Writing a list of top coffee houses for Vienna feels a bit like deciding on the best French wines. With rather a lot of good ones around, it’s often a matter of taste and personal preference.
But I canvassed opinion among friends and relatives to come up with this list of cafés, which will grow as more suggestions come in.
Sadly, it fell to me to work my way through all the below one-by-one, bravely consuming coffee and mountains of cake to bring you a local review of each establishment.
This is not an exhaustive list by any means. But, in no particular order:
Café Central
(The coffee house at Christmas)
Easily spotted because of the queues that always seem to snake out from the entrance. Possibly the most famous of the Vienna coffee houses and much loved by tourists (hence the queues).
Trotsky and Freud both supped at their drinks in this ground floor location in Palais Ferstel. (In fact, in 1913, they both lived in Vienna at the same time as Tito, Hitler and Stalin, which must have led to some awkward conversations in the supermarket queue.)
I went into Café Central a skeptic and came out a believer; the interior architecture is truly wonderful.
Herrengasse / Strauchgasse, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Hawelka
(Be sure to try the Buchteln)
A more homely alternative and famously the subject of one of Vienna’s best-loved songs, “Jö Schau” by the late Austrian songwriter Georg Danzer. The chorus includes the line, “What’s a naked man doing in Hawelka?”
Pop legend, Falco, celebrated his 30th birthday here, and other prominent guests have included Andy Warhol, Klaus Maria Brandauer, and Peter Ustinov. As I wrote in my review, the place is “as comforting as a pair of well-worn slippers”.
Perhaps the most central of all the locations featured here: around halfway between Stephansdom cathedral and the Hofburg palace.
Dorotheergasse 6, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Sacher
(Be sure to try the cake)
Another famous one easily spotted from the queue that commonly forms outside. The elegant decor carries echoes of palatial interiors and the view out the front windows looks fittingly 19th century (it’s opposite the Staatsoper, opened in 1869).
This café is the natural home of the original Sachertorte cake and it kind of feels wrong to go inside without having a slice (or three). Or at least that was my excuse.
Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Sperl
(Also famous for its recent TV appearances)
Opened in 1880 and traditional home to archdukes, generals, artists and actors (the café is close to the Theater an der Wien opera house). Also known for its billiard tables and beautifully patterned upholstery.
There’s a feeling of Edwardian refinement about the place. Definitely one of my favourites – not least because it also features in the Vienna Blood period detective series.
Gumpendorfer Straße 11, 1060 Vienna | My full review
Café Ritter Ottakring
(A genuine insider tip off the beaten tourist track)
A hidden gem a little away from the centre. The Jugendstil décor inside makes you feel like the last hundred years never happened.
Very popular with locals for card games and chess. And the menu is almost entirely locally sourced, too.
Ottakringer Straße 117, 1160 Vienna | My full review
Café Museum
(Conveniently placed for a quick coffee before or after a performance at the nearby Staatsoper)
Newly refurbished in 2010 but originally designed by Adolf Loos in 1899. He was a regular guest along with other giants of art and architecture, such as Otto Wagner, Gustav Klimt, Franz Lehár, and Egon Schiele.
Easily reached, since it practically has its own exit from the central Karlsplatz subway station.
Operngasse 7, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Prückel
(I often have breakfast meetings here in the summer)
First opened in 1903. It even has a theatre in the basement, reflecting the long association between coffee houses and the arts. Inside is a mix of Art Nouveau and 1950s “Mrs Maisel” design.
The café is a favoured haunt of students from the nearby University of Applied Arts. In summer, outdoor seating lines the side of the Prückel so you can enjoy fresh air along with your fresh coffee.
Stubenring 24, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Schwarzenberg
(One of the oldest of Vienna’s coffee houses)
Quite a lot has changed since Café Schwarzenberg opened its doors in 1861. Though I think one of the original waiters might still be there (and I mean that positively – a fine old gentlemen with the aura of a million served coffees).
The darker decor imbues the location with a certain attractiveness for dull and wet days, and the views of old town architecture justify finding a window seat.
Kärntner Ring 17, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Mozart
(Apparently a favoured haunt of the makers of The Third Man)
This one has quite a location – sandwiched between the Albertina Museum, State Opera House and Hotel Sacher. So you might describe it as rather central. Which is why queues are also not uncommon here.
Inside exudes a cosy, traditional ambience, despite the comings and goings of tourists dropping by to take a deserved breather from all the art and architecture.
Albertinaplatz 2, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Ritter
(Located just off one of Vienna’s main shopping streets)
Another literary coffee house that traces its roots back to the 19th century. Known particularly for its inter-war interior design and neo-rococo ceilings.
