Cafes in Innsbruck

Cafe Pavillon - Ellegance in a box

2009-11-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

Hi dear coffee readers, winter is making me a bit slow with blogging but here am i again. In this post I will tell you about the cafe Pavillon, located in front of the landestheater, on the Rennweg 4 in Innsbruck.

Größere Kartenansicht

Pavillon is a gourmet restaurant, built in a cubic shape and located in the middle of the plaza in from of the Landestheater. Inside has a very chic decoration, with glass walls. You really feel you are inside a crystal box, but dont get me wrong the environment is very cozy, and has very nice views to the historical buildings and the mountains.

The coffee they serve was very good, and the service was excellent. But my favourite were the cookies that they brought us with the coffee, simply delicious, i had to ask for an extra portion :)

So definately another cafe in Innsbruck to give it a try.

Cafe 360° - A smart place with a 360° view

2009-10-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hi dear readers. It seems winter is here, and there is an excellent place to drink a coffee or a glass of wine and watch the view of Innsbruck and the snowy alps: Cafe 360°. This place is located on the top floor of the Rathaus Galerie.

View Larger Map

Is a very nice bar, where you can enjoy a 360° view of the city either from inside or from outside in the terrace. Although is a place for smart dress people, it offers very reasonable coffee prices. As the place is not very big, you feel the service is more personalized, and the barman can prepare you very interesting cocktails.

I would say is a must in Innsbruck.

Cafe Central - A tradition

2009-10-05T04:24:00.000-07:00

Hi dear readers. Today I am writting about a very traditional place, the Cafe Central, located at the Gilmstrasse 5 in Innsbruck. This cafe started in 1875. When I first visited Innsbruck, a very nice tirolean man of around 70 years old recommended me this cafe, he mentioned they offered the best breakfast in town.

Größere Kartenansicht

The have a good variety of coffees and cakes. The place is elegantly decorated with Swarovski chandeliers, Thonet furniture and very gentle waitresses.

You can enjoy a coffee at Cafe Central while reading some of the many international newspapers they have available or from October to April you can enjoy live piano music on sundays.

Give it a try.

Cafe Wolke 7 - Closer to the Alps

2009-09-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hi dear readers

After some weeks of silence I come back with a new post about a very interesting place in Innsbruck: Wolke 7, located in Hungerburg, nex to the lift to Seegrube at the Nordpark.

Größere Kartenansicht

There are 4 ways to get there. One is to do a nice walk from the city center, is a short and nice trail of aprox. 3.5 km, the second one is by bus with the line J, the third one by car, and the fourth one with the cable railway that starts at the congress center. Wolke 7, is not only a cafe but also a restaurant.

Something very special about this place is the big terrace it has, where you can almost lay in some comfortables chairs and enjoy the awesome alps view. Im sure in Winter after skiing could be also a great possibility to relax.

I tried this time an ice coffee, very nice presented and delicious. The also have a good sort of strudels.

If you read this post on time you might be able to make it this weekend to Wolke 7, where will be the starting (or better „party“ ) point of the Nordketten Downhill 2009. Today the warm up party will take place starting at 18:00. Tomorrow, Saturday the big trial show starts at 18:00 and in the evening the Race party will be held. On Sunday at 12:30 is the final of the competition.

Cafe Testa Rossa

2009-09-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hi dear readers, today i will write about the Cafe Testa Rossa, located in the city center at the Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse 23, 6020 Innsbruck. You have to go inside the building and then go with the lift to the last floor.

Größere Kartenansicht

It has a bohemian feeling, and is very visited by people around their 20's. It has a good range of coffees, but also a very good range of cocktails, try the caipiroska, is one of their specialities.

I have to say is a place for drinking, do not go hungry because there you won't find much variety.

Testa Rossa, also has a small nice terrace to enjoy the sunset. I will recommend this place if you want to hide a bit of the external world while drinking a coffee and having a private chat. But be careful the cocktails are strong, so you might get out of there a bit dizzy also :)

The history of coffee

2009-08-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hi dear readers. This time I will write about the history of the coffee. I have been reading from different sources, and here is the summary of what I gathered:

The coffee beans were first cultivated in Ethiopia. It is not clear who were the first to discover the coffee’s vitality power. There are two legends, one says it was a man from Yemen, the other a man from Ethiopia around the 9th century, who after eating the berries some energetic goats had eaten, became such as vital as them.

