We all know that being on a student budget tends to make going out to eat on a regular basis somewhat difficult.
We also know that we tend to do it anyway – and regret our decisions at the end of the month at the latest. That is, until we figured out where you can eat really good food in really cool restaurants for incredibly fair prices.
And because we like you, we’ve decided to share our secret knowledge with you! Yaaaaay!
Big Taste, Little Money, Much Style!
Bamboo
If you’re in the mood for Asian cuisine, the Bamboo is a nice way to fill your belly with the tastiest dishes for small money. The All-You-Can-Eat buffet comes in at around 10€ and leaves nobody wanting!
Where: Margaretenstraße 51, 1050 Vienna
Opening hours: daily: 11:30 am – 11:30 pm
Web: Bamboo
Café Gagarin
The Café Gagarin, named after that Russian cosmonaut, is the prototypical student café – there’s a lot of political statements, there’s much more shabby than there’s chic and the guests are a vocal mixture of every discipline, age and ideology. What makes this venue so special is that you only pay what you deem fair for the quality and quantity of food you were served. Very student budget-friendly, indeed.
Where: Garnisongasse 24, 1090 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 9:30 am – 2 am (breakfast: 9:30 am – 12 pm); Sat: 7 pm – 2 am; Sun & holidays: closed
Web: Café Gagarin
Café Siebenstern
For anyone who loves a good breakfast, the Café Siebenstern is a must. But not only are the breakfast hours (until 4 pm, at least!) incredibly student-friendly, should you stay long enough to get hungry again (or arrive too late for breakfast), they also serve really nice cakes. And their coffee is great. As is the culture program (readings, music, poetry, you name it) they serve on top of it all.
Where: Siebensterngasse 31, 1070 Vienna
Opening hours: Sun – Thu: 9 am – 12 am; Fri & Sat: 9 am – 1 am
Web: Café Siebenstern
Café Votiv
Located right next to the University of Vienna, the Café Votiv is a much-beloved and much-frequented eaterie for students, tourists and civil servants from the nearby city hall alike. And if you think that there’s only coffee, cake and sweet dishes to be had, think again! The Votiv is known to serve one of the best Schnitzels in town and all their other savory dishes are a real treat as well.
Where: Reichsratsstraße 17, 1010 Vienna
Opening hours: daily: 8 am – 11 pm
Web: Café Votiv
Curry Insel
If you love Sri Lankan cuisine and/or curries in general, this is your heaven! At the Curry Insel, there’s meat curries, veggies curries, fish curries and some vegan options. A portion comes in at around 2 – 3 €, a side dish of rice , or one of their really great flatbreads on top and you’ll have a full stomach for (on average) 5 – 7 €. Cash only (but we think we all can come up with those prices with our spare change only, don’t we?!).
Where: Lenaugasse 4, 1080 Vienna
Opening hours: Tue – Fri: 5 pm – 12 am; Sat & Sun: 11 am – 12 am (Sunday brunch: 11 am – 3 pm); Mon: closed
Web: Curry Insel
Fladerei
The creative word-play that denotes this eatery’s name doesn’t translate, but what does translate into any language is the heavenly taste of the creative flatbread creations you can buy in any of the shop’s venues. Prices range from roughly 3,50€ to 7,50€. An absolute treat!
Where: Salzgries: Salzgries 15, 1010 Vienna; Berggasse: Berggasse 12, 1090 Vienna; Mittersteig: Hugo-Wiener Platz/Mittersteig 2a, 1040 Vienna; Goldschlagstraße: Goldschlagstraße 34, 1150 Vienna;
Opening hours: Salzgries: Mon – Sat: 11 am – 2 am; Sun & holidays: 5 pm – 2 am; Berggasse: Mon – Thu: 11 am – 12 am; Fri: 11 am – 1 am; Sat: 12 pm – 1 am; Sun & holidays: 5 pm – 10 pm; Mittersteig: Mon – Sat: 11 am – 12 am; Sun & holidays: 4 pm – 12 am; Goldschlagstraße: Mon – Thu: 11 am – 12 am; Fri: 11 am – 1 am; Sat: 5 pm – 1 am; Sun & holiday: 5 pm – 10 pm;
Web: Fladerei
Florentin 1090
Fancy a taste of Tel Aviv in Vienna? Then the Florentin 1090 is your place to be! Here, the best of Israeli, Oriental and yes, even Viennese food is on offer and the colourful and absolutely amazingly delicious dishes make life in the city that much sweeter. Breakfasts start at 6,50€, hummus (with veggies, pita and salad) at 6,90€, and main dishes at 7,80€. There’s also a midday menu.
Where: Berggasse 8, 1090 Vienna
Opening hours: daily: 8 am – 11 pm
Web: Florentin 1090
Hase und Igel Feinkost
Vegetarians love the incredible food at Hase und Igel near the Mariahilfer Straße. Here, the team cooks live in the store, and dishes change daily. Prices range from roughly 3 € for the soup to about 7 € for the main dish. And the desserts, coming in at around 2€ are simply to die for. And for those with just a little bit of hunger, there’s incredibly good Brötchen (slices of bread with various spreads) to tide you over.
