The 8 Best Cafés in Vienna: From Timeless Classics to Bohemian Gems

That’s how UNESCO described them when it declared Viennese coffeehouse culture an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011. And indeed – when the scent of coffee and cake drifts through the air, a newspaper rustles, two friends chat animatedly and a waiter grumbles his way to the kitchen – time does seem to stand still. Vienna’s coffee houses are institutions, belonging just as much to the Danube metropolis as the Burgtheater, Schönbrunn Palace, the New Year’s Concert and schnitzel.

You haven’t really seen Vienna until you’ve visited a coffee house. In the Austrian capital, social life happens at the café. It’s where the banker sits beside the artist, the taxi driver and the politician. Where people read the paper over a melange, play chess over a mokka, check emails with a kleiner brauner or simply enjoy a verlängerter. Here’s an overview of the best and most beautiful cafés in Vienna.

Housed in the magnificent Palais Ferstel for over 140 years, Café Central was once the hangout of intellectuals like Sigmund Freud, Stefan Zweig and Peter Altenberg – the latter a famed Viennese writer who reportedly had his mail and laundry sent here.

It’s not just the coffee and cake that shine in this classic landmark. The chandeliers, marble columns and high vaulted ceilings create a dreamy Venetian-Florentine atmosphere. Soviet politician Leon Trotsky and theatre critic Alfred Polgar played many impassioned chess games here; today, travellers and locals come to this Vienna café for some of the best refreshments as well as a taste of history. Reserve a table in advance and wander through the elegant Palais Ferstel before or after your visit.

• Herrengasse 14, 1010 Vienna
• Open Mon-Sat 8am-10pm, Sun & public holidays 10am-10pm

Just a few steps from Stephansplatz, Café Hawelka has been a beloved artists’ haunt since the 1930s. Founded by the now-legendary couple Josefine and Leopold Hawelka, it soon became the city’s creative hub, frequented by the likes of actor Oskar Werners, writer Heimito von Doderer and painter Ernst Fuchs. The aroma of buchteln (sweet yeast buns) fresh from the oven fills the café, and the coffee from its own roastery is some of the best in town. You can also enjoy a proper Viennese meal – schnitzel, goulash or both – before strolling back to your 4-star hotel near Stephansplatz.

• Dorotheergasse 6, 1010 Vienna
• Open Mon-Thur 9am-midnight; Fri & Sat 9am-1am; Sun 10am-9pm

Opened in 1873, Café Landtmann is perhaps Vienna’s most elegant café, and one of the best for architecture lovers. This listed institution deliberately focuses on tradition, but also welcomes modernity. The city’s elite often gathered here at salons hosted by writer Berta Zuckerkandl – including author Arthur Schnitzler, theatre director Max Reinhardt, painter Gustav Klimt, as well as Sigmund Freud, who often wrote here. Built in classic Ringstrasse style, with opulence and plenty of Historicist details, the café is still a meeting place for politicians, actors and journalists today. Whatever you order, save some space for the apple strudel, which comes with either whipped cream or vanilla sauce – it’s divine. Want to stay somewhere as classy as Vienna’s best cafés? The centrally located Hotel Am Konzerthaus - MGallery Collection is just a short tram ride away from the Landtmann.

• Universitätsring 4, 1010 Vienna
• Open daily 7:30am-11:30pm

This café opened in 1903 under the name Café Lurion, founded by European cycling champion Maxime Lurion. Soon after, Wenzel Prückel took over, giving the café its enduring name. Famous for its 1950s design by Viennese architect Oswald Haerdtl, the café’s listed interior remains a nostalgic delight, and the original sun blind from its early days still decorates the façade. Don’t miss the back room, restored in the 1980s to its original Art Nouveau style. To drink, try the house specialty: the Prückel Creme, a small mokka with whipped cream.

