Café Hawelka

Café Hawelka Review

Practically a shrine—indeed, almost a museum—the beloved Hawelka has been presided over for more than 70 years by Leopold Hawelka, in person, day in, day out. This was the hangout of most of Vienna's modern artists, and the café has acquired quite an admirable art collection over the years. As you enter the rather dark interior, wait to be seated—which is unusual in Vienna—but then you can ask to have a look at the guest book, itself a work of art, with entries including some very illustrious names (Elias Canetti, Andy Warhol, Tony Blair, et al.) Back in the 1960s, the young John Irving enjoyed the atmosphere here, too, as you can see when reading The Hotel New Hampshire. The Hawelka is most famous for its Buchteln, a baked bun with a sweet filling that goes down well with a melange. The café can be pretty smoky when the doors are closed, but there are some tables outside if the air gets too thick.