Weinstube Josefstadt

Heurigers are a Vienna specialty: charming wine taverns in the suburbs, near the city’s famed vineyards. What if you don't have the time or energy to trek out to Grinzing and Nussberg in Heuriger-land? You find the best alternative in the city, which is Weinstube Josefstadt. It's a small drinking joint in the elegantly old-school District 8, with residential houses towering over its ivy-covered outdoor garden.

While technically not a Heuriger – they don't make their own wine – the place looks and feels like one. Both its Gemischter Satz and Blaufränkisch-forward wine offerings and the foods lined up behind the glass display: meatballs, roast pork belly, egg and Liptauer spreads, apple, and cottage-cheese strudels. Weinstube Josefstadt retires for the cold months, from November until February.