When the Viennese speak of their coffeehouses (kaffeehäusen), they also usually mention kaffeehaussterben, or coffeehouse closures, which many of their most beloved establishments have fallen victim to over the last few decades.
It’s not all that surprising as the venerable institutions have long been out of step with the zeitgeist. In a traditional Viennese coffeehouse today, the quality of the brew is rarely worth mentioning. Abundant local and international newspapers, which used to attract and entertain guests for hours, are now barely glanced at. The furnishings (marble tables, upholstered seating) are often worn, and the service sometimes sluggish and unfriendly.
Yet time seems to stand still in these time-honored establishments. The good ones reflect the city’s soul, its typically melancholic spirit—and for the Viennese, maybe there’s a little nostalgia for its perceived former greatness.
The coffeehouse originated in Vienna in the 1680s, but its heyday was at the beginning of the 20th century, when Vienna was among the most important cities in Europe and the capital of a multicultural state. At that time, intellectuals, writers, painters, architects, progressive thinkers, and conspirators met and socialized around the small cafe tables, drinking coffee, reading books or newspapers, and criticizing the strongly anachronistic regime of the time. Many writers spent entire days in coffeehouses, and some of them—kaffeehausliteraten, or coffeehouse literates—even wrote entire novels there.
Just a few years after this golden age, the First World War put an end to the indulgent Habsburg Empire. The old world had disappeared but the coffeehouse had survived—and with any luck, it will for years to come. Here are some of the best traditional cafes in Vienna.
Café Westend
Mariahilfer Strasse 128
While some Viennese are unhappy with how this traditional coffeehouse was restored a few years ago, the renovation was carefully done, the furnishings were renewed, the walls and ceiling dusted, and the old spirit was preserved. Café Westend gets its name from the nearby Wien Westbahnhof train station, where the legendary Orient Express once shuttled passengers to Paris, London, Istanbul, and beyond. To this day, travelers waiting for their trains mix with the locals, who are attracted by the cafe’s excellent homemade pastries, including its famous apple strudel.
Café Hawelka
Dorotheergasse 6
