• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs
  • About
    • Press
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Top ten Viennese coffee houses plus a grandmas cafe

July 3, 2015 3 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

Vienna became obsessed with coffee as a result of the Ottoman siege in 1683. When they finally expelled the Turks, they left behind bags of green unroasted beans which at first the Austrians took for camel food. But eventually they developed the knowledge and a taste for coffee. Most of the list below are 19th century in style with elegant banquettes, reading material such as all the newspapers on sticks, marble tables and damn good coffee. There are 1100 coffee houses in Vienna and most Viennese visit in the morning.
If ever I get a commission for a novel, I will rent a place in Vienna for a few months and settle down in a coffee house to write.

cafe sperl, vienna
Carlsbad coffee, cafe sperl, vienna
cafe sperl, vienna
cafe sperl, vienna

1. Cafe Sperl Gumpendorferstrasse 11, A-1060 Vienna

This kaffeehaus, built 1884, is an elbow-shaped cafe with billiard tables on one side and around the corner, booths tucked next to arched windows and comfortable velvet-covered benches on the other. It’s probably my favourite coffee house. I recommend the Karlsbader brewing pot, a complicated porcelain coffee pot that delivers fantastic smooth tasting coffee. This cafe has international newspapers.

cafe demel, Vienna
Millefeuille cake, cafe demel, Vienna
Custard slice, cafe demel, Vienna
Passionfruit cake, cafe demel, Vienna
Patissier, cafe demel, Vienna
sugar craft, cafe demel, Vienna
Sugar craft, cafe demel, Vienna
sweets and bonbons, cafe demel, Vienna
chocolate bars, cafe demel, Vienna
The shop, cafe demel, Vienna
cake counter, cafe demel, Vienna
making sachertorte, cafe demel, Vienna

2. Cafe Demel Kohlmarkt 14 A-1010 Wien

This neo-baroque cafe, built in 1786, is extraordinary: you can take tea while watching the patisserie chefs at work, heads bent, in a room rather like a glass display box, creating incredible concoctions out of chocolate and sugar paste. They all wear immaculate whites and tall chef hats. All the Demel confectioners must pass through 12 ‘posts’ to become qualified, training in: icecream, cake, sacher, yeast dough, cheese, pastry, meringue, tea biscuits, desserts, bonbons, decorating and chocolaterie. Everything is hand-made. I was lucky enough to see a ‘strudel show’ while we were drinking coffee and eating cakes. They stretch out the thin pastry, hooking it over the corners of the work surface, dropping sultanas and pile of cooked sliced apples into the middle, rolling it out like pastry Christmas crackers. Below there is a coffee house and confectionary museum. The waitresses, wearing black and white, are famous for addressing people in the formal way, in the honorific 3rd person, an indirect form: “has the gentleman been served?” or “would the Herr Baron like more coffee?”. 

cafe central, vienna
cafe central, vienna
cafe central, vienna
cafe central, vienna
cafe central, vienna

3. Cafe Centrale , corner Strauchgasse / Herrengasse, 1010 Vienna

Opened in 1876 this cafe was where Hitler, Freud, Lenin, Tito, Trotsky hung out. A beautiful room and excellent pastries. They have 220 newspapers and periodicals in 22 languages!

Cafe Hawelka, Vienna
Cafe Hawelka, Vienna

4. Cafe Hawelka Dorotheergasse 6, A-1010 Vienna

Opened in 1939, this cafe is another favourite of mine. It has a vaguely shabby lived-in air about it that is very cosy; the staff are incredibly friendly. When I asked for the menu, the waiter pointed at himself and said “The menu is me!” meaning that he had it memorised. Great cheesecake.

cafe mozart, Vienna
cafe mozart, Vienna
cafe mozart, Vienna

5. Cafe Mozart Albertinaplatz 2 A-1010 Wien

This 1929 cafe, named after one of Vienna’s most famous residents, is also a location in Graham Greene’s screenplay and film The Third Man.

