Cuisine in the urban quarter

At Q19 in Vienna’s Döbling district, SES is following an international trend.

Opened in 2005, Q19 has, in recent months, increasingly opened up architecturally to the outside world. Right in the heart of the neighbourhood, a sort of village square has emerged for the people of the district.

A meeting place for Döbling.

Anyone walking through Q19 in Vienna’s Döbling district today will notice straight away: something is changing here. People are having breakfast in the sun, enjoying a glass of wine after work, or meeting up for a quick chat. The newly designed forecourt is gradually evolving into a meeting place for the whole neighbourhood and creating a new atmosphere – a sort of village square where people sit on the terrace, eat, drink and watch the world go by.

In doing so, Q19 is following an international trend: shopping destinations are opening up to the outside world and transforming into multi-functional places with a genuinely pleasant environment – closer to people’s everyday lives and more closely connected to their surroundings.

The dining industry as a driving force for
change.

An important first step was the new terrace at the Little Garden restaurant, which opened in October 2025. The traditional lunch restaurant has been transformed into an all-day eatery where guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and a relaxed end to the day. Since May 2026, Café Maestra, with its outdoor seating area, has complemented the forecourt. Other tenants, such as the Felber bakery, followed suit. New seating areas and greenery invite visitors to linger.

More than just shopping.

The development in Döbling shows the direction in which modern shopping destinations are heading: retail is increasingly merging with hospitality, leisure, health and work. In the Q19 shopping quarter, this multi-functionality has been part of the site’s DNA ever since it opened in 2005. Offices, a fitness center, a billiards café and a doctor’s surgery complement the shopping experience and make the center a vibrant hub for a range of needs. At the same time, work is already underway on the next stages of development, exploring which additional uses could enrich Q19 in the future.

Vibrant living spaces.

In Döbling in particular, this development fits in perfectly with the local area. Around Q19, new homes and workplaces are being built. The center is deliberately positioning itself as a local shopping destination and a meeting place for people from the district.

Our aim is to create vibrant living spaces. Facilities such as co-working spaces, health services or leisure facilities provide further reasons to visit and enhance the quality of life. In this way, shopping destinations become lively meeting places for the people in their neighbourhood.

Christoph Andexlinger

CEO SES Spar European Shopping Centers

About half of our customers come directly from the 19th district.

“Given our size, we will never be a shopping center serving a wider region. But the aim is to nurture and look after our clearly defined catchment area,” says Gernot Jung. Around half of our customers come directly from the 19th district.

Architecture with a history.

One distinctive feature remains the architecture of Q19: the center was built on the site of a former paper mill, parts of which are now listed buildings – the façade is currently being renovated.

The combination of historic industrial architecture and modern architecture continues to make Q19 unique to this day. It was developed in collaboration with the Tyrolean architect Peter Lorenz.

Cuisine in the urban quarter.