Coffee & tea – All our local tips

When friends of mine invited me to “Hütte am Weg” I would never have expected what I found: Not the rather simple, shabby hut, its name implies, but a rather romantic, stylish place with down to earth food and affordable prices.

Arriving at the Kahlenberg (check the Kahlenberg article) with the huge parking space, you have to know where to go next: A little arrow gives you the direction. Follow the small path to an old looking hut. The first impression might be deceptive. Take a closer look and you´ll see the beautiful garden or smell the freshly grilled trout.

The inside of the hut is even more surprising: It is stylish, modern mixed with traditional parts. There are candles on each table, flower arrangements, a box of citrus fruits in front of the fireplace – everything is well put together. The waitresses wear tasteful “uniforms”, some Austrian Dirndl with a modern touch. With all that you might expect exquisite prices on the menu, but – sorry – another mistake: The dishes such as Sauerkraut, dumplings, sausages, (mashed) potatoes and meat are quite cheap. The variety on the menu, which changes every few weeks, is not the best, but it is enough and really good.

What used to be an old hut providing rest during a tiresome excursion is now, after the re-opening in autumn 2008, really a wonderfully romantic and stylish place – highly recommended not only after a hiking tour.

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Hütte am Weg | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Restaurants (Austrian) | Main from € 5.00
Am Kahlenberg 47 | Outer districts | +4313203975
Mon & Wed – Sat 10:00 – 22:00, Sun 10 :00 -19:00

“By the way, the chair you are sitting on is for sale, oh and yes, the  book, which you just grabbed from the bookshelf as well. Of course we sell the record you are listening to.” That’s the phil, a colorful café-bar-bookshop-recordstore-interior shop-flea market and if you find something you can’t buy, then you are probably in the toilet, well actually I’m not even sure about that.

Actually the owner recently told us: “We don’t sell the toilet (except for the lamp maybe), we don’t sell the coffeemachine because she’s from the 60s and something special, we don’t sell the clothes we’re wearing, and we don’t sell the
artists (singers, writers, painters) when one of our from-time-to-time
events takes place.”

Students, young families, artists  and many more appreciate the easygoing in the phil. The furniture are  mostly 70ies and as mentioned before, they can be bought. There is a  large corner with books, Dvds, records and posters which you can browse and sniff into while having a drink, and if you like it, you bring it home.

The place is non-smoking and food looks and tastes healthy. Bring your laptop to take advantage of the free Wi-Fi and make sure to reserve a table if you plan to come in a larger group.

Every Sunday from 6pm live Djs to chill out the end of the weekend.

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phil | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping, Snacks
Gumpendorferstrasse 10 – 12 | Inner districts | +4315810489
Mon 17:00 – 01:00, Tue – Sun 09:00 – 01:00

The first address after arriving in Vienna by train (if you arrive at the West-railway station) is this old traditional café.

Smoky atmosphere, dark furniture, comfortable benches, and perfectly dressed waiters, that’s the Westend. Don’t expect to be warmly welcomed. The waiters, most of them as old as the place itself, are unfriendly and moody.

But they have yummy cakes, good coffee and the warm atmosphere let you forget about them immediately. Actually these moody characters make this a typical café in Vienna.

The location of the café invites all kind of types of people stopping by for a coffee and makes it also interesting to watch people. Somehow you have the feeling that many people have this hobby here – having a coffee and observing the situation.

You can also find typical Austrian dishes at every hour (breakfast, lunch, dinner).

Even if it is a real smokey place (like almost all the cafés in Vienna!) there is a non-smoking corner. At least you don’t have to inhale the smoke of your neighbor!

Read more about Viennese coffee culture here.

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Café Westend | Coffee & tea, Restaurants | Espresso € 2.20
Mariahilfer Straße 128 | Inner districts | +4315233183
07:00 – 00:00 daily

Austrian Gemütlichkeit, “coziness” describes this place perfectly. It is another traditional café, like so many in Vienna: International  newspaper, late breakfast, typical Austrian fare, comfortable sitting,  are the keywords for our beloved cafés.

The café Zartl was founded  in 1883, and didn’t change a lot since 1919 when a Monsieur called Zartl  took over this place. It has always been a meeting point for writers and  philosophers, especially during the years between the wars, writers such  as Robert Musil came here. Now a days you might come to write a blog entry, taking advantage of the Wi-Fi hotspot while drinking a Melange (Viennese coffee specialty with milk foam).

The waitstaff is not the most  attentive, neither the food has a super quality, but here you can spend hours relaxing, chatting and reading in a comfortable warm ambient. Perfect for watching Viennese personalities…there is nothing better than that in a Viennese café!

Have a walk at the nearby Prater before coming here!

Read more about Viennese coffee culture here!

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Café Zartl | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Austrian) | espresso € 1.70
Rasumofskygasse 7 | Inner districts | +4317125560
07:00 – 00:00 daily

Located around the corner of the Rochus Market, this fancy multi-function place is popular for all-day-long-breakfast, business-lunchs, afternoon-friends-meetings, evening-after-work-cocktails and many other occasions.

Stylish interiors, red armchairs, fancy toilets, a place to see and to be seen. A large variety of food, inspired from the market next door, is served a bit slow, though breakfast and lunch “boxes” are convenient in price and quality.

Check out their Facebook page to know the daily lunch-box offer!

The loungy atmosphere in the evenings make it a popular gathering place to enjoy a cocktail or two!

Inside is non-smoking, but there is a large terrace where of course it is still allowed to smoke.

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Rochus | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (International) | lunch box € 7.00
Landstraßer Hauptstraße 55-57 | Inner districts | +4317101060
08:00 – 02:00 daily