Coffee Terminologie in Austria: Ordering Coffee in a Viennese Coffee House

The Austria Tour 2023 by ombiasy WineTours is coming up in about 2 months.

Many of the hotels were we will stay during the Austria Tour 2023 by ombiasy WineTours will have coffee machines. When I was in Austria in February 2023 on a pre-tour 

See:Checking, Fine-tuning, Researching, Pre-gaming in Austria in February 2023 - Wine & Culture Tour to Austria by ombiasy WineTours: May 28 - June 08, 2023

initially I was completely lost and I needed to do some research to understand the Viennese (and Austrian) Coffee Terminologie.

Viennese Coffee Terminologie

Kleiner Schwarzer (small black one) - small espresso. This is the basic coffee for the Austian, a single shot espresso. Served in a small cup.

Kleiner Brauner (small brown one) - small expresso with milk. Served in a small cup.

Verlängerter Schwarzer (extended black one) - a Kleiner Schwarzer diluted with hot water.  In the USA one would call it regular coffee and Americano in France. Served in a large cup.

Verlängerter Brauner (extended brown one) - a Verlängerter Schwarzer with milk. Served in a large cup.

Grosser Schwarzer (large black one) -  a double espresso. Served in a large cup.

Grosser Brauner (large brown one) - a double Kleiner Brauner. Served in a large cup.

Melange - a Verlängerter Schwarzer mixed 1:1 with hot milk, served with milk foam. This is the coffee most similar to the Cappucino. Served in a large cup.

Coffeehouse Etiquette and Culture

Coffeehouse etiquette is respected throughout Vienna and Austria.

Patrons are always served a glass of water with every coffee, and silver trays are de rigueur. 

An upturned spoon atop a water glass means there’s no immediate need for a refill. Remove the spoon to indicate you’d like more water.

Regardless of your server’s name (and it’s almost always a man), you call him Herr Ober. Servers in Vienna’s coffeehouses are treated with utmost respect.

Newspapers are typically held in what’s called a newspaper stick,” often made of bamboo. Remember to return your newspaper to the rack when you’re finished. 

Feel free to order one coffee and stay as long as you like. 

Ask for the bill. As in many European countries, a server will never bring the bill unprompted. You’ll never feel rushed in a traditional coffeehouse in Vienna. 

Viennese Coffee Houses 

Viennese Coffee Houses have a long and distinguished history that dates back centuries. These are places where people come to read (and write) books, trade gossip, and think and dream. A single cup entitles the drinker to sit there all day if necessary.

There are different kinds of Coffee Houses, (1) the Kaffee-Konditorei where the establishment's cakes and pastries are at the center; and then there are the (2) traditional Coffee Houses, the smoky type, with a wide range of newspapers to read, and a waiter in a tuxedo. The latter serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Both types have a selection of wines, although the selection tends to be limited. As for the first type, Sacher, Demel and Imperial (in the Hotel Imperial) are the leading establishments. But people rarely go there for a glass of wine, although they serve wine.

Bräunerhof: 1, Stallburggasse 2; U-Bahn Herrengasse. Thomas Bernhard, the gloomy novelist, used to perch here. Impressive selection of international newspapers.

Central: 1, Herrengasse 14; U-Bahn Herrengasse. The grandest of all Coffee Houses, frequented by Trotsky, with tourists by the hundred. But you must go there, if only to hear the echoes of a bygone era. 

Demel: 1, Kohlmarkt 14; U-Bahn Herrengasse. The king of the Kaffee-Konditorei, with a better Sacher Torte than Kaffee-Konditorei Sacher in my view.

Diglas: In existence since 1875, is said to be the oldest café in Vienna.  It is in the center of Vienna, just a few steps away from St. Stephan’s Cathedral. One of my friends likes it so much that when he was in Vienna recently, he had breakfast, lunch and dinner there …because of the traditional Viennese fare: Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz and outstanding pastries.

 

Frauenhuber: 1, Himmelpfortgasse 6; U-Bahn Stephansplatz. One of the oldest Coffee Houses in Vienna – Beethoven was a frequent visitor – with vaulted ceiling and deep burgundy upholstery.

Griensteidl: at the Michaelerplatz, just by the entrance to Hofburg. A famous Austrian coffee house with a long tradition reaching back into the 19th century.

Hawelka: 1, Dorotheergasse 6; U-Bahn Stephansplatz. An institution. The curious from all parts of the globe cram inside this dark Café. You feel like in a museum. 

 

See: Wine and Coffee with Guenther Hawelka at Café Hawelka (and at Buffet Trzésniewski) in Vienna, Austria