Wiener Rösthaus, Vienna, Austria

Prater 80/2, 1020 Wien, Austria
Vienna’s famed Volksprater offers many things to the residents of Austria’s capital. A funfair with a Ferris wheel that can be seen from all over the city, an entertainment park with bowling, and a cinema, and plenty of brunch spots, eateries, and bars to make the most of. But, tucked away, at one end of the Prater, is the Viennese Coffee Roasters or Wiener Rösthaus.
A veritable funfair itself, at least for the average coffee enthusiast, the Rösthaus is filled to the brim with speciality equipment whilst at least one wall is lined with beans from across the globe that you can choose from. In fact, source your beans for the exact brew method you want and you can either have them served up to you then and there, or prepared in a bag to be taken home for your own brewing pleasure. It is a palace built to honour the Viennese tradition of coffee, and yet, seems so absurdly out of place in an arena dedicated to noise and excitement when itself is a serene oasis of caffeinated delight.

I’m rather surprised by it, taking up a prime tourist location spot, you feel it should be cheaply sought and expensively sold coffee but that is a rapidly dispelled notion by a simple glance of what they have to offer, and a taste of their house blend in a silky smooth oat latte. I note that they do barista training and coffee courses, and wonder if I had perhaps deliberately been kept away by my acquaintances until the last day of my visit here. Either way, I was ecstatic to practice my school boy German and get all the way to the end of ordering my coffee before having to switch back to English to say ‘take away’. Something that elicited a polite, but knowing, laugh from my server.

Boutique-y in nature, I’d love to spend hours rifling through what oddities I could find for my home brewing setup in amongst their wares, but not being local nor blessed with endlessly deep pockets, I resist the urge and make a mental note should I ever return.