Vienna Week 2 – Café Culture in Vienna

I had heard a lot about how prevalent café culture was in Vienna before I left for my Dialogue. As a heavy coffee drinker myself, I was anxious to try out as many cafés and drinks as I could. One of the first things I did when I got here was find a bunch of lists of cafes to try and put pins in my Google map so I would never have to question where I would go to get coffee.

In my research, I learned about the different “waves” of coffee shops in Vienna. These waves are actually universal and typically refer to types of coffee, but the distinction is referenced a lot here when deciding on which kind of coffee shop you want to go to. The first wave coffee shops are the oldest ones. These usually serve simple espresso drinks in addition to alcoholic drinks (they’re more like bars that also serve coffee). Second wave coffee shops are places like Starbucks that came about in the 90s or so and started to pay attention to things like bean origin and different kinds of roasts. Third wave coffee shops are the newest, with most of them popping up in the last 15 years. These cafes usually source their own beans, and often roast their own as well. They are also more experimental with drinks that they serve, with options like nitro cold brew and different kinds of brewing.

As I started going to cafes around town, I learned about the different drinks as well. I already knew that typical American “drip coffee” was hard to find outside of the U.S. I don’t typically order espresso drinks when I’m home (I’m more of a “cold brew all year round” kind of girl), but I wanted to go all-in on the espresso while I was here. So far my favorite is the melange, a Viennese drink that consists of espresso and hot milk, similar to a cappuccino. My other favorite is the Vettlänger Braun, which is the closest to drip coffee, in my opinion. “Eis Kaffee” is not “iced coffee,” but a treat that has coffee, ice cream, and whipped cream. And there’s nothing like a shot of espresso after dinner to keep me going long enough to get some work done in the evening!

Lastly, cafés in Vienna (and honestly most places other than the U.S.) have a different atmosphere and expectation. At most cafés you visit here, you won’t find people with headphones on or typing away at their laptop. Everyone is either enjoying a cup with some company! Cafés for the most part are a very social activity. Some places will have the day’s newspapers on sticks that you can read while you are sitting. Its so nice to sit down at a cafe with someone before class and just relax and chat. I do have to say, though, that as someone who does all their work and homework at coffee shops, it’s hard to resist the temptation to take out a laptop. I ended up having to google “laptop-friendly coffee shops” when I had a free morning and wanted to get some work done. I found a third-wave cafe near the university, and was welcomed by my usual sight and sounds of headphones, clicking keys, and indie music playing on the speakers (and a cold brew!).

If you ever find yourself in Vienna, here are my recommendations:

Cafe Balthasar
Cafe El.An
Cafe Korb
Coffee Pirates
Sous-Bois
Fenster Cafe
Cafe Central