A house with a history.

THELL, since 1973.

Thell is the original Motto house at Rüdigergasse / Schönbrunner Straße 30. It is independent of Motto am Fluss, Motto Catering, Hotel Motto and the other businesses of the Motto Group.

The history of the house

1973 — Franz Thell opens Motto in Rüdigergasse (5th district). In what was then a more conservative city, an open place emerges for all kinds of people: artists, creatives, night owls and the queer scene.

1970s/1980s — Motto becomes a defining place of Vienna's nightlife and subculture. Helmut Lang works at the restaurant and stages early fashion shows there. International personalities shape the legend.

1990s — Bernd Schlacher takes over the restaurant and develops it further. Motto becomes a Viennese institution and the starting point of the later Motto Group.

2011 — Tom Sampl takes over the management, owner since 2013. From here the original house goes its own way, separate from the Motto Group.

2015 — Extensive renovation. Interior together with Laura Karasinski and Gerd Zehetner — historical elements preserved, contemporary design.

2023 — For its 50th anniversary the former Motto receives its current name: Thell — a homage to founder Franz Thell and a sign of independence.

Today — Thell has stayed what it was: a scene address. The hidden entrance on Rüdigergasse and windows that show nothing make it a place where well-known faces eat undisturbed. The house names none of them.

Press text (short)

Thell is a restaurant, a bar and a catering kitchen in Vienna-Margareten. The house was founded in 1973 by Franz Thell as Motto and has been one of the city's defining scene restaurants for decades. For its 50th anniversary, the original Motto house was renamed Thell in 2023. Today Thell stands for Viennese world cuisine, a bar of its own and events for up to 170 guests — in a house with history since 1973.

Press text (long)

To find THELL, turn into Rüdigergasse. Behind its discreet entrance lies a chapter of Vienna’s social history. Franz Thell opened Motto here in 1973, creating an early meeting place for artists, the queer community and people looking for a place of their own in the city. Restaurant, bar and nightlife have always belonged together here.

The house is now run by Tom Sampl, who became its owner in 2013. It has operated independently of the Motto Group since then. In 2023, its fiftieth anniversary year, the former Motto took its founder’s name. THELL honours Franz Thell while marking the identity of an independent business.

The interiors were redesigned in 2015 with Laura Karasinski and Gerd Zehetner. Beneath the vaulted ceilings, green velvet, marble and brass sit alongside large artworks. Connected dining rooms, the marble bar and a planted courtyard give the house its distinctive character. There is room for a long table of friends as well as dinner for two; in summer, guests can also sit in the courtyard garden or on the terrace.

The kitchen describes its cooking as Viennese cuisine with a wider world in view. Schinkenfleckerl and Wiener Schnitzel share the menu with seasonal dishes and international influences; vegetarian and vegan dishes are part of the repertoire. Dinner continues well into the evening: the kitchen stays open until midnight from Sunday to Thursday, and until 01:00 on Friday and Saturday. Last orders are taken fifteen minutes before the kitchen closes.

At the bar, an evening may begin with an aperitif or continue after dinner. The list includes house cocktails, wine and alcohol-free drinks, with DJs on Fridays and Saturdays. The bar is open until 02:00 from Tuesday to Saturday and until midnight on Sunday and Monday.

Alongside its daily restaurant and bar service, THELL hosts private celebrations and business events. Before the regular 17:00 opening, the house is available for exclusive daytime hire for seminars, presentations, photography and film productions. Through “THELL bei dir”, its kitchen, bar and catering team also work at events beyond the restaurant. The address remains Schönbrunner Straße 30, with the entrance on Rüdigergasse, in Vienna’s Margareten district.

Selected coverage.

Further reading on the restaurant, the bar and the history of the house.

Press material & contact.

We send current photographs in print resolution and the complete THELL logo on request. Please include your publication, subject and deadline.

Tom Sampl GmbH
hallo@thell.restaurant
+43 1 587 06 72