The mythologised Viennese coffee house of the 20th century — opened 1939, still run by the founding family, unchanged, still serving the beloved Buchteln (jam-filled buns) every evening.
Why It Belongs on the List
Hawelka is the authentic Viennese coffee house — not the grand neo-Gothic variety but the neighborhood kind that artists, writers, and intellectuals have been using as a living room since 1939. The Hawelka family still runs it; the interiors haven't been updated since mid-century; and the Buchteln (warm jam-filled buns) are served from 10pm onward. Unlike Café Central, it has no tourist agenda — it just is what it always was. The New York Times called it one of the greatest coffee houses in the world.
What Stands Out
- Since 1939
- Still family-run
- Unchanged, time-capsule interiors
- Buchteln served from 10pm
- A true Viennese coffeehouse
- No tourist agenda