: The Spitalgasse 15 sister shop next door pours filter only and closes weekends; the flagship runs every day.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Brazil, Burundi
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail, Subscription
MAST Weinbistro on Porzellangasse in Vienna's Alsergrund is Matthias Pitra and Steve Breitzke's natural-wine bistro, the Servitenviertel address with a Bib.
Signature pour: Burgenland Pinot Noir by the glass
Wine focus: Natural and organic, Austrian and European
Food: Seasonal bistro, Bib Gourmand
Tip: Lunch service runs midday Wednesday to Friday; the weekend service is dinner only.
Krypt on Wasagasse in Vienna's Alsergrund is a candlelit basement bar in a vaulted 18th-century cellar between the Votivkirche and Sigmund Freud's apartment.
Signature drink: Monkey 47 gin highball
Food: No food
Tip: No exterior signage; open Wed-Thu 19:00 to midnight, Fri-Sat to 02:00, closed Sun-Tue.
The Sign Lounge on Liechtensteinstrasse in Vienna's Alsergrund is the Kan Zuo team's neon-and-velvet flagship, ranked in Asia's bar lists and a top-10.
Signature drink: Vienna Old Fashioned
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Booking essential at weekends; the upstairs Living Room runs a tighter, calmer carte than the main bar.
Der Wiener Deewan on Liechtensteinstrasse in Vienna's Alsergrund runs a pay-what-you-want Pakistani buffet, with a daily curry-and-rice carte that has built.
Try: Pay-what-you-want Pakistani buffet
Tip: Pay-what-you-want for food only; drinks are charged. Cash welcome and most appreciated.
Beaver Brewing on Liechtensteinstrasse in Vienna's Alsergrund is a tiny brewpub run by an American-Czech brewer, with sixteen rotating taps.
Tip: Cash and card; the kitchen runs Czech-American crossover plates, the buffalo wings come with house hot sauce.
Der Wiener Deewan on Liechtensteinstrasse in Vienna's Alsergrund runs a pay-what-you-want Pakistani buffet, drinks charged separately, the city's loved.
Try: Pay-what-you-want Pakistani buffet
Tip: Pay what you want for food; drinks are charged. The buffet is replenished through 22:00.
Grelle Forelle opened in December 2011 on the Donaukanal under the Spittelauer Lände stairs, with two floors, a custom Funktion-One rig and a Neon Golden light concept that anchor the harder end of Vienna techno.
Tip: 21+ on the door, phones not allowed on the floors. Arrive after 01:00 for the proper room; the upper floor opens for breaks.
Das Werk has run in the raw Stadtbahn arches next to Grelle Forelle since 2006, programmed by a cultural association as the rougher, improvised counterweight to its polished neighbour, with the Viennese underground at the decks.
Tip: Cash bar; arrive after 01:00 for the proper room. Walk between Das Werk and Grelle Forelle on a single night for the full Spittelauer Lände spread.