The most famous guest was probably Austrian author, Peter Rosegger, who came very close to winning the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Mariahilfer Straße 73, 1060 Vienna | My full review
Café Jelinek
(Another location with a particularly local feel)
A coffee house like a worn sofa; comfortable, relaxing and leaders of the counter-revolution against the pristine approach of more museal cafés.
Seemingly oblivious to trends and the passing of time, Café Jelinek is slightly off the beaten track, so less likely to be full of tourists (just full of Viennese). Oh, and expect piles of homemade cakes.
Otto-Bauer-Gasse 5, 1060 Vienna | My full review
Café Landtmann
(Where high society goes to see and be seen)
Opened in 1873 and located next to the Burgtheater and opposite city hall. So a common drinking hole for politicians and actors even today.
Now the elegant flagship coffee house of a group of cafés, the Landtmann is notable for the large sheltered outdoor section and a jolly big and nice Christmas tree outside during the holiday season.
Be warned if you’re a weak-willed cake lover: the café draws on the wider group’s rather excellent in-house patisserie.
Universitätsring 4, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Korb
(Also a thriving event venue)
A classic, but not in the “turn of the century” sense, thanks to the 1960s decor. A bustling little coffee house and a popular haunt for locals and those of an artistic disposition.
Also famous for its toilets (seriously) and a mere hop and a jump from Stephansdom cathedral.
Brandstätte 9, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Frauenhuber
(Notable for the strong composer connections)
If you’re looking for something with a very long tradition indeed, then Café Frauenhuber ticks all the boxes.
Opened in 1824 in a building where Beethoven and Mozart used to perform. The street outside dates back at least to the 1300s. So, yes, quite a historical pedigree.
Himmelpfortgasse 6, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Diglas Wollzeile
(Look out for unusual and unexpected decorative touches)
The oldest site of the Diglas group on Wollzeile has the advantage of a particularly central location. The coffee house mixes tradition with a subtle dose of contemporary flair.
For example, Franz Lehár apparently used to drop in regularly, but the clock on the wall is now a digital projection. And that lovely glass chandelier has kitchen utensils hanging from it.
Wollzeile 10, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Diglas im Schottenstift
(Coffee drinkers now sit where monks once roamed)
I also find myself regularly popping into the Diglas im Schottenstift, which occupies premises within an abbey complex just off the historical Freyung square in central Vienna.
The staff always seem a tick more friendly than usual and the outdoor area within the abbey compound under the trees offers respite from the sun and busy sightseeing.
Schottengasse 2, 1010 Vienna | My full review
Café Residenz
(You’d be hard pressed to beat the historical ambience here)
A relative newcomer, but furnished in the classic coffee house style with an imperial touch (helped by its location in the Schönbrunn Palace outbuildings). Ideal for taking a break from 19th-century Habsburg opulence, but don’t expect to see too many locals here.
Kavalierstrakt 52, Schloß Schönbrunn, 1130 Vienna | My full review
Something different?
- If you’re all about the cakes with the coffee an afterthought, consider a Konditorei instead of a coffee house. As you can imagine, Vienna has quite a few
- If you like the art and philosophy of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, then grab a coffee at the Café Kunst Haus Wien, located on the same premises that house the Hundertwasser Museum. Not your average café décor and accessible without a museum ticket
- If you find yourself in the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace, pop into Landtmann’s Jausen Station for a more al fresco, modern experience
- If it’s impressive ambience you want, then the cafés in the Naturhistorisches and Kunsthistorisches museums both come with magnificent interior architecture. Coffee and Caravaggio?
- Talking ambience, if you want a break while in the central Hofburg palace complex, consider the café in the giant pillared atrium of the Weltmuseum (also accessible without a museum ticket!)
- If you’d like a rooftop view across the old town, then try the works canteen of the Supreme Court: open to the public in the Justizpalast
- And…how about afternoon tea instead of coffee? Gasp! Tea? What devilry is this? Begone foul fiend for even suggesting such a thing.
- Actually, the lovely Haas&Haas tea rooms bring English and international tea culture to the very centre of Vienna. Never underestimate the power of a cucumber sandwich
Former coffee houses
These are places I’ve reviewed that have since closed (temporarily or permanently) at the time of writing.
Café Westend
(Hopefully will reopen soon)
This one dates back to the late 1800s but was completely refurbished in 2018. Another café with glorious ceilings, upholstered wall seating and broad windows for plenty of natural light. So not one of the dusky haunts of yore.
The Westend is handy for rail and subway travellers, since Westbahnhof station lies just over the road.
Mariahilfer Straße 128, 1070 Vienna | My full review