Café Hawelka

The story

Leopold and Josefine Hawelka opened their café in 1939. After the war it became a home for Vienna’s writers, critics and artists; the dim light, worn furniture, smoke-darkened walls and late-night Buchteln still resist polished reinvention.

Why Café Hawelka is iconic

Its value lies in accumulated atmosphere: this is a cultural meeting room that feels used, personal and authentically Viennese.

Selected by Ernst Aben · Information reviewed July 2026