Best-of list · Live Music Bars
The 8 best live music bars in Vienna, from a cellar jazz club to rock under the subway arches. The night to go, the room to pick, and what to order.
The short answer
8 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
The 8 best live music bars in Vienna run from a cellar jazz club to rock under the subway arches, the rooms where the music leads and the drink follows. We read each by what plays and what pours, the night to go and the one to order. Vienna keeps a deep music scene beyond the concert halls, much of it in bars that charge little and start late. Check the listing, then pick your night.
Three rooms make jazz the whole point, from a nightly club to the oldest cellar in the city.
Porgy & Bess is Vienna's serious jazz room, open since 1993 on Riemergasse in the first district. The programming runs nightly and international, from hard bop to large ensembles, in a tiered hall built for listening rather than chatter. Sets run late. Book ahead for name acts. Best for a focused night where the music, not the bar, leads.
Jazzland holds the oldest jazz cellar in the city, a vaulted brick room near Schwedenplatz running since 1972. The booking leans traditional, swing and New Orleans, with a stage close enough to read the players. Food is simple and Viennese. Sets start late and the room is tight, so arrive early. Best for purists who want history with their music.
Full listing & hours →The Blue Tomato is a small Währing club where modern jazz and free improvisation get the room. It is intimate, a little scruffy, and run by people who clearly care about the music over the decor. Cover is modest. The sets sit close and loud for the size. Best for a low-key night among regulars rather than a polished evening.
Full listing & hours →B72 sits in a U-Bahn arch on the Gürtel by Alserstraße, holding around 500 for indie, post-punk and electronic gigs. The booking is sharp and the room runs late into club hours after the band. Drinks are cheap by Vienna standards. Check the calendar before you go. Best for a loud night under the arches with a young crowd.
Chelsea trades under the Gürtel arches in Britpop, punk and guitar music, with live bands and DJs filling a dark, sweaty room. It shows football on the screens between sets, drawing an expat and student crowd. Drinks stay cheap and the night runs long. Best for a rowdy gig followed by a late one, not a quiet pint.
Full listing & hours →WUK is a sprawling culture house in a former locomotive factory near the Volksoper, running concerts, club nights and a courtyard bar across one address. The music spans indie to electronic, and the program is one of the city's broadest. The courtyard is the summer draw. Best when you want options under one roof rather than a single set.
Reigen, out in Hietzing, pairs blues, soul, funk and rock with a proper kitchen, so you can eat while the band plays. The room is mid-sized and seated, drawing an older, attentive crowd. Booking ahead helps on big nights. Best for a relaxed gig with dinner rather than a stand-up club show.
Loop shares the Gürtel arches with a mix of bar, club and lounge, leaning on DJ sets and electronic nights more than live bands. The room stays open very late and the crowd skews young. Drinks are reasonable. Go for the after-hours stretch when the other arches wind down. Best for a long night rather than an early set.
How we picked
For live music in Vienna, start at Porgy and Bess for a serious jazz night, then drop into Jazzland's cellar for the oldest room in the city. B72 and Chelsea run loud under the subway arches, and Reigen pairs blues with a proper meal. Check the listing, pick your night, and let the band lead.
Last reviewed 2026-06-14 · The editors recheck hours and closures against current local coverage.