DAS LOFT at dusk, November 2025, before the 2026 refurbishment.
On the 18th floor of SO/ Vienna, Pipilotti Rist’s illuminated ceiling shares the attention with the city beyond the glass.
We visited DAS LOFT in November 2025 for drinks and fries as daylight was fading over Vienna. The restaurant and bar occupy the top floor of SO/ Vienna, beside the Danube Canal, with full-height windows looking out across the rooftops.
A brightly coloured ceiling stretched across the room, its yellow and orange tones reflected in the windows against the deepening blue sky. Below it, small lamps illuminated the tables. It was an impressive setting for an evening drink.
Editor’s note: DAS LOFT reopened in September 2026 following an interior redesign by BEHF Architects. This article and its photographs describe our November 2025 visit, before the refurbishment.
The architecture and the view
The hotel was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. Its contemporary glass architecture stands close to Vienna’s historic centre, with DAS LOFT on the 18th floor.
From inside, the windows make the height immediately apparent. Buildings fill the foreground, while the city stretches towards the horizon. During our visit, lights were beginning to appear in the streets below as the last daylight faded.
I liked how much of the view remained visible throughout the room. The windows extended well beyond the tables at the edge, allowing the skyline to become part of the wider setting.
Pipilotti Rist’s ceiling
The illuminated ceiling, created by Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist, is the room’s most distinctive feature. Its imagery resembles layers of leaves and vegetation, with vivid yellow and orange interrupted by patches of green.
At dusk, the reflections were particularly striking. The artwork appeared again in the glass, overlapping the blue sky and rooftops outside.
The dining room’s furnishings were comparatively restrained. During our November 2025 visit, muted green upholstered chairs sat around dark tables on wooden flooring. Each table had a small illuminated lamp, with glasses and tableware arranged beneath the much larger ceiling installation.
That balance worked well. The furniture gave the room a comfortable, understated appearance while leaving the artwork and view as its main attractions.
Funky Garden and fries
We ordered the Funky Garden cocktail, made with Bombay Sapphire gin, St-Germain, citrus cordial, basil, marjoram and egg white, alongside crispy fries. The cocktail was really good, and we enjoyed the fries just as much.
We were there for drinks and a snack rather than a full dinner. It suited the evening: we could enjoy the room and watch the light change over Vienna.
Planning a visit
Based on our evening, I would recommend arriving before sunset if possible. The transition into dusk was a large part of what made the setting so impressive, giving us time to see the rooftops before the city lights became more prominent.
DAS LOFT offers an architectural setting quite different from Vienna’s historic cafés and dining rooms. For us, the combination of Rist’s ceiling, the view and a good cocktail made the visit worthwhile.
DAS LOFT
SO/ Vienna, 18th floor
Praterstraße 1, 1020 Vienna, Austria
Official website and current visiting information
Visited November 2025.