The best coffee houses in Vienna are Sacher and Demel for cake, Hawelka for late nights, the Bräunerhof for breakfast, and Schwarzenberg and Landtmann on the Ringstraße. You pay for what you order, not for the time at the table, so you can stay as long as you like. But the famous names are not the only great ones: this winter the most famous, Café Central, may not even be open, and two classics, Café Sperl and Café Museum, are a short walk from the Naschmarkt.
10 classic coffee houses by walking time from the Naschmarkt
We estimated the walk to each one from Kettenbrückengasse, our nearest U-Bahn station (U4), at the Naschmarkt. Nine are open on their regular hours; Café Central is closed for renovation. If you are still choosing dates, start with the best time to visit Vienna, month by month.
| Café | Walk, our estimate | Known for, what to order | 2026 price, where published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sperl | about 9 min | Billiards, papers, an 1880 room | not listed online |
| Museum | about 13 min | Melange with a glass of water | Melange €6.90 |
| Sacher | about 18 min | Original Sacher-Torte | Torte with cream €11.50 |
| Schwarzenberg | about 20 min | Salon Einspänner | Einspänner €7.20 |
| Bräunerhof | about 23 min | Bräunerhof breakfast | Breakfast €13.10 |
| Hawelka | about 24 min | Buchteln in the late evening | not listed online |
| Demel | about 25 min | Kaiserschmarrn, Sachertorte | not listed online |
| Central | about 28 min | Closed for renovation | closed |
| Landtmann | about 30 min | Melange, Sachertorte | Melange €6.90 |
| Prückel | about 31 min | Ringstraße café since 1903 | not listed online |
Sources: Café Sperl; Café Museum menu; Café Sacher; Café Schwarzenberg menu; Café Bräunerhof menu; Café Hawelka; Demel; Café Central; Café Landtmann menu; Café Prückel.
Sperl and Museum are within about a quarter of an hour on foot. Sacher, Schwarzenberg, the Bräunerhof, Hawelka and Demel take about 18 to 25 minutes, and Landtmann and Prückel about half an hour. If those last two are your main stops, a base in the Innere Stadt (the 1st district, the old town) puts you closer. Holiday hours are not published yet; the hours here are the regular ones as of October 2026, so check a café's own site before a public holiday.
What is the most famous coffee house in Vienna, and is it open in 2026?
The most famous is Café Central, a coffee house since 1876 in Palais Ferstel, on the corner of Herrengasse and Strauchgasse. It has been closed for renovation since 16 March 2026 and plans to reopen in winter 2026; no date has been announced, so check before you go. While it is shut, it sends guests to DECENTRAL on the Freyung, which it calls its modern counterpart.
Central is not the oldest of these cafés: Café Schwarzenberg opened in 1861, Café Landtmann in 1873, and Demel has been a confectioner since 1786. Café Sperl followed in 1880, four years after Central.
Café Sperl and Café Museum: 2 classics a short walk from the Naschmarkt
By our estimate, Café Sperl is about 9 minutes on foot from Kettenbrückengasse and Café Museum about 13. At Museum a Melange costs €6.90, the same price as at Schwarzenberg and Landtmann on the Ring.
Café Sperl. It was built in 1880 to plans by the Ringstraße architects Gross and Jelinek, and it still has marble tables, Thonet chairs and billiard tables. It keeps daily papers and international press, and there is live music at weekends. It is open 07:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 10:00 to 20:00 on Sunday, on the corner of Gumpendorfer Straße and Lehárgasse. On a Saturday, an early coffee here fits well with the Saturday flea market.
Café Museum. It has been at Karlsplatz since 1899, opens daily 08:00 to 21:00 and serves breakfast until 11:30. Its €6.90 Melange comes with a small glass of water.
Sperl closes on Sundays in July and August, and Museum closes at 21:00, earlier than the cafés on the Ring.
The 7 old-town and Ring classics, by what you want
All seven are in the Innere Stadt, about 18 to 31 minutes on foot from Kettenbrückengasse by our estimate.
For cake: Café Sacher and Demel
Café Sacher is about 18 minutes away and opens daily from 07:00 to 23:00. Its Original Sacher-Torte, a cake made since 1832, costs €11.50 with whipped cream. If price matters, Café Landtmann's Sachertorte (chocolate sponge, apricot jam and a chocolate glaze) is €8.50, plus €1.30 for cream.
Demel, about 25 minutes away, has been a confectioner since 1786. Order the Kaiserschmarrn, a torn sweet pancake you can also take away, or Demels Sachertorte. It opens daily at 10:00 and closes at 19:00, earlier than the other classics, so plan it for the afternoon.
For a late night: Café Hawelka
Café Hawelka, about 24 minutes away, is the one to save for the evening. It stays open until 01:00 on Friday and Saturday, until midnight Monday to Thursday and until 22:00 on Sunday, and its Buchteln, sweet baked buns, come out in the late evening. It opens at 09:00, and by day Günter Hawelka greets guests himself; his family took over the café in Dorotheergasse in May 1939.
For breakfast: Café Bräunerhof
Café Bräunerhof, about 23 minutes away, serves the Bräunerhof breakfast for €13.10: two rolls, butter, apricot jam, ham, Gouda and a soft-boiled egg. Breakfast is served 08:00 to 11:30 on weekdays and until 14:00 at weekends and on holidays. The café reopened after a renovation and stays open daily until 22:30.