 Cafe Grienstadel, Vienna
 Cafe Grienstadel, Vienna
 Cafe Grienstadel, Vienna
Wienerschnitzel,  Cafe Grienstadel, Vienna,
Austrian salad dressing, Cafe Grienstadel, Vienna

6. Cafe Grienstadel Michaelerplatz 2, A-1010 Vienna

This celebrated kaffeehaus is near the Spanish Riding School. It does light meals such as the classic Viennese dish ‘Wienerschnitzel’ as well as cakes and coffees. Why am I showing a picture of the half eaten salad I ordered? Because I discovered that Austrians like a very odd salad dressing…a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, vinegar and oil. This is very light and to my mind quite sweet and watery, but they prefer it to say a French vinaigrette. 

7. Cafe Drechsler Linke Wienzeile 22, A-1060 Vienna

This modernised coffee house, designed by Terence Conran, is right next to the Naschmarkt, the central food market in Vienna and also the location of a fantastic flea market on Saturday. It was so hot the day I went I had an iced coffee with cream. Very nice.

sachertorte cake with whipped cream, cafe sacher, vienna
hotel and Cafe Sacher, Vienna

8. Cafe Sacher Kohlmarkt 14, A-1010 Wien

This is the hotel and café where the sachertorte, a chocolate glazed cake was born, a secret recipe created by a 16 year old patisserie chef, Franz Sacher. There was a legal battle with cafe Demel as to who sold the ‘original’ Sachertorte… torte wars! Cafe Sacher sell the cakes packaged to take home, they aren’t cheap, between 33 and 50 euros each, you can also buy them at Vienna airport. 

Cafe Aida, Vienna

9. Cafe Aida

This coffeehouse is part of a chain. The waitresses wear cute pink uniforms and the decor is 1950s to 1970s. This coffee shop is more a ‘konditorei’ which serves drinks and cakes rather than a ‘Kaffeehaus’ which also serves light meals.

coffee at Kleines Cafe, Vienna,

10. Kleines Cafe Franziskanerplatz 3, A-1010 Vienna

A small, centrally located cafe which has the atmosphere of old style Vienna cafés. Service was a bit irritable and slow but perhaps I was there on a bad day. If the weather is good, there is plenty of outdoor seating.

11. Cafe Vollpension/ facebook page

I include one recently opened cafe which has an interesting set up: it was developed as a social project to encourage inter-generational mixing. Grandmothers with cookery and baking skills work a couple of days a week in the cafe, passing on their knowledge and making delicious cakes. The decoration and style of the cafe was like a grandparents living room with old fashioned makeup and scent in the toilets and doilies, armchairs, knickknacks, old radios. But of course it is modern too, with wifi and trendy hipsters hanging out.

Recent posts

tofu pic: Kerstin rodgers/msmarmitelover.com

Tofu recipes for the unconvinced

January 10, 2021

Food and drink books 2020 pic: Kerstin rodgers/msmarmitelover.com

Pick of the food and garden books 2020

December 6, 2020

A Christmas shopping wish list

November 30, 2020

Previous Post: « New supper club event: Afternoon tea at Dennis Severs’ house in Spitalfields
Next Post: Travel: Hundertwasser buildings in Austria »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sean

    July 12, 2015 at 7:01 am

    I wish I had known you were heading here to Vienna! Great review of the cafe's – the Kleines is a particular favourite, and also Diglas the next time you are over!
    Can only agree with you on the pumpkin oil – it's fantastic stuff!

    Reply
  2. Oceana Coffee

    October 26, 2015 at 3:14 pm

    I loved to drink a cup of coffee when I eat my breakfast. If that is roasting coffee, then I will love it. The combination of coffee and breakfast will remain same all over the world.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Sour Cherry Strudel recipe says:
    March 7, 2019 at 9:45 am