• Stubenring 24, 1010 Vienna
• Open daily 8:30am-10pm

At Café Sperl, one of Vienna’s best and most beautiful cafés, you’re greeted by a large table with an array of national and international newspapers. This atmospheric spot – featured in films like Before Sunrise with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy – has charmed guests since 1880. Early regulars included composer Franz Lehár and actor Alexander Girardi. In 1988, British restaurant critic Roy Ackerman named it Café of the Year from among 200 European establishments.

• Gumpendorfer Str. 11, 1060 Vienna
• Open Mon-Sat 7am-10pm; Sun 10am-8pm (closed on Sundays in July and August)

After a long shopping spree on Mariahilfer Straße, take a short detour to Otto-Bauer-Gasse and rest at Jelinek. You won’t find Ringstrasse opulence or imperial grandeur here, but plenty of authenticity, a hint of eccentricity and real cosiness. The homemade gugelhupf (bundt cake) tastes divine in the warm, slightly time-worn setting of yellowed walls and an old iron stove. And here’s a plus: breakfast is served right until closing time at 10pm – perfect if you’re a night owl. Not sure which of the delicious menu options to order? Try the Vital Breakfast – tea, coffee or hot chocolate, a croissant, four slices of wholemeal bread with cheese, chives and tomatoes, and yoghurt with fruit and honey. Keep the relaxed, down-to-earth vibe going at the modern ibis Wien Mariahilf, just a 15-minute stroll away.

• Otto-Bauer-Gasse 5, 1060 Vienna
• Open daily 9am-10pm

“You go to a Viennese coffee house when you want to be alone but need company,” said Austrian writer Alfred Polgar. And at Café Dommayer, near Schönbrunn Palace, you can be wonderfully alone in company. This Biedermeier jewel in Hietzing draws students, artists and court councillors alike, offering not only fine cuisine but also a touch of that charming Schönbrunn dialect you might recognise from the 1950s Sissi films, net woahr? Indulge in a slice of the exquisite Esterhazy cake and spend the rest of your day wandering the gilded halls and landscaped gardens of Schönbrunn Palace.

• Dommayergasse 1, 1130 Vienna
• Open daily 7:30am-8:30pm

The sachertorte is as much a part of Vienna as schnitzel, apple strudel, St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Schönbrunn Palace. To taste the original, visit Café Sacher on Philharmoniker Straße. Want the recipe? Unfortunately, asking the waiter won’t help – the secret remains tightly guarded. Created by baker’s apprentice Franz Sacher for Prince Metternich, this rich chocolate cake has become, as the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily newspaper put it, “a widely accepted currency in relationships around the world”. It’s a valuable currency indeed!

• Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Vienna
• Open daily 7am-11pm

First things first: the Viennese coffee house is a place to slow down. You can stay as long as you like – no one will rush you.

How to order? You’ll immediately reveal yourself as a novice if you simply ask for “a coffee”. Here’s a quick guide to your many options:

• Kleiner schwarzer: Mokka (espresso-style black coffee) in a small cup – ask for “kurz” for a smaller shot.
• Großer schwarzer: Double kleiner schwarzer.
• Kleiner brauner: Mokka with a dash of cream.
• Großer brauner: Double kleiner brauner.
• Verlängerter: Mokka with extra hot water.
• Melange: The classic – a slightly extended mokka with warm milk and milk foam.
• Kapuziner: Double mokka with whipped cream.
• Fiaker: Mokka with rum, served in a glass.
• Einspänner: Mokka with whipped cream and icing sugar, also in a glass.

Whatever your choice, your coffee will always arrive on a silver tray, with a glass of crystal-clear spring water from the Alps. And one more charming detail: some coffee houses still don’t accept cards – they’re cash only. Proof, if you need it, that time truly does stand still in Vienna’s best cafés.

There’s simply no other city in the world with a café culture as passionate as Vienna’s. When it comes to enjoying a warm pick-me-up, the Viennese are tireless – and after your first visit, you’ll understand exactly why. With coffee and cake done, are you ready to keep exploring Vienna? Here’s our essential guide of the best things to do in the gorgeous Austrian capital.