There is a certain charm permeated by wifts of faded elegance that sets the Rote Bar apart from other late night music and drinking establishments. It is located upstairs in the Volks Theater of Vienna but has its own entrance which you'll know by of course the red lights. Red is everywhere in this locale (seats, tables, bar, stage) and when you add in the crystal chandeliers and a pair of lunette murals, you feel that you're sipping wine or drinking whiskey in one of the last active vestiges of Imperial Austria.
Now for the music - well it is so varied you just have to know the performer(s) or indulge in discovery. Last night I was privileged to hear the immensely talented Austrian guitarist Martin Philadelphy who had just returned from an American tour. Hey with a name like Philadelphy of course I'm gonna go hear him play in person and he was well-worth the price of admission. Now if you don't like the music playing or want to continue the conversation you had started before the musicians took the stage, you can always move down the hall to the much lesser known little sister bar which I call the "White Bar."
On the negative side, what I don't like is the sometimes costly cover charge to get in. There are tricks to get around that but that's another story. Also the opening times can vary depending on the duration of the theatre performance that evening so when arranging this as a place to meet people, you have to do a little research first. Hey but other than this, most major cities in the world would undoubtedly yearn to have a late-night destination like the Rote Bar among its drinking and music options ... but Vienna already has it! read more