    […] be so fine that you could read a newspaper through it. I’ve seen it made from scratch in Vienna at the Demel Coffee House. This elastic pastry is related to baklava and filo […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed t Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed the top of these toile de jouie curtains in my summer house shed. The days are lengthening a little which brightens up my mood. Self care= trying to get up and washed. Trying to leave the house once a day. Keeping my hands busy. Finding small ways to be creative. #coronaloner #sewingmachine #curtains #shedsofinstagram #sheshed #springiscoming #supperclub #stayingsane #selfcare #lockdown3
Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I get up later and later every day. I’m living in a twilight world- dim skies, getting nothing done. Next week it’s my birthday and every year I’m at my lowest ebb just before my birthday. Lockdown on your own is tough. My motivation, my mojo has disappeared. #lockdown3 #coronaloner #pastadinner #nofilter #january2021 #januarychallenge #selfemployedwomen #single #aquarius #0degrees
On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronal On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronaloner
Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper pesto alla genovese with trofie, small boiled salad potatoes, steamed green beans (good tip: steam the beans in a colander plopped on top of the potatoes or pasta), good quality pesto sauce ( mine from local microbakery @seansloaf ), good olive oil (@pomoragoodfood), torn fresh basil, a few pine nuts. This turns this student dish into a balanced meal of carbs, veg and a little protein.  It’s cold outside, I’ve lit the fire. Covid rages in Kilburn high road in north west london. The rate is 1 in 30 london wide but I feel it’s higher in this poor inner london area. We have a high BAME population who are particularly vulnerable. It’s a little bit anarchic on my high street: cars perched on kerbs waiting for hijabi women, braving pound shops and Aldi . We are all covered up now. In winter masks keep your face warm, but you have a choice between safety and being able to see. I’ve not managed to prevent the inevitable steaming up of my glasses when wearing a mask. Nothing works.  #january #londonwinter #pestopasta #pestoallagenovese #vegetarian #pasta #trofie #supperclub #covid_19 #lockdownlife #lockdown3 #bubblegang
Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Mi Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Minus Crown and king as I cannot find either. This one is made with Tonka bean. Plus homemade puff pastry (well worth the effort). According to ike delorenzo at The Atlantic:  The tonka bean, a flat, wrinkled legume from South America with an outsize flavor that the US government has declared illegal. Nonetheless, it proliferates on elite American menus. The tiniest shavings erupt in a Broceliande of transporting, mystical aromas.
The taste of the tonka bean is linked strongly to its scent. "Scents," I should say, as the tonka bean has many at once. I register the aromas of vanilla, cherry, almond, and something spicy—a bit like cinnamon. When served cold—say, in tonka bean ice cream—the taste is like a vanilla caramel with dark honey. When warm, perhaps shaved over scallops, it moves toward spiced vanilla. Additionally, the aroma of the tonka bean shavings (it's almost always shaved) is so affecting that it seems like an actual taste in the way that opium, which has no taste in the traditional sense, "tastes" like its rich, flowery smoke.  Here is the recipe: 

Tonka bean galette des rois

Serves 8
Ingredients
* 140 g caster sugar
* 125 g salted butter, softened
* 100 g ground almonds
* 2 eggs, medium
* 1 tonka bean, grated
* 2 packs ready made butter puff pastry on a roll
* 1 yolk for brushing the pastry
Instructions
* Preheat your oven to 200c.

* Blend the butter with the sugar then add the almonds. Make sure it’s well mixed. Add in the 2 eggs one at a time, then add the tonka bean.

* If using a block: divide the puff pastry into two and roll out to 5mm thick. 
* Make two circles about 15 cm’s each in diameter. Lay one circle on a silicone mat/parchment paper on a baking tray and fill with the almond cream leaving a 3 cm border around the edge. 
* Paint the border with the egg yolk. Then lay the other circle on top, sealing the edges with a fork. 
* You could then carve designs into the top. Make a little slit in the middle to let steam escape then brush the top with the egg yolk
Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. T Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. This is a vegan version. ***

Ingredients:
- 400 g box of soft tofu not silken
- 5 soaked dried shiitake mushrooms, diced, keep water
- 1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
- 400 g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced thinly
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tbsps groundnut or vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp fermented bean paste
- 1 or 2 small red chillies, minced or a spoonful of Chinese chilli paste
- 1 tsp heaped sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
- 2 tbsps soy or tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour in 3 tbsps water, mixed into a slurry
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- large pinch fresh coriander leaves

Prepare the tofu by cutting it into one inch cubes and soaking it in hot but not boiling salted water. Drain after 15 minutes.
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, covering them in boiling water. Leave until soft, then dice the mushrooms. Retain the mushroom soaking water and add to the vegetable stock water.
Prepare the other ingredients so they are ready to stir-fry: red bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, ginger, garlic.

