In my last travel post I talked about our visit to Vienna Austria. Of course I held a few photos back about a cafe experience we had, specifically so that I could post about it in the Cinnamon Cup Coffee community. I think its a good one for this week's #thecoffeeshopprompt, since it fits the theme so well. Prompt:
>Do you prefer coffee shop chains or ones with a mom-and-pop feel to them?
The short answer for me is mom and pop all the way. Overall, they tend to be more unique in design and experience than their commercial counterparts and therefore they stand out in memory. They aren't just the same old experience served inside a new trendy beverage that will be here today and gone tomorrow. Let me explain more as we go, enough preamble, let's talk about
Cafe Hawelka
The cafe was established in 1939 by Leopold Hawelka and has remained family run even to this day. Some online blogs mention being greeted at the door by the original owners, even up until the early 2000s. I recall seeing an older gentleman going around and greeting patrons but I don't know for certain if he was a part of the Hawelka family. I believe that the son now runs the place, so for all I know it could of been him?
When I entered the cafe I immediately got a sense that the place hasn't changed much since it was first established nearly a century ago now. I mean that in a good way though. It was traditionally decorated with crimson red curtain, dark rich color schemes, old wood tables and chairs and wood accents all around. To me the atmosphere felt very warm and cozy and indeed very friendly.
Newspapers were attached to wooden poles like they used to do back in the day when newspapers were more prevalent. Everything about the cafe felt like a warm hug of the soul to me.
We were travelling with my wifes parents and they were the ones who recommended it. They had been to Vienna before and had visited the place during their trip and it had left an impression on them. I could see why.
The cafe is described as a meeting place for young artists, critics, writers and intellectuals, though I don't believe that those are necessary qualifications to go there. It definitely had that vibe about it nonetheless.
We ordered coffees and a traditional Austrian dessert called Sachertorte. It's a chocolate cake with chocolate icing surrounding it, with a thin layer of apricot jam in the middle.
It was a simple but tasty dessert that I was glad I tried since its a specialty of Vienna. I'm sure that it can be bought in other cities as well.
Someone at our table got whipped cream on their coffee. It was unintentional but it seems more like a "happy accident" than anything else. It looked pretty good to me. Actually, everything was quite good all around.
Overall we really enjoyed Cafe Hawelka for its warm, inviting and friendly atmosphere. It was traditional and felt very authentic to me, almost like a representation of the owners themselves, or at least how I invision them to be. It was a truly unique establishment, like many mom and pop style cafes tend to be. That is why I prefer them over chains, they are unique and therefore more memorable.
Check out Cafe Hawelka if you're ever in the city of Vienna, you wont be disappointed.
