Address: Herrengasse 14, 1010 Wien, Austria
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday 8:00am – 9:00pm, Sunday 10:00am – 9:00pm
Official Website: cafecentral.wien
There are coffeehouses, and then there is Cafe Central.
So claims Cafe Central. Here is where the movers and shakers of the 1800s convened to create stories, discuss ideas, composed classical music that would become the essence of Vienna today.
Admittedly, after Cafe Sacher and Cafe Gerstner, I had very little excitement for Cafe Central, but its Venetian-like interiors ignited my interest once more.
Thankfully, we skipped the long queues outside as I had an early reservation. I booked a table several months in advance.
So for breakfast at Cafe Central, I resisted a slice of sacher torte, and was contented with ordering a croissant, a cup of melange and a hot plate of bacon and eggs. And hot chocolate once again.
The bacon and eggs were delicious and well cooked, albeit oily. I could have ordered another plate but resisted as the day was still long.
Compared to Gerstner, where the lavishness of the interiors overwhelms you, or at Cafe Sacher Torte, where the red and gold and burgundy details remind you of Sissi and Franz, Cafe Central emits a different atmosphere. We sat in the inner room decorated with potted plants and cathedral-like archways. There is an eerie silence inside Cafe Central, despite selfie sticks and chattering tourists greedily scooping cream for apple strudels.
Regulars of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the Vienna Circle discussed revolutions and World War 1 in Cafe Central. Patrons Leon Trotsky, Sigmund Freud and Adolf Hitler during their time would eat from daylight to midnight at Cafe Central.
I thought there is no better way to experience Cafe Central and my last day in Vienna, but to observe.