If you’ve ever sat down in an Austrian café and looked at the coffee menu, you might have wondered what on earth you were supposed to order.
A Melange? A Verlängerter? A Kleiner Schwarzer?
Austrian coffee orders have their own vocabulary, and if you’re not familiar with it, the menu can seem a little confusing.
I actually learned how to make many of these coffees myself. During my school years, coffee preparation was part of our Service lessons, and for my A-level exam in Service, I had to prepare a Turkish coffee as my tableside service task. I still remember having to make it in front of the examiner!
Later, I worked in the café at IKEA, where I learned how to make all sorts of different coffees again. By then I was pretty comfortable with the different drinks — although I have to admit that latte art was something I never quite mastered!
The funny thing is, though, that I don’t actually drink coffee myself. My husband, on the other hand, is something of a coffee connoisseur, so between my experience making them and his experience drinking them, we have a pretty good reason to talk about Austrian coffee!
So, if you’re heading to Austria and want to know what you’re actually ordering when you sit down in a café, here’s my guide to some of the most common Austrian coffee orders.
First, learn the basics
One of the easiest ways to understand an Austrian coffee menu is to learn a few of the words.
Schwarzer means black coffee, while Brauner means coffee served with some milk or coffee cream.
Then you have Kleiner for a small coffee and Großer for a larger one.
So:
- Kleiner Schwarzer = small black coffee
- Großer Schwarzer = larger black coffee
- Kleiner Brauner = small black coffee with cream
- Großer Brauner = larger black coffee with cream
Once you know that, the menu already becomes a lot easier to understand.
The exact preparation can vary a little between cafés, but these are some of the traditional Viennese coffeehouse classics.
Kleiner Schwarzer
A Kleiner Schwarzer is a small black Mokka — essentially the Austrian coffeehouse equivalent of a small espresso.
It’s short, strong and served without milk.
You can also sometimes order it kurz, which means particularly short.
Order this if: you want a small, strong black coffee.
Großer Schwarzer
The Große Schwarze is the larger version, traditionally made with a double Mokka.
It’s still black, but you get a larger serving.
Order this if: you want a stronger, larger black coffee without milk.
Kleiner Brauner
A Kleiner Brauner is a small Mokka served with coffee cream on the side.
The name Brauner comes from the coffee becoming brown when you add the cream.
You can add as much or as little as you like.
Order this if: you like a small coffee but don’t want it completely black.
Großer Brauner
The Große Brauner is the larger version of the Brauner, made with a double Mokka and served with coffee cream.
So if you remember the basic formula, this one is easy:
Groß + Brauner = larger coffee + cream.
Verlängerter
A Verlängerter is a Mokka that’s been lengthened with hot water.
It’s probably the closest Austrian coffeehouse order to what many British readers would recognise as an Americano.
You can also order a Verlängerter Schwarzer if you want it black, or a Verlängerter Brauner if you want some coffee cream with it.
Order this if: you want a longer, less concentrated black coffee.
Wiener Melange
The Melange is probably the coffee order you’ll hear most often when talking about Viennese coffee culture.
It’s made with a Mokka that’s slightly lengthened, warm milk and a topping of milk foam, usually served in a large coffeehouse cup.
If you’ve ever ordered a cappuccino, the Melange might look familiar, although it’s not exactly the same drink.
Order this if: you want a creamy, milky coffee and don’t want something too strong.
Einspänner
The Einspänner is one of the most recognisable Austrian coffeehouse drinks.
It’s made with Mokka and topped with a generous amount of whipped cream, traditionally served in a glass with a handle.
The thick layer of whipped cream isn’t just decoration. Historically, it helped keep the coffee warm for Viennese coachmen, which is where the name comes from.
You may also get icing sugar served separately.
Order this if: you want something strong, rich and distinctly Viennese.
And yes, you are supposed to drink the hot coffee through the cold whipped cream.
Kapuziner
The Kapuziner is another traditional Viennese coffeehouse drink made with coffee and whipped cream.
You’ll find slightly different versions depending on the café. Traditional descriptions often use a double Mokka with whipped cream, while some cafés add a little milk as well.
So don’t be surprised if a Kapuziner looks slightly different from one café to another.
Order this if: you fancy a strong coffee with a creamy topping.
Franziskaner
A Franziskaner is essentially a Melange with whipped cream instead of the usual milk foam.
So if you like the idea of a milky coffee but would rather have a little whipped cream on top, this is the one for you.
Order this if: you want something like a Melange but a little more indulgent.
Kaffee verkehrt
The name Kaffee verkehrt literally means “coffee reversed”.
And that tells you quite a lot about the drink.
Instead of having lots of coffee with a little milk, you get a lot of milk with comparatively little coffee.
It’s usually served in a glass and is a very light, milky coffee.
Order this if: you prefer your coffee very milky and mild.
A few more Austrian coffee orders
There are plenty more traditional coffeehouse specialities once you get beyond the basics.
Kleine Schale Gold is a small Mokka with hot milk and a milk-foam topping.
Verlängerter Brauner is a lengthened coffee with hot water and a little coffee cream.
And then you get into the more unusual names, such as Fiaker, Maria Theresia and Überstürzter Neumann. These are fun to discover when you’re sitting in a traditional Kaffeehaus and feeling a little more adventurous.
You certainly don’t need to memorise the entire coffee menu before your next trip to Austria.
So, what should you order?
If you’re sitting in an Austrian café and don’t know where to start, here’s my quick guide:
| If you want… | Order… |
|---|---|
| A small, strong black coffee | Kleiner Schwarzer |
| A larger black coffee | Großer Schwarzer |
| A small coffee with cream | Kleiner Brauner |
| A larger coffee with cream | Großer Brauner |
| A longer black coffee | Verlängerter Schwarzer |
| A milky coffee | Melange |
| Coffee with lots of whipped cream | Einspänner |
| A milky coffee with whipped cream | Franziskaner |
| A very milky, mild coffee | Kaffee verkehrt |
| A strong coffee with whipped cream | Kapuziner |
And remember, you don’t have to order the “right” coffee. If you fancy a cappuccino, order a cappuccino. If you want to try something traditionally Austrian, go for a Melange or an Einspänner.
The best part of Austrian coffee culture isn’t really about choosing the perfect drink anyway. It’s about sitting down, taking your time and enjoying your coffee.
And perhaps ordering a slice of cake while you’re there. If you want to taste authentic Austrian coffee paired with a beautiful cake and you happen to be in London, make sure you visit Kipferl – the only Austrian Restaurant in the UK.
I may not drink coffee myself, but after years of learning how to make it — and living with a coffee connoisseur — I’ve certainly learned how much there is to know about an Austrian coffee menu.
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