Another legend says that later a monk from Yemen who was in Ethiopia, saw the energetic power of these berries on the goats and their shepherd, and took some to his monastery. At the monastery the monks prepared the infusion as a tee, boiling the leaves and berries in hot water, and discovering the coffee’s awakening effects.

From Ethiopia, then the coffee spread to Yemen and Egypt, and the first to roast the coffee were the Arabs. By the 15th century the magical drink spread to the rest of North Africa and the Middle East. It is to be mentioned that the drink was first controversial and banned in certain regions due to its stimulating effects.

The drink was called qahwa, which in arab means wine. When it reached Europe in the 17th century thanks to the trade with the Ottoman Empire it was known as the „Wine of Arabia“.

Coffee first reached Venice, Italy, and from here spread all over Europe. The first Cafe was opened in Venice in 1645, and the first Cafe in Austria, was opened in Viena in 1683 by Jerzy Franciszek Kulczycki, a merchant and soldier who took coffee beans left by the defeated ottomans turks. His Cafe was called Hof zur Blauen Flasche, and he was the first to add milk to the coffee drink, giving origin to the famous Melange.

The introduction of coffee to the Americas was thanks to the french colonies, starting with Martinique. The first coffee plantation in Brazil started in 1727 after Francisco de Melo Palheta following the orders of the Brazilean emperor took seeds from the French Guinea.

In the 19th and 20th century the coffee plantations expanded to many other countries. Among them: Guatemala, Nicaragua, and off course Colombia. :) Later in the 20th century Vietnam entered into the coffee market, thanks to trade relations with the US.

Well, dear readers this was the first article on the coffee world, next month I will write about the main coffee producers and the different types of coffee beans. Looking forward to reading your comments.

Cafe Galerie – A good coffee and cake deal

2009-08-14T04:57:00.000-07:00

Hi guys. August has had some nice sunny days. If you want to try another Cafe on a sunny day try Cafe Galerie. This cafe is located at pfarrgasse 6, Innsbruck. Just turning left on the corner of the Golden roof in the direction to the Dom.

Größere Kartenansicht

Cafe Galerie despite its name is more a bar, specially inside as you can see in the picture. Actually the day we went there were more people drinking beer than coffee, and they offer more than 140 different cocktails from € 5.50.

They have an interesting egipcian decoration behind the front glass of the place. Dont know yet what it means, but i’ll try to find out.

We tried the good deal they have, cappuccino and strudel for only € 3.80. I would say is a good price – product relation. You can also have Sacher Torte and cappuccino for the same price.

If you have been here, and have tried some of the cocktails, other drinks or food, let me know your thoughts.

Munding – The oldest cafe in Innsbruck

2009-08-07T00:57:00.000-07:00

Hello coffee readers. This week I will tell you about a very particular Cafe, the Cafe Munding, the oldest Cafe in Innsbruck. It is located at Kiebachgasse 16, in Mundingplatzl.

Größere Kartenansicht

The history of Munding goes back to the 19th Century, when Johann Nepomuk Munding, from Überlingen, walked all the way to Innsbruck, and started working at different places to pay his living. He started working for the city chef Kircher in a confectionary at the Gumpphaus. Munding later rented this business and then bought it completely to open the 'Damencafé Konditorei Munding' in the spring of 1803.

His bakery products became very popular in Tirol. Something very interesting is that Mr. Nepomuk was the one who brought the tradition of the christmas tree to this region by starting placing it on his bakery.

If you want to read the complete story of Mr. Nepomuk, take a look at this link:

http://www.munding.at/e/historie.html

Today they offer apart from the traditional coffee drinks (which its mentioned the coffee is roasted by themselves), a big sort of traditional cakes made of fresh fruits, chocolate and creams.

It is still an old style place, worth visiting.

Segafredo Sky moving to the Kaufhaus Tyrol

2009-07-31T06:28:00.000-07:00

Hi dear readers.
This is just a quick information about the Segafredo Sky. The one at the MCI building.
Well, they close in mid July, as the MCI will expand their offices. However the Segafredo Cafe will reopen at the Kaufhaus Tyrol (the one that is now under construction at the Maria Theresien Str.) on March next year.

