6 Best Cafes to Work From in Vienna

Vienna won me over. I’m not sure if it was because of its rowdy gasthauses, old friends who I was able to reconnect with, or the palpable energy that is hard to ignore after stepping out your door. Vienna is an absolutely wonderful city that I recommend everyone check out. 

I do know for sure that Vienna’s abundance of great cafes to work from is a major factor in why I am seriously considering settling there permanently. From busy college hangout cafes, to traditional Viennese coffee houses, all the way to chic, hipster hangout spots that double as an upcoming DJ’s stomping grounds – Vienna has a cafe (or two) perfect for whatever mood you are in. 

Let’s get started! Below is a list of my personal favorite cafes to work from in Vienna, Austria. 

phil (Cafe Phil)

Courtesy of phil’s Facebook page.

IMPORTANT: Cafe Phil has currently suspended laptop use in their cafe but have stated that they may return to allowing laptops in the future. I am keeping this up because Phil is still one of my favorite cafes in Vienna – so go check it our regardless.

Known simply as “phil,” Cafe Phil is a bookstore, cafe, and general hangout for every type of person. I’ve seen everyone from study abroad students to businessmen in three piece suits posted up here. Phil also happens to be my go-to cafe to work out of, due to its laptop-friendly nature, comfortable seating, and hip vibe. 

Phil sports two levels of seating, strong coffee, and fast internet, which makes it a perfect spot for freelancers, digital nomads, and students to post up to grind out some much needed work. It is also a great spot to wind down after a hard day of sending out your QuickBooks invoices, as they have several beers on tap (along with a plethora of other mixed drinks) and weekly DJs spinning some tunes. 

I would like to emphasize two things about phil though – (1) WiFi is turned off on the weekends, so I recommend coming here during the week to work (of course), (2) Service can take quite some time, so don’t be afraid to head up to the counter and order there.  

Website, Address, & Details: https://phil.business.site/ | https://www.facebook.com/philophilophil/ 

Hours: M – 5PM – 1AM, Tuesday – Sunday 9AM – 1AM

Location: Gumpendorfer Str. 10 – 12, 1060 Wien, Austria

Cafe Jelinek

Courtesy of Cafe Jelinek’s website.

While most traditional Viennese coffee houses aren’t ideal to work from, Cafe Jelinek is quite the opposite. At first, I was apprehensive about heading to Cafe Jelinek to work from as it felt like a mild desecration of an absolute institution. However, once you step inside you’ll find that there are countless others posted up at tables reading, chatting, or working from their laptop. 

When you step into Cafe Jelinek, you are stepping back in time. Like your grandmother’s dining room, Cafe Jelinek is adorned with photographs from the Austrian theater, green-suede armchairs, and flickering chandeliers. This is as authentic as a cafe can come. 

Cafe Jelinek isn’t pretentious, the staff is extremely attentive, the muesli will be the best start to your day, and the WiFi isn’t just more than workable – it’s downright fast. Because Cafe Jelinek is such an institution, I recommend aiming to work out of here during the week rather than on the weekend as it packs up. I would also recommend indulging in one of their assorted cakes and desserts – the ever-so chocolatey and fluffy sachertorte being my favorite. 

Pro Tip: You absolutely must go to Gastwirtschaft Steman right across the street, an incredible gasthaus serving up some of the best goulash, liver dumpling soup, and spaetzle I’ve ever had. 

Website, Address, & Details: http://cafejelinek.steman.at/ 

Hours: Everyday 9AM – 10PM

Location: Otto-Bauer-Gasse 5, 1060 Wien, Austria

Das Mobel (aka The Furniture Cafe)

Courtesy of Das Mobel’s Facebook page.

Located on one of my favorite streets in all of Vienna (Burggasse), Das Mobel (aka The Furniture Cafe) is a trendy cafe that is built for the freelancer. Of all cafes I have worked out of in Vienna, this is the one with the highest percentage of people working from their laptop. Maybe it’s because of their plentiful seating, a high-top communal table, or fast WiFi. Or maybe it’s because of the bustling atmosphere, draft beers, or assortment of snacks (I recommend grabbing the ham and cheese sandwich or a quiche). There’s plenty of reasons to work from Das Mobel. 

I had read somewhere that no piece of furniture is the same in Das Mobel, and the cafe was originally created as a showcase for designers looking to display their recent furniture creations (all available for sale). I recommend trying to snag a seat by the window for those rainy Austrian days. One of the fondest memories I have of my time in Vienna was sipping an espresso next to the window while watching Viennese from all walks of life go about their day. 

But wait! Das Mobel isn’t just a great place to hunker down with a laptop, latte, and pastry, it’s also a great spot to start your night off at with a quick drink (or seven). 

