Let’s face it, great bars offering food until past midnight are a wonderful thing, and they are usually not so hard to find in Vienna. Anyone familiar with the pangs of hunger experienced late at night between clubs or on the way home at the end of a long night knows the value of a nearby, tried and tested late night eatery.

In Vienna, the area around the Naschmarkt and neighboring districts is the go-to address for late night cooking. The legendary Café Drechsler was recently given a stylish facelift by British star designer Sir Terence Conran. One thing that has not changed is that it is still a virtually 24-hour meeting place, with classic Viennese cuisine and excellent coffee.

A few minutes’ walk away at trendy Chinese restaurant ShanghaiTan there’s a chance to experience the dark side of night. The dim light of the lanterns creates an exotic ambience – but the food still takes center stage. Udon soups, sate sticks and other far eastern delicacies are served until way past midnight.

A little farther away is Motto. Inconspicuous from the outside, it is actually a chic meeting place for the in-crowd, with a great bar, cozy tables and an attractive conservatory. In 2008, the restaurant was converted by architects BHEF into an "innovative living room". The emphasis is therefore on coziness, even if the furnishings appear a little feudal and opulent. The food ranges from Viennese specialties such as Schinkenfleckerl through to Asian fusion cuisine. 

Café Drechsler

6., Linke Wienzeile 22
tel. +43 (0)1 581-20-44
daily 3 a.m. to 2 a.m.
www.cafedrechsler.at

ShanghaiTan

6., Gumpendorfer Str. 9
tel. +43 (0)1 585-49-88
Mon. to Thurs. 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Fri. & Sat. 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.
www.shanghaitan.at

Motto

6., Schönbrunner Str. 30,
tel. +43 (0)1 587-06-72;
Sun. to Thurs. 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Fri. & Sat. 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.
www.motto.at