The colour pink has many associations, but in Vienna it conjures up images of two city stalwarts: the Manner hazelnut wafer and the Aida chain of cafés. The latter promises reasonably-priced coffee and enough cakes and pastries to fill a fluffy unicorn.
- Famous for its distinctive branding
- Outlets throughout Vienna
- A Konditorei (confectionery) and café
- Cheaper than most of the well-known independent coffee houses
- Notably helpful coffee menu for visitors!
- Book a historical walking tour* for your visit
- See also:
Pretty in pink
(One of many)
With numerous locations in Vienna, the Aida chain of cafés is an integral part of the city landscape. But this is not a traditional coffee house in the style of a Central or Hawelka.
Aida is more of a café and patisserie-confectionery, reflecting the company’s origins as a purveyor of fine sweetened delights back in the early 20th century.
The chain actually celebrated its 110th anniversary not so long ago: its founder (Josef Prousek) started out with small premises in 1913 before expanding production to later become the Chocolaterie u. Gross-Konditorei AIDA.
(The location of the Aida branch on Stephansplatz in the centre as the building used to look around 1900. Photographed by August Stauda; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 51951/26; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)
The company’s subsequent history often intertwined with that of the country.
For example, Aida famously produced doughnuts and ice cream for US troops in occupied Vienna post-WWII and proved an early adopter of the espresso machine; this technological import kicked off the city’s café-Konditorei tradition that runs alongside the coffee house one.
The chain’s foundations in the world of pastries and sweet slices of joy is a decidely good thing if you’re into cake with a side order of coffee, rather than coffee with a side order of cake. (My wife assures me the selection is excellent.)
(The outlet close to the main opera house)
Inside an Aida, you won’t find dark niches with upholstered furniture and marble tables. Instead, the locations tend to have a retro feel to them reminiscent of the 50s, 60s, or 70s, with plastic and glass dominating.
Nor do the staff wear the elegant black and white outfits of the coffee house.
My (very friendly) waiter at the Opernring outlet bore his trays of sachertorte and cappuccinos dressed all in white, like a pastry chef, albeit with a pink collar.
Pink is very much the Aida colour and appears everywhere, particularly in the logo, tabletops, and awnings that front a café.
The chain is popular with locals and also enjoys a reputation as an excellent rendezvous for certain parts of society to swap stories and gossip over a reasonably-priced coffee. The cappuccino certainly passed my quality test and arrived with an excellent froth on top.
Should you find yourself a little intimidated by Vienna’s coffee menus, then Aida might be your life saver: their menu uses cutaway images of cups to show you exactly what goes into each option.
So if the thought of a double espresso with steamed milk and a topping of whipped cream intrigues you, then you know to order an “Aida Melange”.
(The location on Stephansplatz today)
On top of the cakes and coffees, Aida has an all-day breakfast menu and snack meals, etc.
Is this the best place to sit in timeless elegance with a book of poetry? Probably not. But for a decent cup of coffee and a great piece of cake that won’t cost the earth, Aida does an excellent job.
How to get to an Aida
The chain has numerous locations throughout the city, including several in the very centre of town, such as:
- Stephansplatz near the cathedral (this outlet made a brief appearance in The Recruit TV series)
- Bognergasse (the opposite end of the pedestrianised centre to the cathedral)
- Wollzeile (leads east away from the cathedral area)
The location I went to most recently was at Opernring 7, above Karlsplatz subway station (on the U1, U2 and U4 lines).
The Opernring address has a certain resonance given the name of the café chain: sit outside and enjoy the view of the State Opera House on the other side of the road.
Address: all over Vienna | Website (with a store directory)