Café Savoy

About this place Café Savoy

Café Savoy has been on the Linke Wienzeile since 1840, making it one of the oldest surviving café premises in Vienna. The interior is extraordinary: high coffered ceilings, mirrored walls, original chandeliers, and the long narrow proportions of the classic Ringstrasse-era Viennese café — a room that has survived two world wars, the annexation, and the demolition of much of old Vienna essentially intact. The café's gay-welcoming character dates back decades and is now an established part of its identity rather than a recent addition. The weekend crowd is predominantly gay and gay-friendly; the weekday atmosphere is more mixed but equally comfortable. Café Savoy sits directly on the Naschmarkt at its most central point — you can watch the market operate from the windows — and the combination of architectural magnificence, excellent Viennese coffee, and the feeling of being in a place with genuine historical weight makes it unlike any other café on the gay European circuit. Brunch on Saturday or Sunday, when the flea market on the Wienzeile fills the street outside, is one of the better experiences in Vienna.