I'll keep you informed about the events and news of the cafes in Innsbruck.

Kröll for Strudel Lovers - Part II - Interview

2009-07-22T05:35:00.001-07:00

Hi dear readers. Today, I am not writing about one of my cafe visits, today i will tell you about a very interesting interview I had with the owner of the cafe Kröll. As I promised in my first article, I wanted to know about the history of this very nice place.

Well here it goes…

The cafe Kröll started 33 years ago, but not as a Cafe, as a bakery. They selled all kind of bread and pastry products. This very traditional bakery transformed into the nice Cafe that is today only four years ago. The woman who built up the bakery and ran it through all these years decided to give the business to his daughter.

She, with a young and innovative mind, decided to step out of the common bakery places in Innsbruck, and transform Kröll into a place where people could sit down for a good coffee and the most special to have traditional austrian STRUDELS!

She renovated the place, conserving however its traditional style, as you can notice when you visit Kröll.

When I ask her about what the secret of their good coffee is, she mentioned 3 main reasons:

They only use italian Illy coffee, the coffee is grinded only at the moment it is prepared (very important to preserve its aroma and flavor) and they use good quality tirolean milk. Besides they use a very good coffee italian machine.

And when I ask her about her favourite strudel, she said she love to try always new flavours.

According to the season they are permanently introducing different sweet and salty strudels. Like spargel strudel, rhubarb strudel or the latest one, vegetables strudel.

In a few words she described Kröll as a small, tiny, cozy, place with very friendly environment.

So, readers when you visit Kröll let me know your opinion, your favourite drinks and strudels.

The place is open 7 days a week, from 6am to 9pm, and in summer until 12!

Segafredo Espresso Sky – A place to have a coffee while watching the sunset

2009-07-10T04:10:00.000-07:00

Hi dear readers. If there is a sunny evening, there is an excellent place to drink a coffee and enjoy the sunset in Innsbruck’s city center. Today I’m writting about Segafredo Espresso Sky, on the Universitätsstraße 15-15a, Innsbruck on the last floor of the SOWI building.

Größere Kartenansicht

Segafredo Sky is a modern decorated place, with a big terrace with capacity for 140 people. It has wonderful views to the city and to the mountains.
This place has a big sort of coffee drinks, icecream and juices or smoothies.

Another interesting aspect of Segafredo Espresso sky is that it is open during the week until 1am and on the weekends until 2am. A good option for a summer evening.

If you have been at this place, let me know your opinion about it.

Cafe Katzung – A place to meet and relax

2009-06-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hi again. This time I am writing about another interesting cafe in the city center: The Cafe Katzung. It is located in the Herzog Friederich Straße 16, Innsbruck, right on the main plaza.

Größere Kartenansicht

It has a warm and modern decoration, with a back wall with a contemporary painting changing every couple of weeks. I found it a great place to meet friends and have a coffee, to stay there and read some newspapers, or for those who like smoking, to have a cigarette with a nice cappuccino.

One of their highlights, is the Katzung Cake, or in german the Katzung Torte. It is a delicious cake made of chocolate and walnuts. Give it a try.

They also sell sandwiches, soups and other warm dishes.

Additionally, in the first floor they have a baroque style room that can be rented for special events.

Let me know if there are other dishes and drinks you like from Katzung. Looking forward to reading your comments.

Kröll - for strudel lovers

2009-06-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

Kröll a very special cafe in the Hofgasse 6, Innsbruck. A very warm decoration, with no more than 8 tables inside and 4 outside for the sunny days.

I started this blog with this cafe, because so far it has the best coffee in town. It has also a great selection of teas, and italian style and white hot chocolates.

In sommer, I recommed the Eiscoffee, a tasty espresso with vanilla icecream and chocolate sauce, simply delicious.

But let's talk about their most greatful specialty: the strudel
Strudel, an austrian specialty, is a filled pastry roll. You can find the traditional apple strudel with a delicious vanilla sauce, or cherry, apricot, among many other sweet options. Also, Kröll offers salty strudel, like my favorite the mozarella and ham one.

A place to visit with very good service.

Now I am thinking it will be interesting to know the history of this cafe, I will do my research and will let you know.