Vienna’s beer history goes back centuries. The oldest beer hall Vienna can claim roots in medieval times—cellars carved into the rock, breweries that supplied the court and the city. What counts as “oldest” depends how you define it: the building, the business, or the tradition. Either way, Vienna’s beer culture is built on places that have been pouring for a long time. Our Vienna Brewery Guide has more on the history; here’s the story of the oldest beer halls and where that tradition lives today.
A bit of beer history in Vienna
By the Middle Ages, Vienna was already regulating brewing. The Reinheitsgebot (1516) shaped standards across the Habsburg lands. In the 19th century, Anton Dreher in Schwechat developed Vienna malt and the amber lager that put “Vienna-style” beer on the map. Many of the grand breweries of that era are gone—merged, closed, or moved. But the style and the culture remain. When you drink a Helles or Märzen in a traditional Brauhaus today, you’re part of that lineage.
What’s left of the old halls
Some historic buildings that housed breweries still exist—sometimes as restaurants, sometimes with new breweries inside. Ottakringer has been brewing in the 16th district since the 19th century. Other “old” spots might have centuries-old cellars but newer businesses. The oldest beer hall Vienna in the sense of “still serving beer in a historic space” is a moving target; ownership changes, and claims vary. What matters is that the tradition of drinking good lager in a proper hall is still alive.
Traditional today: Fischerbräu
Fischerbräu in Döbling isn’t the oldest building in Vienna, but it’s been a gasthaus brewery since 1985—Vienna’s first of its kind in the modern era. It carries the spirit of a traditional Brauhaus: house-brewed Helles, Dunkles, Märzen-style beer, Austrian food, and a beer garden. If you want to experience what an oldest beer hall Vienna sensibility feels like—without the tourism circus—Fischerbräu is a good place to start. Billrothstraße 17, tram 37/38 or bus 35A.
More on beer halls and history
For the full picture, see beer hall Vienna, traditional brewery Vienna, and best brewery in Vienna. The history is in the beer and the buildings; the best way to feel it is to sit down and drink.
Experience tradition at Fischerbräu
House beer since 1985. Austrian food, beer garden. Billrothstraße 17.