For the Ringstraße: Schwarzenberg, Landtmann and Prückel
Café Schwarzenberg is the closest of the three, about 20 minutes away. It opened in 1861 and calls itself the oldest café on the Ringstraße. It is open daily until 23:30. Landtmann and Prückel are the two longest walks of the ten, about 30 and 31 minutes. Café Landtmann opened in 1873 and stays open until midnight Monday to Saturday; Café Prückel has been a Ringstraße café since 1903, opens daily 08:30 to 22:00 and takes no table reservations on its terrace.
What is the best coffee to order in Vienna? A Melange, €6.90
A classic menu lists dozens of coffees. In Vienna a mocha is a strong black coffee like an espresso, with no chocolate. Start with these three:
- Melange: a small mocha with hot milk and milk foam; Café Museum makes it with a long espresso shot. €6.90 at Museum, Landtmann and Schwarzenberg.
- Einspänner: a mocha in a glass, topped with whipped cream. The name comes from the one-horse cab, so the story goes. €7.20 at Schwarzenberg, €7.50 at Sacher and €7.70 at Landtmann.
- Verlängerter: a small mocha lengthened with hot water, like an Americano, with or without milk. €6.90 at Schwarzenberg.
Order a Melange first. For something stronger, the Einspänner is a double espresso under the cream. At Café Sacher, the Sacher Melange is a different drink: a single espresso with steamed milk and whipped cream, at €7.50.
What is typical of a Viennese coffee house? 3 customs to know
Vienna has had coffee houses since the late 17th century, and their culture was entered in 2011 in Austria's national inventory of intangible cultural heritage. The setting is marble tables, Thonet chairs, booths and a table of newspapers.
- The water: at Café Museum a small glass of water comes with every coffee. The story goes that the water first gave the spoon somewhere to rest; today it simply comes with the coffee.
- The papers: newspapers wait on their own table for anyone to read, and at Sperl that includes the international press. The writer Thomas Bernhard sat in the Bräunerhof almost daily, reading the Austrian papers and drinking his coffee black.
- The time: nobody charges for the hours at the table, so one coffee can last an afternoon.
Where to stay for coffee-house days: 1 minute from the Naschmarkt
Our five apartments are a minute from the Naschmarkt, and Kettenbrückengasse is our nearest U-Bahn station. From there, by our estimate, Café Sperl is about 9 minutes on foot, Café Museum about 13, and the Innere Stadt classics about 18 to 31.
Travelling as two? Mini MINT is 35 m² for two, from €185 a night, with a two-night minimum and check-in from 15:00. The MINT Artisan (65 m², from €185) and the two-bedroom Penthouse Maisonette (85 m², from €375) each sleep four. Stay seven nights or more and the Wochenend+ rate takes 15% off. You can check dates and book on our site.
Frequently asked questions
Is Café Central in Vienna open? Not at the moment: it has been closed for renovation since 16 March 2026 and plans to reopen in winter 2026, but no date has been announced. Check its website before you go; during the works it sends guests to DECENTRAL on the Freyung.
Which coffee houses are near the Naschmarkt? By our estimate, Café Sperl on Gumpendorfer Straße is about 9 minutes on foot from Kettenbrückengasse, the U4 station at the market, and Café Museum at Karlsplatz about 13. Café Sacher and Café Schwarzenberg are about 18 and 20 minutes away.
How much does a coffee cost in a Vienna coffee house? A Melange costs €6.90 on the 2026 menus of Café Museum, Café Landtmann and Café Schwarzenberg. An Einspänner costs €7.20 to €7.70, and the Sacher Melange at Café Sacher, made with whipped cream, is €7.50.
How much is a Sachertorte in Vienna? At Café Sacher the Original Sacher-Torte with whipped cream is €11.50. At Café Landtmann a Sachertorte is €8.50, and whipped cream costs €1.30 more.
What is the oldest coffee house in Vienna? Vienna's first coffee house was founded in the late 17th century by an Armenian named Deodato. Of the houses open today, Demel has been a confectioner since 1786, and Café Schwarzenberg, opened in 1861, calls itself the oldest café on the Ringstraße.
Is Viennese coffee house culture UNESCO heritage? It was entered in 2011 in Austria's national inventory of intangible cultural heritage, which the Austrian UNESCO Commission keeps. It is not on UNESCO's international lists and is not World Heritage.
Which Vienna coffee houses are open late? Café Hawelka is open until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and until midnight from Monday to Thursday. Café Landtmann is open until midnight from Monday to Saturday, and Café Schwarzenberg until 23:30 every day.
Sources
Our team checks the dates, prices and figures on this page by hand against official sources.
- Café Central, renovation notice
- Café Sperl, history and opening hours
- Café Museum, website and breakfast menu
- Café Sacher Wien, Hotel Sacher
- Café Schwarzenberg, website and menu
- Café Bräunerhof, website and menu
- Café Hawelka, history and opening hours
- Demel, café and opening hours
- Café Landtmann, website and coffee and cake menu
- Café Prückel, website and menu
- Viennese coffee house culture, Austrian UNESCO Commission national inventory
- Facts about the Viennese coffee house, Vienna Tourist Board
Last updated: October 2026. Christian, Host & Founder, MINT @Naschmarkt.
