Vienna has its own longstanding coffee types along with its centuries-old café tradition. A relatively new addition to the caffeine pantheon, though, is the Fensterccino: coffee in a wafer cone from the Fenster Café.
- An unusual (but very tasty) experience
- Atmospheric historical surrounds
- Takeaway only from a window
- Book a 2-hr walking tour* for Vienna
- See also:
Coffee in a what?
(The serving window on one of our more historical streets)
Innovation is a delicate concept in the Viennese café world. After all, the whole point of a world-famous coffee house tradition is the tradition part.
But there is much to be gained by occasionally emerging from behind an austere marble-topped table to try something different or new.
Which is why I popped down a small alleyway right in the centre of town to visit the Fenster Café.
Fenster Café translates to window café, which is apt given it’s essentially a window through which you order takeaway coffee in various forms. The joy of this particular expression of caffeine-filled diversity, though, is a unique coffee offering and the historical locality.
Vienna is not short of good coffee, but the unusual highlight of the takeaway menu is the Fensterccino: cappuccino in a waffle cone.
If that sounds like a recipe for a soggy disaster, prepare for a surprise. Some serious engineering turns the wafer into a remarkably robust beverage container, as confirmed by extensive field testing by myself.
(Not your average coffee cup, minus a little nibble I had before I remembered to take a photo)
The result is a taste trio.
It begins with good coffee, of course. Then the edible wafer comes in variations (I tried the marshmallow encrusted one).
Finally, a layer of chocolate inside the cone slowly melts to add its own hint of cacao goodness. By the time you’ve drunk your coffee, you have a soft chocolate treat in the tip of the cone to finish.
It’s all rather delightful, and I’m told at weekends you can buy a tiramisu version (which I’ve yet to try, though).
The downside? Well, the Fenster Café itself describes it as the most expensive coffee in Vienna.
Of course, you can also order normal-priced takeaway coffee in various forms, too, if you prefer. And beans and drips for home.
If you drop by, linger a little with your drink and enjoy the surrounding area. Griechengasse looks likes a scene from a period drama, which is why you see it in…period dramas.
(The café is just around the corner at the top of the photo, but this view is one you see in Seasons 1 to 3 of Vienna Blood)
The neighbouring Bürgerhaus, for example, has a gothic tower house and a façade dating back to the 17th century. Around the corner you find the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church with its 19th-century byzantine look, not to mention Fleischmarkt and its Jugendstil jewels.
A little further away, you also have the PSK building: one of the turning points of architectural design around 1900.
An old sign next to the café window even advises wagon drivers to keep to walking pace, maintain a tight hold of their horses’ reins, and send an adult out in front to warn pedestrians.
History and coffee. Welcome to Vienna.
How to get there
Although embedded in historical architecture, the Fenster Café lies just a short walk from Schwedenplatz station: a subway and tram hub at the eastern side of the old town.
Subway: take the U1 or U4 lines to Schwedenplatz.
Tram: take lines 1 or 2 to the station.
Alternatively, if you’re meandering through the very centre of town and admiring Stephansdom, then just leave the cathedral square to the north down Rotenturmstraße and turn right down Fleischmarkt. Look for the alleyway that is Griechengasse on your left just before you reach the church.
Address: Griechengasse 10, 1010 Vienna | Website