Coffee & culture in a cafe in Salzburg
As soon as you enter it, you know that Austrian culture has its say - a cafe in Salzburg. Not every cafe in Salzburg, however, meets the expectations. There are cafe pastry shops that have nothing to do with Austrian coffeehouses. You could also be in any other European city.
A real Austrian coffee house is different. Austrian Coffee culture includes certain rituals and behaviors of its guests that other Europeans have lost.
Even the menu card in a cafe in the Salzburg country presents a non-Austrian with decision problems. Don't just order coffee here. No, the list of hot drinks is longer and definitely more different in the recipe. A "small" or a "large black" are offered as well as a "brown", an "extended" or a "melange". These are just the "normal" coffees. There is also a long list of specialty coffees that make the cafe's mouth water as you read.
Austrian-style coffee in a cafe in Salzburg
As a non-Austrian you should definitely go to such a café in Salzburg and make up your mind about what is actually meant by these various coffee offers. Therefore here is a little help:
Little black man - that means a small cup of black coffee
Great Black - here is some more black coffee included
a bay - this is a black with whipped cream (whipped cream)
an extender - that's a black man with water
And then there's the Melange - that is an extender with warm milk
In addition to the special coffee known in other countries such as cappuccino, caffe latte or macchiato, there are also the typical Austrian coffee creations. These are characterized by imaginative combinations of coffee, espresso, cocoa, liqueur - Amaretto, Baileys or similar delicious - and a lot of whipped cream. Or - as they say in Austria - by punch or whipped cream.
A visit to a cafe in Salzburg needs one thing - time!
You can eat cakes in a Salzburg coffee house, but that does not necessarily have to be. However, it is more important to have enough time to enjoy your coffee. This can be done alone. In this case, you will find the latest daily newspaper between wooden holders in a typical café at the entrance. These are usually already hung near the coat rack. So you just take them to the table. Or - better yet - you enjoy the coffee in company. It takes time too. In the cafe you meet for the second breakfast. Or you talk to friends or business partners. Others just enjoy a quiet quarter of an hour looking for a quiet corner with a newspaper. In addition there's a good coffee for a break from the hectic everyday life.
And what does all this have to do with Salzburg?
Quite simply - there are some coffeehouses of this kind. The best known is probably the Tomaselli on the Old Market. Anyone who comes here at lunchtime and hopes for a free place, but certainly not from Salzburg. Here it is always full at lunchtime - and noisy.
The Cafe Bazar on the north side of the Salzach is quite different. Located next to the Hotel Sacher Salzburg, the Cafe Bazar is quieter. Here comes who is just on the way to the old town or has his stroll through the city already behind him and wants to rest. This can definitely be done - with a wonderful view of the Staatsbrücke and the church domes of the city center, which are dominated by the fortress Hohensalzburg and the Mönchsberg with the Museum of Modern Art. A truly impressive view, where you finally enjoy your coffee even more.
Anyway, a visit to Salzburg is not complete without visiting one of his coffee houses. Only then can one trace something of the Austrian soul.
A great cafe in Salzburg? Here you go:
- The Cafe Bazar, Schwarzstrasse 3, 5020 Salzburg
- Cafe in the Hotel Sacher, Schwarzstrasse 5-7, 5020 Salzburg
- The Cafe Tomaselli, Alter Markt 9, 5020 Salzburg
- Tolle modern cafes in Salzburg you find at Miss Flora.
Travel Arrangements:
Parking at the airport
Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.
Arrival by plane, train and bus
Arrival by plane, bus or train*. Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and other airlines fly to Salzburg. It is possible to travel to Salzburg by train. Flix buses also go to Salzburg.
Rental car:
Do you already know:
- Salzburg specialties that (not) everyone knows
- Salzburg and Surroundings
- Viennese coffeehouse - where is this?
- Art and culture travel
- Salzburg landmarks
- Café in the center of Dublin
- What do you need for hiking?
- Buying hiking shoes – What you should know before buying
Source: own research on site
Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs, TravelWorldOnline
Photo © Copyright Monika Fuchs, TravelWorldOnline
I'm rather a tea drinker, but in Austria it may also like to be a fine coffee specialty.
Hello Antje,
Tea tastes best with a view of the East or North Sea. The further south we are, the more I become a coffee drinker.
Best regards,
Monika
Dear Mona,
as a Salzburg native, this is now of course a “home game” for me :-) The coffeehouses mentioned are popular with locals and tourists alike and the style determines what is expected outside of our borders as “typically Austrian”. But I take the opportunity and will be happy to give you and your readers 3 more tips on where we would like to go in Salzburg:
220 GRAD (modern / young): sensational breakfast (also for vegetarians) and own roasting
Cafe Wernbacher: If you love retro styling is right here (near Mirabell garden) - for many Salzburgers the 2. living room
Schatz Konditorei: A miniature coffee house near Mozart's birthplace with a beautiful portal and incredibly tasty cream slices
Regards
Elena
Hello Elena,
I know the confectionery Schatz already - if only from the outside (so far). I do not know the Café Wernbacher and 220 Grad yet. They have already landed in my to-do list. Thank you for the tips.