Using a wok or deep frying pan, add the oil and heat to frying temperature. Add the bell peppers,fry for a couple of minutes, then add fermented bean paste, chilli paste or chillies, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sichuan pepper.
Add the mushroom/vegetable broth and simmer on high for a couple of minutes.
Carefully add the cubes of tofu, taking care not to break them too much.
Add the cornflour slurry, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles, garnishing with spring onions or chives and or coriander leaves.  #veganuary #mapotofu #sichuanfood #tofu  #shitakemushrooms #supperclub #londonchef #msmarmitelover #ham&highcolumn #eatplants #lockdown3 #selfisolation #coronaloner #cooking #recipe #cookingfromscratch
Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christ Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christmas leftover cheese board. I’ve used @paxtonscheese truffled brillat-savarin and a mystery hard cheese that’s lost its label. Plus cream and topped it with samphire fried in butter. Haven’t bothered with making a roux- this is the lockdown lazy version.  #lockdownlazy #lockdown3 #supperclub #macandcheese #macaronicheese #truffledcheese #leftovers #leftovercheeseboard #londonlockdown #breakfast #coronaloner
Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is san Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is sandwiches. They use the softest, whitest, fluffiest bread. Their mayonnaise kewpie is gorgeous I don’t know why. Perhaps someone here can explain? Here I’ve used sourdough as it’s what I have; kosho which is a Yuzu citrus and green chilli condiment and the aforesaid kewpie Mayo to make an egg 🥚 sandwich.  I’m not a big egg fan but I suddenly had the urge. Also I’ve noticed when I eat eggs it satiates my hunger for hours. All that protein.  #sandwich #sandwiches #japanesesandwich #kewpiemayo #kosho #eggsandwich #sourdough #supperclub #cookingforone #solo #londonlife #lockdownlondon #recipe #snack #sundaysnack #sando
Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan d Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan dashi stock, it’s perfect for veganuary. How to make dashi: put a piece of kombu seaweed in water. Soak for half an hour then simmer for half an hour (don’t let it boil). Then mix 2 cups of dashi with 2 tbsps of mirin and 2 of soy sauce.  For the tofu: press soft tofu with weights for half an hour, then cut into cubes. Dust all over with cornflour.  Then deep fry the tofu cubes in 180C veg oil until they float. Set aside to drain, then place say 3 cubes in small bowl. Pour the sauce around and top with spring onion and daikon and togarashi 7 spice.  #easypeasyvegan #veganuary #agedashitofu #tofu #japaneseveganrecipe #newyearsday #freshstart #supperclub #londonsupperclub #msmarmitelover #visforvegan #recipe
Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair rep Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair reputation in this country. It’s so flexible and is a brilliant flavour sponge. Here I’m preparing my soft tofu for a Japanese dish: agedashi tofu. I first pressed it in a clean tea towel with a weight on top to firm it up a bit but not too much. Then I dusted it with cornflour and I will deep fry it in oil. Then I will serve it in a broth of dashi/mirin and tamari sauce, sprinkled with finely chopped spring onions and togarashi pepper from Japan. I would usually add some finely mandolined daikon radish but couldn’t find any. It’s a subtle dish of texture: soft yet crispy. After Christmas I’m desperate for light zingy fresh flavoured food. #supperclub #tofu #vegan #vegetarian #agedashitofu #newyearsday #cookingagain #lunch #asian #japanesefood
Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holdi Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holding on...
#happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #supperclub #hootenanny
Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg includi Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg including mashed swede with cheese and butter. I put pomegranate seeds with my sprouts, and cooked my carrots in marmalade ( worked v well), the mushroom wreath fell apart as I was transferring it to a tray 😤, roast potatoes and parsnips, then a cheese spread with fruit nuts, quince cheese (homemade), Chocs @lindtuk 😍 @guylian_uk @disaronno_official @baileysofficial @taylorsportwine and Brazil nuts. Plus a pavlova wreath ready to be topped with whipped cream and persimmons. 
#christmasdinner #vegetarianchristmas #vegetarianchristmasdinner #supperclub #londonchristmas #liqueurs #christmasspread #grazing #cheeseboard #port #pavlova
