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Five unusual cafes not to miss in Vienna

Vienna’s traditional coffeehouse culture, steeped in history, dominates the local café scene but a few rebel places have managed to mix up old world tranquillity with some exciting twists.

Five unusual cafes not to miss in Vienna
Das Möbel cafe. Photo: www.vienna-unwrapped.com

Barbara Cação picks her top five cafes, where a top-notch melange is served with a fresh perspective.

Café Neko

Leagues of cat lovers have been flocking to this café, tucked away in a romantic side street in the first district, since it opened in 2012, when its Japanese co-owner imported Japan’s love affair with felines to Vienna.

Photo: Cafe Neko

Austria’s only cat café has five resident cats from an animal shelter who provide snuggling, playtime and entertainment alongside a range of coffees and Austrian and Japanese cakes and snacks.

The interiors are designed to be cat-friendly, with cat perches and runways on the walls. Coffee comes without double cream (too tempting for cats) and the food arrives covered… just in case.

Location: Blumenstockgasse 5, corner of Ballgasse, 1010 Wien.

Das Möbel

Yes, Vienna coffee houses can be as cool as any in New York, Copenhagen or Sydney. At Das Möbel you can try out, sit on and experience the latest designs of young local artists, and if you like them you can buy them.

The interiors change regularly. Drinks include organic coffee, Ayurvedic teas and classic coffee specialities.

Location: Burggasse 10, 1070 Wien. 

Café Phil

Photo: www.vienna-unwrapped.com 

Phil is the unofficial headquarters of Vienna’s bobos (bourgeois bohemians). The cafe/bookshop is also an oasis for lovers of retro style, contemporary literature, and a good breakfast which includes everything from Nutella to falafel, and is served until 4pm.

Take a book from the surrounding shelves and let yourself forget time for a while. In a similar concept to Das Möbel, if you like something, buy it and take it home.

Location: Gumpendorfer Strasse 10-12, 1060 Wien.

Café Ministerium

Outwardly, there is nothing rebellious about Ministerium, with its traditional marble tables, upholstered seats and globe lamps. But once every month, this popular lunch spot beloved by government officials opens its doors to an ever changing mix of local and international social diners practising the art of conversation at the Vienna Coffeehouse Conversations.

Location: Georg-Coch-Platz 4, 1010 Wien.

Konzertcafé Schmid Hansl

Schmid Hansl is another coffee house with patina which could have aged gracefully if only people would have let it. Instead, its Viennese café chairs and velvet plush seats regularly host local music rebels and their fans. Their favourite pastime: whipping up the traditional Viennese folk song (Wienerlied), de-kitsching it and blending it with local zeitgeist, from pop and jazz to world music tunes.

Location: Schulgasse 31, 1180 Wien.

Know any other unusual cafés in Vienna? Let us know!

Viennese native Barbara Cação runs travel blog Vienna Unwrapped.

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VIENNA

Five unusual cafes in Vienna you should not miss out on

In the mood for a coffee inside an elevator, surrounded by cats, or served by an Austrian grandmother? Here are five of Vienna's most interesting cafés that you should not miss out on.

Five unusual cafes in Vienna you should not miss out on

Vienna is known for its rich coffeehouse culture, with elegant cafes serving traditional brews in grand settings.

But beyond the classic spots, the city is also home to a range of quirky and unusual cafes offering unique experiences for those looking to explore something different. From eccentric decor to themed menus, these hidden gems add a playful twist to Vienna’s famous coffee scene.

Whether you’re a local or a visitor, these cafes provide a refreshing break from the ordinary, offering not just coffee, but a chance to step into a world of creativity and charm.

Here’s a look at some of Vienna’s most intriguing spots to enjoy a drink with a difference.

Café Neko

This is the place to go if you want to pet some cute cats while enjoying a coffee or cake.

You will find Café Neko – which means cat in Japanese – in a cute street in Vienna’s city centre, and once you enter, you will be greeted by the café’s five resident cats. 

In addition to cat petting, you can enjoy a wide range of coffees and Austrian and Japanese cakes since one of the co-owners is from Japan. 

The café opened in 2012 and is Austria’s first cat café and one of the first ones in Europe.

Here, you can enjoy a cosy atmosphere, surrounded by cats playing with their toys spread around the rooms.

Find out more about the café here.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Takako Ishimitsu (@cafenekovienna)

READ ALSO: Caffeine, war and Freud: A history of Vienna’s iconic coffee houses

Aufzug café

Are you a fan of old Austrian elevators? If so, this is a place worth visiting. 

Here, you can drink your coffee while sitting in one of the cafe’s old elevators. The staff serving you are also dressed as old-time elevator porters. 

You can enjoy high-quality coffee, different drinks and some cakes.

Due to the size of the space, the menu is quite simple, but the coffee and cakes are known for their good quality.

The café is also a bit of a museum, with elevator-related attributes, books about elevators, and photos of old Austrian elevators, sometimes with an explanatory text next to them.

Read more about it here

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Erstes Wiener Aufzug Café (@aufzug.cafe)

Allergikercafé

If you have problems with allergies or are on a strict diet, this is the place where you can enjoy your drinks, cakes, and snacks without any issues.

Here, you can order cakes or pastries without fructose, low in histamine, or without additives, to name a few examples.

You can also find various types of milk for your drink, such as rice or almond milk.

The café uses ingredients that minimise the risk of cross-contamination to ensure that its pastries are suitable for people with specific dietary needs.

The setting is cosy and friendly, and the café has a terrace.

Check out the menu here

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by AllergikerCafe (@allergikercafe)

READ MORE: How to drink coffee like an Austrian

Vollpension

This café is one of Vienna’s most famous ones. It was created to support the city’s elderly by providing them with a sense of community, a weekly activity, and an opportunity to earn extra money.

The idea turned out to be a success, and the concept is seen as a win-win situation for both the employees and the visitors, as the cosy café offers delicious cakes, coffee, and drinks.

While visiting the café, you usually pay for a package and can thereby sit in the cosy atmosphere for a certain amount of time. During this time, you can enjoy as much coffee as you want together with your cake.

Vollpension Café has two locations in Vienna and, in addition to the many different cakes and drinks, also offers breakfast.

If you get inspired by the pastries, you can take a baking class at the café, which is regularly organised.

Find out more here

Karin Hofbauer, 62, bakes for Vollpension, and smiles as she shows a baking tray in front of a laptop. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

Café Phil

You should go here if you do not want to visit only a café but also a bookstore and vinyl shop.

You can enjoy coffee and cake here while looking through many books and vinyl records.

The café often hosts cultural events such as book readings and live music gigs and is where people in Vienna gather regularly.

The atmosphere is familiar, and the menu includes light dishes and snacks in addition to coffee and cakes.

You can read more about it here

 
 
 
 
 
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READ NEXT: IN PICTURES: The Vienna coffee shop where phone-less visitors get a discount

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