Pickwick's holds a corner of Marc-Aurel-Strasse in Vienna's Innere Stadt, a short walk from St Stephen's Cathedral. Reviews on Yelp and Tripadvisor describe a cafe-bar and international pub whose walls are lined with books and DVDs that guests can borrow. The pitch is a relaxed, English-speaking pub a step off the tourist core.
Published January 20, 2026 · By Daniel Okafor
The room
The room reads as a library as much as a bar, with shelves of books and films running up the walls and a long bar along one side. It pulls an international, English-speaking crowd of expats, students and travellers rather than a strict local set. The mood is casual and conversational, built for a long evening rather than a quick round.
Marc-Aurel-Strasse sits in the old centre near the Danube Canal, close to the Schwedenplatz nightlife strip. Pickwick's runs a summer garden that seats around thirty-five, which adds an outdoor option in the warmer months. The central address keeps it an easy meeting point. The bar has traded in the old centre for years as a fixture of the city's English-speaking scene.
What to order
The bar pours a broad range of beers, including Gosser, Guinness, Kilkenny and Budweiser, alongside a list of cocktails. The kitchen runs pub food, with the burgers, fries and bagels the dishes reviewers single out. Drinks and a plate are meant to carry a full evening rather than a tasting flight.
For a first visit a pint and a burger is the order the room is built around. The cocktail list adds range for a mixed group, and the borrowable books and films set the pace. Prices sit in the mid-range for the city centre.
Who it is for
Pickwick's fits an English-speaking visitor after a relaxed pub, a group wanting quiz or karaoke nights, and anyone who rates a casual room over a formal cocktail bar. Skip it for a refined cocktail session or a quiet local-only spot, since this is a busy international pub. It rewards guests who settle in with a book, a pint and the regular events.
Best time to go
The pub runs regular quiz nights, karaoke and weekend DJ sets, so checking what is on ahead helps shape the visit. The summer garden, seating around thirty-five, is the seat to ask for in warmer months. A weeknight is the calmer window before the weekend fills the room.
Event nights are the busiest, when the pub draws its fullest crowd. An earlier arrival beats the queue on a quiz or DJ night. The central location makes it an easy first stop before the nearby Schwedenplatz bars, within a short walk of the Bermuda Triangle drinking strip by the Danube Canal.
The detail worth knowing
The borrowable library is the detail that sets it apart, since few Vienna pubs lend books and DVDs from the walls. That lending shelf, noted across Yelp and Tripadvisor reviews, gives the room its character and its name. The international, English-speaking crowd marks it out from the city's coffee houses and Beisln.
Running as part pub, part lending library gave Pickwick's a clear identity in the old centre. The summer garden and the regular events keep it busy across the week. It remains a reliable meeting point for visitors and expats near the cathedral, a short walk from the Stephansplatz and Schwedenplatz stops. The mix of borrowed books, bar food and weekly events is what keeps the room turning over.
The bottom line
Pickwick's is a Vienna cafe-bar and pub on Marc-Aurel-Strasse, its walls lined with books and films to borrow and a summer garden out back. Come for a quiz night or a relaxed pint, order a burger, and browse the shelves. It is a casual international pub rather than a cocktail bar, and the lending library is the reason it stands out.
Keep exploring with our best pubs in Vienna guide, the full Vienna bar guide, and our edit of pubs worldwide. Pair Pickwick's with Flanagan's Irish Pub, Molly Darcy's, and Shebeen.
