Coffee houses - Germany, Austria, Italy

There are lots of reasons to visit Leipzig, named "little Paris" in Goethe's Faust or the "city of heros" for the mass demonstrations that started a movement that brought down the Wall, hometown of J.S. Bach, known for Europe's largest monument Völkerschlachtdenkmal

and

a city with long-standing coffee traditions. Coffe Baum was established in 1720 and is one of the oldest coffee houses in Europe. It includes a coffee museum.

Unfortunately, RS doesn't cover much of Eastern Germany. The city of Leipzig does have a good multi-lingual website that is a good starting point for further information.

Kaffee, coffee, espresso....
I second Beatrix's recommondation of the Koffe Baum (coffee tree) in Leipzig - happens to be my hometown. In general, coffee is excellent in cafes and restaurants and in the homes of my friends and relatives, too (they have their cappucino and espresso machines set up in the kitchen). Before the advent of the coffee culture in this country, a lot of German visitors brought their own from home and all the expats I know always had a few pounds of "good coffee" in their suitcase when they returned from a visit.

We have several coffee houses here in Frankfurt that not only roast their own coffee, but also offer luscious cakes that they make themselves too. Cafe Liebfrauenberg is over 120 years old and has the most gregarious Italian waiter I have ever run across as well as pretty decor. Cafe Wackers has a couple of locations, but the one on the marketplace in Bornheim is a favorite of mine. Location and style are pluses to the fresh roasted coffee you can purchase and drink there. Cafe Mozart located on Töngesgasse, is a favorite for many Frankfurters, also with dozens of yummy cakes and tortes to satisfy most anyone.

Thanks for the suggestions, in fact as we speak my wife and I are enjoying a grand cafe, which is Mexican chocolate, 4 oz milk, Cremosa espresso and whip cream. Very yummy!

All the best, Monte

Anna,

I still buy only German coffee brands :-) The roast and grind is different from what you get with Maxwell et al or even with Starbucks.

There is a great series of books called Cafe Life: [name of city] which tells the stories of the cafes, the families who own/run them, and the city itself. I have read the book for Venice and Florence.

My favourite spot to visit from these books is the roast house called Torrefazione Marchi in Venice. Their Caffè della Sposa is really worth the hype. It's really easy to find; just exit the train station, turn left and it will be on your left, in the Cannaregio neighborhood.

hi Susan & Monty :-))

Vienna is THE paradise for coffee lovers! There are many wonderful coffee houses all throughout the city.
One of my all-time favorites is the Cafe Landtmann
http://www.landtmann.at/en/das-cafe/

This is a wonderful book, btw, even though mostly a recipe collection, it has wonderful little stories and photos about the Viennese coffeehouse culture:
http://www.amazon.com/Kaffeehaus-Exquisite-Desserts-Classic-Budapest/dp/0609604538/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269944488&sr=1-7

Thanks to everyone who replied to my question. I did check out all the information and it makes me want to go back to Europe even more!

What a great web site...thanks Rick!

All the best, Monte

I've never found a bad coffee bar in Italy. And, if you order at the bar, it is so cheap. It is also my favorite way to find a toilet when traveling in Italy. For usually 1 euro or less I get great espresso, a bathroom and usually great local folks to drink the coffee with. What a bargain. I've never seen a Starbucks in Italy-enough said.