Best regards,
Monika
Hello Monika,
Unfortunately, I also feel that these rituals have been lost in our fast-moving time or are only rarely to be found. Coffee to go sends my regards.
I recently had a high tea in The Hague. Also a beautiful ceremony where I really came down.
I am now increasingly looking for such beautiful experiences in my travels.
Sunny greetings,
Nicolo
Hello Nicolo,
yes, I can only agree with you. All the more we enjoy such ceremonies when we discover them. You're right, high tea is one of them. We have already experienced it in several places. Even in those where we would not have expected it, such as in Miami.
Best regards,
Monika
I'm sitting over my morning coffee reading your report. I like to drink coffee, but admittedly I always have problems with it abroad. It almost never suits my taste. The coffee is either so small and strong that I will be "under power" for the next few hours or the coffee is too bitter for me. Your small coffee guide for Salzburg is just the ticket. Now the "right" coffee should land on my table during my next stay in Austria.
Greetings, Susanne
Hi Susan,
I am very happy if our coffee guide helps you further. We used to take a small cheat sheet whenever we visited Austrian cafés. The coffee selection there you have to know first. But I really like the Austrian coffees all well.
Best regards,
Monika
Hello you two, I used to be in Austria very often and when ordering you always asked yourself:
Which coffee do I take? Through your article, I am now well prepared for the next holiday in Austria.
and now I am making a mélange at home.
Lg.
Ralf
A good idea, Ralf. I will do that now too.
Greetings,
Monika
As a North German, I envy the Austrians for the coffeehouse culture. It has something charming and cozy about it. This comes in your article wonderfully over, so I actually immediately take my jacket and go to the next cafe :)
The explanations of the coffees I find also very helpful, because you as outsiders often not so through.
My next coffee house visit is in May, when I go to Budapest again. There I will pay a visit to the legendary confectioner Ruszwurm and think of your article about coffee house culture. And maybe someday I'll make it to Salzburg ...
Hello Claudia,
I think Budapest's coffee houses are not that different from those in Austria. After all, at the time of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, they belonged together. When I recall my visit to Budapest many years ago, I sometimes had the feeling that I was in an Austrian coffeehouse. I will definitely look for your post about Budapest.
Best regards,
Monika
Hello you two!
You might laugh at me now, but even as an Austrian I'm overwhelmed with the coffee names in Salzburg and in Vienna, P With me in Carinthia, there is already very strong Italian impact: we drink cappuccino, caffé latte, a lengthened, little brown or espresso. No singles and no melange. And if you're in Carinthia, you have to eat a Kärntner Reindling for coffee. A traditional dessert made from yeast dough. LG, Anita
Dear Anita,
I'm really glad that even you as an Austrian like that, Anita. Sometimes I felt weird. I remember the Carinthian Reindling for our next stay in the region. This one is coming.
Best regards,
Monika
Hi monika,
the waitresses ask me several times because I always order a "coffee". What would be the correct name for a cup of coffee with a sip of milk?
Greetings Mario
Hello Mario,
in that case I would order - depending on the thirst for coffee - either a “little one” or “big black one”. There's always milk. Then you can add the sip of milk yourself.
Best regards,
Monika
Yes, the many different coffees are really sensational in Austria. Unfortunately, there are still too few milk or gluten-free pie specialties and thus the visit to the coffee house is rather rare among our favorite pastimes in the beautiful cities.
But you miss something, Silke and Thomas. There are other things in the cafes, too. Alone the atmosphere I think great.
Salzburg coffeehouses: At last, somebody explains what types of coffees are served in Austrian coffeehouses. The selection is so big that you can get mixed up right away. Little Black, Big Black, Brown Coffee, Prolonged and Melange.
Hi Andrew,
we have done this out of pure self-interest, which we have always mixed up again and again. And as Sabine has said below, not all Austrian super friendly, if you constantly ask what is actually the difference between the different coffees.
Best regards,
Monika
What I particularly like about the Austrian coffee culture is that it always serves a glass of water for a coffee. It just has style!
This is true. However, I prefer the many different coffee variations :)
Oh yeah. You can get confused or just ask too many questions. I remember a Viennese coffee house in which the waiter was very annoyed that I didn't know which name stood for which type of coffee. Thanks for the explanation!
Best regards,
Sabine
I know that too well, Sabine. We did not feel differently when we first visited Austria.
Best regards,
Monika
Have a nice cup of coffee and read a newspaper (or more) - the paradise! I also think that this is especially good in an Austrian coffee house.
As I read, I asked myself: is there a reason that you are breaking coffee culture apart?
Hello Julia,
maybe I should put in between coffee and culture :)?
Best regards,
Monika
The difference lies in the similarity:
Whether there is a difference between a Viennese café or a Salzburg coffee house? It could probably be thought about for days ...
I find the reference to the "Austrian coffeehouse culture" interesting - which is really nothing else than the Viennese coffeehouse culture under a different name. Why this generalization? It could also be thought about for a long time - of course: again in the coffee house ...