Website, Address, & Details: http://dasmoebel.at/english 

Hours: M-W 9AM – 12AM, Thursday & Friday 9AM – 1AM, Saturday 10AM – 1AM, Sunday 10AM – 11PM

Location: Burggasse 10, 1070 Wien, Austria

Burggasse 24

Courtesy of Burggasse 24’s Facebook page.

Just up the street from Das Mobel is Burggasse 24, a stylish second hand clothing store and cafe. So, what’s so great about Burggasse 24? Plenty of things. To start, I was lucky enough to first swing by Vienna (for an entire month) in September and October, so the weather was beautiful. You can bet your bottom dollar more than a handful of my days were spent working on my laptop outside on Burggasse 24’s outdoor couch (and tables occasionally). 

Additionally, there’s two layers to Burggasse 24: (1) the entrance with the coffee bar and more open-air look, and (2) the back room which resembles an old style French teahouse (similar to Villa Royale in my blog post on best cafes in Ho Chi Minh City). Even though Burggasse 24 is merely a hop, skip and a jump away from Das Mobel, it is far less trafficked and what I would classify as a “hidden gem.” 

I also do have to comment that the food here is what I would call “brunch-worthy,” and some of the best quality on this list (next to Cafe Jelinek), with their muesli coming in the top spot for me (I’m a muesli fiend as you can tell).

Website, Address, & Details: https://www.facebook.com/Cafe.burggasse24/ 

Hours: M-F 11AM – 8PM, Saturday 11AM – 6PM, Sunday Closed

Location: Burggasse 24/8, 1070 Wien, Austria

Cocoquadrat (Cafe)

Courtesy of Cocoquadrat’s Facebook page.

Cocoquadrat was the first spot I worked out of in Vienna. And I kept coming back. Even though I had settled in the ever-so trendy Mariahilf area, like clockwork I marched my way over to Cocoquadrat nearly every other day for two weeks. Cocoquadrat is a coworking space, business center, and cafe – a space of multitudes. 

I should preface that I am writing specifically about the cafe at Cocoquadrat, as that is free. If you want to work out of a coworking space, I recommend checking out this article by TechMeetups on the best coworking spaces in Vienna. I worked out of both the coworking space and cafe (both in the same building), but found that economically it just wasn’t worth it (for me) to pay per hour. 

When entering Cocoquadrat, you can either bang a left and post up in the coworking space, which charges around EUR 3.50 per hour, or head right and use the free and plentiful seating in their cafe. The staff at Cocoquadrat were incredibly welcoming and patient with me as I struggled a bit using the online app to reserve my table in the coworking space. 

So, whether you are looking for a more formal (or informal) setting to crank out some work out at, I highly recommend heading to Cocoquadrat. 

Website, Address, & Details: https://www.cocoquadrat.com/en/ 

Hours: M-Thurs 8AM – 8PM, Saturday 9AM – 3PM, Sunday Closed

Location: Wiedner Hauptstraße 65, 1040 Wien, Austria

CoffeePirates

Courtesy of CoffeePirate’s Facebook page.

Located a stone’s throw away from the University of Vienna campus, CoffeePirates is pure chaos – and in the best way. CoffeePirates reminds me of a campus coffee shop, with long lines, communal tables, and strong coffee for those late nights. Surprisingly though, it closes quite early, so this will not be a spot that you will be burning the midnight oil at. 

WiFi is fast, there’s no shortage of outlets, and you are more than likely going to walk away from your day at CoffeePirates having chatted to someone new. This is a cafe that I wish I had on campus during my college days. Everyone heads to CoffeePirates with a purpose, so it likely isn’t a spot you want to post up at to drink an espresso in complete and utter silence. Enjoy the chaos. Revel in it. 

CoffeePirates also has a plentiful assortment of cakes and goodies, which I recommend trying (their vegan brownies surprisingly coming in as my favorite). Oh, and if you read about my adventures in Hungary where I tracked down some of the best cafes to work from in Budapest, you’ll know that I tried my first coffee with oat milk. CoffeePirates also offers oat milk for the vegans out there! 

Website, Address, & Details: https://coffeepirates.at/ 

Hours: M-Thursday 8AM – 6PM, Saturday & Sunday 9AM – 5PM

Location: Spitalgasse 17, 1090 Wien, Austria

Final Thoughts on Best Cafes in Vienna to Work From

I can’t get enough of Vienna, and now you know why. Vienna truly has any type of cafe you could want. If you are making your way east on your journey to Bratislava and Budapest, I recommend checking out my two blog posts breaking down cafes that you can’t miss: 

• 4 Laptop Friendly Cafes & Places For Digital Nomads in Bratislava
• Best Budapest Cafes For Digital Nomads & Freelancers

If you have any cafes in Vienna you personally love, I’d love to hear from you in the comments! Or feel free to shoot me an email! 

Cheers!

-Big Body