Christmas has started! Home-cured smoked beetroot Christmas has started!  Home-cured smoked beetroot and aquavit salmon with homemade blinis, creme fraiche, dill, Prosecco.  The fire is lit 🔥, the tree is up, 🎄the presents 🎁 are wrapped, we have a #brexit deal- a Christmas miracle. Peace and harmony. #christmas #christmasinengland #homemade #christmaseve #blinis #smokedsalmon #prosecco🍾 #londonchristmas
Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christm Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christmas decorating. It might also cheer up passersby. #christmas #christmasdecor #doorscaping #doorsofinstagram #londonchristmas #doorwreath #doordecor #doorsoftheworld #doordecoration #exteriors #london #supperclub #covidchristmas
Look at my gorgeous Nordic pine Christmas tree 🎄 from @pinesandneedles with some family ornaments and beautiful foodie ornaments from @gisela_graham  it’s 7 foot high and no drop. My parents brought over the candle lights. I’ve also used paper ornaments (apples and pears cut from maps) from @dionne_leonard which I first commissioned for a supper club.  #christmas #christmastree #christmasdecor #foodiedecorations #glassbaubles #supperclub #christmasinlondon
More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the seller More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the sellers interesting. It’s often about moving on whether through death, a change of circumstances, moving country, loss of a job. Today I visited a gorgeously renovated Edwardian house where the owners, an antique dealer & a master decorator had died with 18 months of each other of cancer.  The sister was there emptying the house, an incredibly painful experience. The husband who died was an expert in putting up lincrusta wallpaper which I’ve pictured here. All that craftsmanship and knowledge lost now.  The piece I got on Sunday, the teal chinoiserie cabinet, was from a Spanish guy returning to Spain. He’d lost his job as a hotel manager, the hotel, a big one, has now closed. The marble coffee table and arepas grill was from a Spanish couple who’d had a restaurant here for 40 years. They are now returning to Spain. Other slides: green Edwardian fireplace tiles, William Morris wallpaper, 2 small scalloped coffee tables, a knife and fork cutlery hook set.  A fireplace for my bedroom if I can find someone to put it in. #lockdownstories #covidstories #movingon #decor #interiors #bargains #secondhandstyle #edwardianstyle #williammorris #tiles #wallpaper #scallopededge #teal #chinoiserie #whitemarble #vintage #kitchenalia #supperclubrefurb #london #lincrustawallpaper
Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford proper chinoiserie so I make do with fakes. The gradual doing up of my flat proceeds apace. Need to start on main bedroom. Looking for a storage ottoman (velvet?) bench to turn into a horizontal filing cabinet.  Any ideas? Above is a map of london based on the A to Z map which a minicab office was tossing out. Remember when we all carried mini A to Z books in our handbags? Before google maps? #nocrushedvelvet #chinoiserie #supperclubrefurb #londonapartment #londonflat #norfweezy #decor #organising #storage #interiors
My new/old rise and fall light over the dining tab My new/old rise and fall light over the dining table. Found for £50 on #fbmarketplace  but originally from @thefrenchhouse.net_ one of my favourite shops. Every day, a little more progress. #supperclubrefurb #supperclub #londonflat #interiors #lighting #riseandfalllights #lightingisimportant #frenchstyle #vintagestyle #rusticstyle #turquoise #diningtabledecor
Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @k Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @kit.eats.uk. Took only a couple of minutes to cook(see stories) and very good. I’m trying a few meal kits of late to see how hospitality has adapted to the great reset. As a cook I’ve always thought why would I need these but now I get it: it’s like going to a restaurant- the pleasure of food prepared by someone else. Getting jolted off of your normal repertoire, so it’s teaching cooking too.  #mealkits #vegetarian #homecooked #hospitality #covid #takeawayfood #foodpackaging #laksa #ramen #supperclubchef
Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up all my wine bottle openers and cork screws. My favourite is the zigzag bottom left. If you find them at a flea market in France, if you are lucky you may get it for around 35 euros.  #supperclub #londonflat #londoninteriors #corkscrews #frenchkitchenalia #zigzag #tirebouchon #oakcupboard #diy #diyprojects
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2021 msmarmitelover