Café Prückel – A Coffeehouse with History
Opened in 1903 as Café Lurion, the coffeehouse at Stubenring 24 quickly joined the constellation of grand Ringstraße cafés that doubled as drawing rooms for Vienna’s bourgeoisie and artistic circles.
The decisive turning-point came half a century later. In 1954–55 the café’s owners commissioned Austrian modernist Oswald Haerdtl to carry out a comprehensive redesign. With only gentle restorations since, the room still looks almost exactly as it did on reopening night in autumn 1955, making Café Prückel one of the best-preserved examples of Austrian mid-century café design.
Throughout its 120-plus years, Prückel has stayed true to the Viennese Kaffeehaus tradition: marble-topped newspaper tables, thick foam on a “Melange,” and permission to linger for hours over a single cup. Regulars have ranged from architecture students at the University of Applied Arts across the street to writers. Evening piano recitals (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 19:00) preserve the sociable spirit.
Today the menu still majors in classics – Einspänner, house-baked Apfelstrudel, and a remarkably good Wiener Schnitzel – while Wi-Fi, ample sockets, and late closing keep the clientele balanced between laptop-toting creatives and newspaper-folding traditionalists. In a city where many historic cafés lean on neo-baroque grandeur, Prückel’s light, optimistic 1950s aesthetic offers a different slice of history without feeling like a stage set. That authenticity is why locals will tell you it is not merely a nostalgic backdrop but an ongoing part of daily Viennese life.
