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Café Hawelka - Cafe in Innere Stadt, Vienna
Cafe

Café Hawelka

Innere Stadt post-war intellectual kaffeehaus, Dorotheergasse, the night-Buchteln.

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Reviewed by Mes Prestiges Editorial Team Last reviewed June 2026
Innere Stadt |
$$ Mid-range for Cafe
|
Mon–Thu 09:00–24:00; Fri–Sat 09:00–01:00; Sun 09:00–22:00
| Last reviewed: Jun 2026

Leopold and Josefine Hawelka opened the kaffeehaus on Dorotheergasse in 1939, closed for the war, and reopened in 1945 to become the centre of Vienna's post-war literary and artistic scene, H.C. Artmann, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Oskar Werner, Helmut Qualtinger and André Heller all spent serial evenings here. The room is small, dark, smoke-aged in the texture if not in fact, the walls covered in original drawings and posters from the regular customers. Leopold died in 2011 at 100; the grandchildren now run the room and have kept it deliberately unchanged. Josefine's Buchteln, the sweet yeast buns filled with plum jam, come out of the oven at 22:00 every night and are the kaffeehaus's load-bearing late-night order.

Editor's Tip

Buchteln come out of the oven at 22:00 every night, that is the right time to be at the kaffeehaus. The room reads cramped at first; the back tables are the regulars' territory and the way to find a seat is to ask the Herr Ober rather than pick one yourself.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Viennese kaffeehaus culture (2011, contributing)

Recognition & Quality

Awards

  • UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Viennese kaffeehaus culture (2011, contributing)

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about Café Hawelka, reservations, hours, dress code, and price range.

Where is Café Hawelka?
Café Hawelka is located in Innere Stadt, Vienna, Dorotheergasse 6, 1010 Wien.
What are the opening hours of Café Hawelka?
Café Hawelka is open Mon–Thu 09:00–24:00; Fri–Sat 09:00–01:00; Sun 09:00–22:00.
What is Café Hawelka best for?
Café Hawelka is especially popular for Late Night Buchteln, Afternoon Melange, Reading In The Corner.

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