Allie Y.
Yelp
If you're looking for an affordable option, in a safe neighborhood, yet close to all the touristy hot spots, look no further than Blauer Bock. There is both a dormitory-like option where you can share a bathroom down the hall, or you can ask for a room with your own bathroom. There is wifi as well. They give you a password for their portal, designated per room, and there is a limit of about max one or two devices (I forget which, sorry!) so if you connected a third device (say, cell + laptop + tablet) then one of your other devices will get kicked off and you'll keep losing connectivity. Not a biggie but could be cumbersome if sharing a room with multiple people. Granted, I had a room to myself so maybe the restriction applies to just smaller rooms.
Service was prompt. Everyone at the front desk spoke English perfectly and were extremely accommodating and welcoming from my arrival, to me to-ing and fro-ing my daily touristy adventures, right up until my final departure.
I never did go into the Blauer Bock restaurant that was literally right next door to the hotel or their complimentary breakfast until 10:30am (there was just too much food options around the area!) but know that it's there.
Not sure why people have complained about the noise of the busy streets but my room faced an airshaft so while I didn't get much sunlight, I suppose I didn't get the noise of rooms facing the streets. Still, it's an overall quiet area. I worked in the area and came home past midnight before but felt perfectly safe, even in a foreign place.
So what's around the hood? Varienmarket, whole foods equivalent, Marienplatz, high end shops just ten minutes walk. Pretty much everything you need to feel comfortably close to explore without feeling lost. I'd definitely recommend staying here because of it's great location yet affordable cost!