How we select the best businesses in Vienna
The five steps ViennaList editors follow to choose the cafés, restaurants, shops and services in our Vienna rankings, and how every list is kept current.
A ViennaList ranking is meant to answer one question well: if you lived here and knew the city, where would you go? Getting to a good answer takes more than a quick search, and it takes patience with a city that does not reveal its best places at first glance. These are the steps our editors follow for every list.
Covering all 23 districts
We begin by establishing who actually offers the service across the city, from the first district to Liesing and Donaustadt. A Heuriger in Stammersdorf or a dentist in Simmering deserves the same attention as a well-known name near Stephansplatz, so the outer districts are researched as carefully as the centre.
Reading long-term standing
Vienna is slow to praise and slow to forget. We give weight to the reputation a business has built and kept over years, and to its consistency, rather than to a sudden burst of attention. A place that has served the same Grätzl well for a long time is exactly what this guide exists for.
Checking the basics
Before anything is published we confirm that the business is still trading, that its address and contact details hold up, and that it genuinely belongs in a guide to everyday Vienna. Entries that have closed, moved away or appear twice are taken out.
Ranking each trade on its own terms
Every list covers one kind of place. A Kaffeehaus is weighed against other coffee houses, a Beisl against other Beisln, a tax adviser against other tax advisers. That keeps each ranking useful for the decision you are actually trying to make, whether it is a Sunday lunch or a business accountant.
Returning to every list
Rankings are reviewed on a regular cycle. Places that close or lose their way drop off, newcomers that have earned a loyal following come in, and details are refreshed so that what you read here matches what you find when you arrive. A ranking that was right three years ago is not good enough.
Corrections and suggestions
If you spot an outdated detail, a place that has shut its doors or an address we really ought to include, email info@viennalist.com. Every message is read by our editors, and corrections are made as soon as we can confirm them. Owners who want to change their own listing can do so directly through our page for businesses.