The Vienna coffee house (Kaffeehaus)is a truly legendary
phenomenon. In this kind of establishment, locals and tourists make one
another’s acquaintance. Here you learn about the most intereresting
developments while doing justice to your appetite: breakfast, lunch and
dinner to a ‘one for the road’ at midnight. In these hectic times,
the cosy, intelligent and informal coffee houses with their atmosphere
striking a balance between the homey and the formal, are becoming
increasingly popular. Coffee houses are favourite spots in all countries
of the Habsburg empire between Florence, Trieste, Belgrade and Budapest.
If you
want to become a coffee expert, you can follow a course at the Institut
für Kaffee-Experten-Ausbildung, where coffee experts are being trained.
You can also find information on www.cafe-wien.at.
A Short Coffee-House Dictionary
Kleiner Schwarzer – espresso or mocha
Grosser Brauner – a large cup of coffee with whipped cream (Schlagobers).
Verlängerter – a cup of ‘weak’ coffee/half milk
Melange – a cup of half coffee/half milk
Theeschale licht – large cup of coffee with a generous helping of
milk
Alt Wien
I., Bäckerstrasse 9
Tel. 512 52 22
Daily 10am-2am
Qualtinger would have been a regular guest here at night. In the evening
the cake eaters are replaced by the ‘scene’ and thick cigar smoke
rises into the air.
Bräunerhof
I., Stallburggasse 2
Tel. 512 38 93
Monday-Friday 7.30am-8.30pm, Saturday till 6pm, Sunday 10am-6pm.
Alfred Polgar, Hugo von Hoffmannsthal and other literary and satirical
personages met here. Present-day visitors still sit at those very same
tables. Just like yesteryear’s famous regulars, you can listen to live
‘Kaffeehausmusik’ at weekends between 3 and 6pm.
Central
I., Herrengasse 14
Tel. 533 64 26
Monday-Saturday 8am-10pm,
Sunday
10am-6pm
After numerous renovations in Venetian style, this café in the Palace
Ferstel has become a popular tourist attraction.
Demmers Teehaus
IV., Paniglgasse 17, at the Karlsplatz
Tel. 504 15 08,
www.demmer.at
Tea boutique with large assortment. In the unconstrained High Tea Cafe
you can enjoy all sorts of tea and piquant delicacies. Free surfing on
the net.
Eiles
VI., Josefstädter Strasse 2
Tel. 405 34 10
Monday-Friday 7am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 8am-10pm
Coffee House in a bourgeois district on the Ring. Jovial atmosphere.
Limited menu.
Griensteidl
I., Michaelerplatz 2
Tel. 535 26 92
Daily from 8am till midnight
Once an artists’café, now a meetingplace for journalists, businessmen
and tourists. With Schanigarten (terrace) in summer. An abundance
of newspapers.
Hawelka
I., Dorotheergasse 6
Tel. 512 82 30
Monday, also Wednesday to Saturday 8am-2am, Sunday 4pm-2am
Is still run by the ancient married couple Hawelka. This old café wears
the patina of its age in dignified fashion and was praised by the
numerous authors and poets who frequented the place long ago. Hot Buchteln
(filled bun) from 10am onwards.
Institut zur Kaffee-Experten-Ausbildung
XII., Zeleborgasse 20/23 (secretariate)
Tel. 405 74 42, fax 408 78 11
www.kaffee-experten.at
Here
they offer courses for laymen and people from the hotel, restaurant and
cafe business who, after the training, acquire the title of coffee
waiter. Varieties and growing area’s, mixtures, different ways of
roastering and over 600 aroma substances are being discussed, and most
of all you’ll learn that the bean is the most substantial part.
Different preparation procedures – Karlsbader coffee, Turkish coffee,
espresso, etc. – are being taught as well as never to pour boiling water
over the coffee.
Landtmann
I., Dr.Karl-Lueger-Ring 4
Tel. 532 06 21
Daily 7.30am-midnight
Here, the head waiter rules the roost with a stern look in his eyes and
assigns you a seat. Very crowded after Burgtheater performances.
Ritter
VI., Mariahilfer Strasse 73
Tel. 587 82 38
Monday-Saturday
7.30am-11pm, Sunday 8am-11.30pm
If you duck into this ‘coffee-house world’ you leave the present
behind and land in the past.
Sacher
Eck’
I., Philharmonikerstr.
4
Tel. 51 45 661, dag. 8.30am - 12pm
An ever changing tradition. Chill-out music, waiters without tie and a
cozy atmosphere with a piece of Anna-Sacher pie or goose liver pastry, a
pastry based on Sacher pie. The young female director Alexandra
Gürtler has accepted her inheritance and, over 125 years after the
company’s foundation, does things very differently now. The rejuvenated
product assortment with new names now has a new motto: ‘It has to
be Viennese, but light’.
Schottenring
I., Schottenring 19
Tel. 315 33 43,, Mo-Fr 6.30am-11pm, Sa-Su 8am-9pm
If you have always wanted to know how to make an authentic Austrian
apfelstrudel, now you can in this classic coffeehouse: Mo at 6.30pm or
by appointment. You pay € 13.
Sperl
VI., Gumpendorfer Strasse 11
Tel. 586 41 58
Monday-Saturday 7am-11pm
Housed in a listed 1880 building. Old Viennese call this ‘the sole
genuine Vienna Kaffeehaus’. Light Viennese fare and home-made
pastries.
Coffee
Houses