Vegas Food Finds Goes to Vienna: Café Hawelka

While we usually don't review coffee shops, we had to make an exception for the venerable and time-worn Café Hawelka, a true cultural institution in the heart of Vienna's posh first district.

Even though I am originally from Austria, I am still very drawn to coffee shops. I haven't lived here in more than a decade, so I cheerfully flock to any coffee shop I can get to, just so I can have a real cup of coffee on a tiny silver tray with a small glass of tap water. This is how coffee should be served, in my humble opinion. It's not Starbucks, and that's a good thing.

Even though most of these places are still for smokers (in spite of a recently introduced, complicated non-smoking-area law), I am still, for some reason, totally delighted. It must be my nostalgia for all things Austrian. While my twin isn't amused by smoky rooms, rude waiters and furniture that's long past its prime, I still enjoy it. It's just so different from Vegas.

Café Hawelka tops the list of gently run-down coffee shops and certainly wouldn't last very long in the U.S. However, it's not hard to picture past cultural greats sitting at nearby tables, as they have done in the café's long history. Sure, there was a draft coming from the windows, which were, well, old. Legend has it that the place hasn't been renovated since the 60s, and it shows. The waiter, however, wasn't rude, and the coffee was top-notch. We stayed an extra hour just to get our hands on the famous Buchteln (an Austrian pastry filled with jam) that the place is known for -- they were delicious; straight out of the oven.

You'd think that because the place has seen better days, that the coffee would be cheap. It's not, but it's a historical place, and it's worth it. It's located a stone's throw from St. Stephen's cathedral (which, by the way, needs a good cleaning), and should be on any visitors' list:tourists, locals, and everyone in between.

Cafe Hawelka (forgive the horrendous translations!)
Dorotheergasse 6
1010 Vienna, First District
Phone: (01) 512 82 30

--By Judy Jenner