Where: Theobaldgasse 16, 1060 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 11 am – 8 pm; Sat: 11 am – 6 pm; Sun: closed
Web: Hase und Igel
“Krone”-Kantine
No, don’t roll your eyes and close the page now that you’ve read that heading! We’re not joking! You may think of that paper and what they call “journalism” whatever you want, but fact is (and BOKU students will verify that claim for you!) that the employee cafeteria serves really good food for little prices. And it’s open for everyone. So – just pop by and enjoy the best of what the Krone has to offer…
Where: Muthgasse 2, 1190 Vienna
Opening hours: N/A
Web: N/A
Marks
The Marks looks hipster. And it certainly is hipster. But what it also is, is a budget friendly place to satiate your hunger with really great food. Breakfasts here are a treat, later in the day there’s a great variety of vegetarian and even vega dishes, and they do serve one of the best Schnitzels in town. What’s not to love?
Where: Neustiftgasse 82, 1070 Vienna
Opening hours: Tue – Sat: 10 am – 12 am; Sun: 9:30 am – 11 pm
Web: Marks
Minoritenstüberl
Yes, this is the employee cafeteria of the Ministry of Education. Yes, this eatery is a bit hidden and you’ll most likely pass it by the first time around. And yes, the Minoritenstüberl is also the place where Austria’s most favourite TV chef, Andi Wojta, stirs and fries the yummy dishes himself. The good news: the eatery is open for everyone. The somewhat bad news – the very tasty midday menu (around 16 different dishes each day, some gluten free, some lactose free, some vegetarian, you name it) is only served over a two hour period. But there’s more good news: it’s way cheaper than you’d expect (around 7€) and you get to eat some of the tastiest Viennese and Austrian dishes. We love!
Where: Minoritenplatz 5, 1010 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 7:30 am – 4 pm (midday menu: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm)
Web: Andi Wojta
Nam Nam Dabba
The venue for take-away curry in Vienna! Each day there’s at least one veggie, one meat and one vegan curry on offer. For around 6 € you get an all-in-one container that holds a nice portion of rice and a really good portion of curry. Toppings are free.
Where: Marxergasse: Marxergasse 7, 1030 Vienna; Faulmanngasse: Faulmanngasse 1, 1040 Vienna
Opening hours: (both) Mon – Fri: 11 am – 2:30 pm
Web: Nam Nam Dabba
Phil
You love books? And coffee? How about really good cake? Or a nice cocktail? And meeting interesting people? What do you say if there’s regular cultural events as well? In some of which you’re asked to participate (e.g. read your favourite part of your favourite book)? That’s the Phil. A place to sit, read, and enjoy. And if you run out of books? Just grab one from the shelves and keep on reading! Oh, and there’s food as well – mostly smaller dishes, and then there’s the really opulent breakfast that is served until 4 pm!
Where: Gumpendorfer Str. 10 – 12, 1060 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon: 5 pm – 1 am; Tue – Sun: 9 am – 1 am
Web: Phil
Sägewerk
Is there anything more student-friendly than a DIY eatery? By which we mean that you can mix and match your favourite ingredients to create the perfect pizza, burger, scrambled eggs, salad, toast, and even waffles here. And all of it for more than fair prices!
Where: Währingerstr: Währinger Straße 21, 1090 Vienna; MaHü: Mariahilfer Str. 47, 1060 Vienna
Opening hours: Währingerstr: daily: 11 am – 2 am; MaHü: daily: 11 am – 1 am
Web: Sägewerk
Suppenwirtschaft
One of the many great eateries that have found a home in the extra lovely Servitenviertel is the Suppenwirtschaft. The small venue offers a great variety of soups, stews, salads and curries. All of them are made from organic ingredients, some are vegan, and each an every one of them is just delicious! If you drop by around midday, plan in some time as there tends to be quite the queue waiting!
Where: Servitengasse 6, 1090 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 11:30 am – 4 pm; Sat, Sun & holidays: closed
Web: Suppenwirtschaft
The Sly & Arny
The Sly & Arny not only has a super strong name-game going on, no, they also know their food! Which might come as a surprise for all amongst you that know the venue mostly for being one of the best cocktail bars in Vienna. If you’re in the market for having something to eat before (or alongside) your first drink of the evening, we can wholeheartedly recommend their pizza: it’s incredibly tasty and very, very budget-friendly. But let us warn you: once you’ve seen what else they have on offer, you may not be able to stop ordering another dish. And another one. And another one.
Where: Lackierergasse 5, 1090 Vienna
Opening hours: Sun – Thu: 6 pm – 1 am; Fri & Sat: 6 pm – 2 am
Web: The Sly & Arny
Wiener Deewan
Another Pay-As-You-Wish eatery that is easy to reach from the University of Vienna. In the venue you get your food from the buffet, enjoy a wide variety of curries and stews (no worries, there’s always meat-free and vegan alternatives) with flatbread, and buy whatever you feel is right at the end. The simple fact that this system has literally payed off since 2005 shows that a) the food at the Deewan is so good that it tends to make people pay adequately, and b) that a social sharing business venture can be profitable. It’s a win-win for everyone, we think!
Where: Liechtensteinstraße 10, 1090 Vienna
Opening hours: Mon – Sat: 11 am – 11 pm; Sun: closed
Web: Wiener Deewan
