Coffee house culture in Vienna dates back to the 17th century and was even formally recognised by UNESCO in 2011 for its intangible cultural heritage. Vienna is one of the world's best cities for coffee and cake, and today, it's also a great destination for lovers of third-wave specialty coffee shops.
I spent the Easter long weekend in Vienna and although I faced some holiday closures, I was able to visit 10 specialty coffee shops and cafes during my visit, sampling many delicious coffees from local and other European roasters.
I've created a map to help you plan your own Vienna specialty coffee tour. As always, my very favourites are marked with purple icons (and asterisks in my guide below). Of course, I did also make time to visit a more traditional Viennese coffee house, which I've included at the end.
Vienna Specialty Coffee Guide
* Jonas Reindl Coffee Roasters
I came across Jonas Reindl's Westbahnstrasse cafe and roastery while walking to Schönbrunn Palace on a sunny Sunday morning. They have been roasting since 2014 (check out their website to learn how they got their name!) and currently have four cafes in Vienna, including the cafe–roastery I visited.
The space inside the Westbahnstrasse location is gorgeous: bright and airy, with light, natural materials and lots of seating options, either at the windows, at the tables near the back or outside on the pavement. It's very relaxed, with welcoming baristas.
I knew I wanted a pourover, but which one to order? All five sounded delicious! I ended up choosing the Barú Panorama from Panama, which had juicy kiwi and berry flavours, especially as it cooled.
I enjoyed my coffee so much that I went back to Jonas Reindl's Währinger Strasse coffee shop for a final espresso hit and some beans. The Rwandan Musasa Bonbon I picked up lived up to its sweet name, with pineapple and gummy bear flavours in my V60 at home.
Jonas Reindl Coffee Roasters is located at Westbahnstrasse 13, Währinger Strasse 2-4 and other locations. Website. Instagram.
* Kaffeemodul
The first coffee shop I visited in Vienna was also the smallest and one of my favourites. Kaffeemodul is located in the 7th district, a short walk from my hotel, and I was inside, sipping a filter coffee within an hour of my plane touching down at Vienna airport!
They roast their own coffee under the Nomi name and there were six different single-origin coffees on offer during my visit. I opted for a natural Ethiopian Diima Buku Abel coffee, which had a lovely combination of floral and tropical fruit flavours.
There are a few fold-down tables at the wooden benches along the walls. I enjoyed chatting to the barista and other customers while I enjoyed my coffee and set myself up for a well-caffeinated weekend in Vienna.
* Kaffemik
Located just off Mariahilfer Strasse in the 6th district, Kaffemik is a welcome respite away from the hustle and bustle of Vienna's longest shopping street. There are a few seats inside and benches out on the pavement.
Community and hospitality are central to what Kaffemik offers: their name calls back to a Greenlandic tradition of all-day food and drink and a warm welcome for everyone. I loved chatting to the friendly barista about Vienna, London, travel and coffee while they prepared my drink.
As I was short on time, I ordered a cortado to go in my KeepCup. It was beautifully brewed and tasted sweet and smooth. Kaffemik roast their own coffee and they had 10+ bags of retail beans. I wish I'd gone back for the Juan Peña coffee from Ecuador!
Caffè a Casa
I came across Caffè a Casa's Servitengasse espresso bar en route to dinner at a restaurant across the road. It was too late for coffee but I went back the following day. It was a very busy Easter Monday afternoon and all the bar stools inside and tables on the pavement were full.
Luckily, I had my KeepCup with me so I could get my cortado to go. It was brewed with the house blend, featuring coffees from Brazil, India, Colombia and Nicaragua, and had well-balanced, milk-chocolate notes. Caffè a Casa roast their own coffee and beans were available from 12 different origins.
The Coffee
Waking up on Easter Sunday, I suddenly worried all the specialty coffee shops near my hotel might be closed. Luckily, The Coffee's Neubaugasse cafe was just around the corner and the doors were open!
The Coffee is a Brazilian coffee company that takes design inspiration from Japan. Inside, it's a calming space with minimalist décor and light streaming in through the windows. I sat in the window seat drinking my flavourful cortado and watching Vienna's 7th district start to stir to life.
The Coffee is located at Neubaugasse 55, and other locations. Instagram.
Coffee Break
After a spot of psychoanalysis at the Sigmund Freud Museum, more coffee was most definitely needed. Luckily, I was in just the right place for a coffee break: a block away from a cheery cafe called Coffee Break!
The coffee is from Gardelli, one of my favourite Italian specialty roasters. I ordered a cortado, which was brewed excellently, with latte art that lasted even after a short walk down to the canal (as pictured in the header image)!
If the weather is less suited to a caffeinated stroll, there's lots of seating available inside Coffee Break.
Coffee Break is located at Berggasse 37. Instagram.
Coffee Junkie
One of Coffee Junkie's two locations was just down the street from my hotel and it made a great first coffee stop on my final day in Vienna. The décor is colourful with a simian Coffee Junkie adorning the counter.
The coffee is roasted by Germany-based Populus, and my cortado, brewed with the Milky Way blend (featuring coffees from Brazil, PNG and India) had a smooth, nutty taste. As well as espresso drinks, they also serve hand-brewed filter coffees (including Aeropress, Chemex and V60), cold brew and matcha.
Coffee Junkie is located at Kirchengasse 21. Instagram.
Elias Coffee Shop
On my way towards Donaukanal, I stopped at Elias, the elegant coffee bar inside the Almanac Palais Hotel, just across from Stadtpark.
The curved, white-tiled coffee bar takes up most of the space inside, with stools perched around the edge of the room. There's a selection of cakes, pastries and other baked goods, as well as espresso drinks, cold brew and V60 pourovers. The coffee is roasted by Nordbeans and my cortado was very nicely brewed.
Rosi
The one downside to the amazing breakfast at my hotel was that I didn't usually have an appetite for brunch. But I saved room on Easter Sunday for my visit to Rosi, a lovely neighbourhood eatery near Schönbrunn Palace.
My brunch dish — candied leeks with labneh, apricots, lemon and tarragon — was delicious. And the coffee was just as good. GOTA was one of the specialty coffee shops I didn't get to visit in Vienna, so I'm glad I got to sample their coffee at Rosi. My cortado, brewed with a Nicaraguan espresso, was excellent.
A Traditional Viennese Coffee House
Excellent as Vienna's specialty coffee shops are, it would be remiss of me to visit the Austrian capital without paying a visit to one of its more traditional coffee houses for coffee and cake.
I went to Demel, which has been serving coffee, tea and cake for over 240 years! I had to wait a few minutes to get a table in the elegant first-floor salon on Kohlmarkt, itself dating to 1888, but it was worth the wait.
I ordered a slice of Sachertorte, a traditional chocolate sponge cake with chocolate glaze and apricot jam, served with lashings of whipped cream. I didn't have high expectations for my coffee, but it was actually pretty tasty. I went for a melange (pronounced the French way, meh-LONZH), which is a little like a cappuccino. It paired well with the sweetness of my cake.
Planning a trip to Vienna? Check out my 3-day Vienna travel guide.
On the hunt for specialty coffee in other Central European capitals? Check out my coffee guides for Budapest, Prague and Bratislava.
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