20 cafes worth the trip across Austria, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Austria guides.
Cafe Frauenhuber ★ 4.6 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Himmelpfortgasse 6, 1010 Wien
Frauenhuber on Himmelpfortgasse opened in 1824, the building's older incarnation hosting Mozart and Beethoven concerts before the cafe took the room.
Tip: The chess corner near the window stays free during weekday afternoons; ask for the daily Mehlspeise.
Demel ★ 4.5 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Kohlmarkt 14, 1010 Wien
Demel on Kohlmarkt has been a court confectioner since 1786, the Eduard-Sacher-Torte and Anna-Torte from the K. und K. Hofzuckerbaecker still served.
Tip: The first-floor dining room takes the queue; the ground-floor takeaway moves faster for a Sachertorte to-go.
Cafe Sperl ★ 4.5 · Vienna
mariahilf · Gumpendorfer Strasse 11, 1060 Wien
Cafe Sperl on Gumpendorfer Strasse in Vienna's Mariahilf has poured since 1880, the bentwood Thonet chairs, parquet. At Gumpendorfer Strasse 11.
Tip: The carambole tables at the back are still in play; ask the kitchen for a Sperl Torte with your Melange.
Cafe Hawelka ★ 4.5 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Dorotheergasse 6, 1010 Wien
Cafe Hawelka on Dorotheergasse in Vienna has run since 1939 under three generations of the Hawelka family, the late-evening Buchteln the post-war haunt.
Tip: Buchteln are served from 20:00 nightly, baked to Josefine Hawelka's family recipe; do not arrive earlier expecting them.
Cafe Landtmann ★ 4.4 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Universitaetsring 4, 1010 Wien
Cafe Landtmann on Universitaetsring in Vienna has poured at the Burgtheater corner since 1873, Sigmund Freud's preferred coffeehouse with a long carte.
Tip: Open daily 07:30 to midnight; the front-room bench seats face the Burgtheater across the Ring.
Cafe Braeunerhof ★ 4.4 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Stallburggasse 2, 1010 Wien
Cafe Braeunerhof on Stallburggasse in Vienna's first district was Thomas Bernhard's preferred coffeehouse, the Saturday-afternoon orchestra still playing.
Tip: Saturday 15:00-18:00 the small classical orchestra plays; arrive early for a seat by the windows.
Cafe Eiles ★ 4.4 · Vienna
josefstadt · Josefstaedter Strasse 2, 1080 Wien
Eiles on Josefstaedter Strasse has run continuously since 1901, the Kunze family's 2016 update keeping the Thonet chairs while updating the kitchen.
Tip: The Mittagsmenue is among the city's best-value parliamentary-quarter lunches; the back room is the quietest seat.
Cafe Diglas ★ 4.4 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Wollzeile 10, 1010 Wien
Cafe Diglas on Wollzeile has worn its 1934-era plush, brass and red-velvet since the Lehar years, the Konditorei counter the room's headline draw.
Tip: The piano on the back wall is played weekend afternoons; the cake counter is the takeaway shortcut.
Cafe Diglas im Schottenstift ★ 4.4 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Schottengasse 2, 1010 Wien
Cafe Diglas im Schottenstift on Schottengasse sits inside the Benedictine abbey's vaulted ground floor since 1888, the cloistered garden a quiet terrace.
Tip: The abbey courtyard tables fill on warm Sundays; the vaulted main room takes business meetings.
Cafe Tirolerhof ★ 4.3 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Fuehrichgasse 8, 1010 Wien
Cafe Tirolerhof on Fuehrichgasse in Vienna's first district has poured Melange since the Kunz brothers took over in 1918, the Art Deco interior restored.
Tip: Open daily from 07:00, weekends from 08:00; the house-made apple strudel is the long-standing order.
Cafe Sacher Wien ★ 4.3 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Philharmoniker Strasse 4, 1010 Wien
Cafe Sacher inside Hotel Sacher on Philharmoniker Strasse in Vienna serves the Original Sachertorte under chandeliers across from the State Opera.
Tip: The slice with whipped cream sells out by 17:00 on busy days; arrive before the matinee crowd.
Cafe Prueckel ★ 4.3 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Stubenring 24, 1010 Wien
Cafe Prueckel on Stubenring in Vienna has poured since 1903 between the MAK and the Stadtpark, the 1950s Oswald Haerdtl interior the city's most intact.
Tip: Open daily 08:30-22:00; piano music plays Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 19:00-22:00.
Cafe Museum ★ 4.3 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Operngasse 7, 1010 Wien
Cafe Museum on Operngasse in Vienna was Adolf Loos's nicotine-stained 1899 design, restored under the Querfeld family and now a serious meal-and-coffee room.
Tip: Walking distance to the Secession and the Naschmarkt; this is the lunch-and-coffee stop between the two.
Cafe Mozart ★ 4.3 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Albertinaplatz 2, 1010 Wien
Cafe Mozart on Albertinaplatz sits between the Albertina and the Opera, an 1855-founded coffee house with terrace seats facing the museum facade.
Tip: The terrace under the chestnut trees is the headline seat in summer; book the inside parlour ahead for the Sacher-Torte on the marble counter.
Cafe Goldegg ★ 4.3 · Vienna
wieden · Argentinierstrasse 49, 1040 Wien
Cafe Goldegg on Argentinierstrasse in Wieden opened in 1910, the carved parlour and brass billiard tables a working-class antidote to inner-city cafes.
Tip: Billiard tables on the back wall are bookable by the hour; the daily Mittagsmenue is a Wieden insider's lunch.
Cafe Schwarzenberg ★ 4.2 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Kaerntner Ring 17, 1010 Wien
Cafe Schwarzenberg on Kaerntner Ring in Vienna opened in 1861 as the oldest Ringstrasse Kaffeehaus, the front-window seats overlooking the Schwarzenbergplatz.
Tip: The terrace at the front catches the Ringstrasse trams; sit inside for the original 1861 interior.
Phil ★ 4.2 · Vienna
mariahilf · Gumpendorfer Strasse 10-12, 1060 Wien
Phil on Gumpendorfer Strasse in Vienna's Mariahilf is a cafe-cum-bookshop-cum-record store, the secondhand sofas and shelves of books for sale a counterpoint.
Tip: The books and records on the shelves are for sale; pay at the front counter when you settle the tab.
Cafe Jelinek ★ 4.2 · Vienna
mariahilf · Otto-Bauer-Gasse 5, 1060 Wien
Cafe Jelinek on Otto-Bauer-Gasse in Vienna's Mariahilf is the under-the-radar Beisl-coffeehouse with a tiled stove in the middle of the room.
Tip: Cash only; the stove in the middle of the room is lit from October through April.
Cafe Korb ★ 4.1 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Brandstaette 9, 1010 Wien
Cafe Korb on Brandstaette in Vienna's first district was the 1960s underground-artist hangout, the cluttered Strudel-on-a-counter room now better-known.
Tip: The basement bowling alley still runs on Saturday nights; reserve a lane two weeks ahead.
Cafe-Konditorei Aida ★ 4.0 · Vienna
innere-stadt · Singerstrasse 1, 1010 Wien
Aida on Singerstrasse off Stephansplatz is the pink-tiled flagship of the 1913-founded Konditorei chain, the upstairs window a cheap cathedral-view stop.
Tip: The upstairs counter is takeaway-fast; the inside parlour seats the wait if you want the Konditorei trolley.