Café Servus

Servus!

Café Servus is located on Vienna’s equivalent of Regent Street, the Mariahilferstraße, which is home to most of the big shops in Vienna that have shunned the central location of the Graben and Kärntnerstraße next to St Stephens Cathedral (Stephansdom). It is also ideally situated for the Haydn International Cinema, which shows only original versions of films. As well as being a place to come for a coffee whilst indulging ...
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Generally the café is pretty full by day and in the early evening, although it is almost dead by 9pm most week nights. It is big enough to know that you won’t have to reserve a table, and also there is usually a table free on the terrace which overlooks the church square, as it is adjacent to the Mariahilferkirche, and statues. All in all this is a very reasonable place to eat or come for a coffee, and great if you want to take ... more

Servus!

Café Servus is located on Vienna’s equivalent of Regent Street, the Mariahilferstraße, which is home to most of the big shops in Vienna that have shunned the central location of the Graben and Kärntnerstraße next to St Stephens Cathedral (Stephansdom). It is also ideally situated for the Haydn International Cinema, which shows only original versions of films. As well as being a place to come for a coffee whilst indulging in a spot of retail therapy, it is also a place to come to eat after work, as it also has a reasonably priced menu, and for Vienna, a fairly reasonably priced Gin & Tonic.

Until recently I had always gone there for a Gin & Tonic pre/post cinema, but recently I have eaten there too as it is quite a practical choice of restaurant, and the prices are reasonable. There are a selection of snacks and light meals, which tend to be around the ATS50-ATS90 (ca. £2-4) mark, as well as more filling dishes from ATS 120-240 (ca. £5.50-£11), depending on what you have. The cuisine in typically Viennese, with many traditional Viennese stand-bys (i.e. Wiener Schnitzel, Breaded Emmenthal, Tafelspitz etc.) although they do also do a selection of fish dishes. Having been longing for some salmon, I usually decide to go for this, although I tend to find that they are yet to master cooking both sides for the same amount of time, although Austria has never really been best known for its fish. There are also a wide selection of vegetarian dishes, which is probably more meritorious of a mention than it might sound, since salad is often seen by some restaurateurs as the vegetarian option.

The décor is typical Viennese, with leatherette benches, and well loved tables and chairs giving it that welcoming feel. There is as is often the case, a lack of music in the place, although this ensures that the clientele don’t have to raise their voices to be heard. There are some macabre daubs on the walls which I suppose qualify as art, which is again typical for Vienna. The waiters are not 100% typical Viennese, with Viennese waiters generally tending to be sniffier than Jonathan Meades, and doing about as much bowing and scraping as the Sultan of Brunei, whilst still feeling a tip is in order, even if you have merely ordered a cup of coffee. The waiters here are polite, helpful and the service is fairly speedy although the same can not always be said for getting the bill.

Generally the café is pretty full by day and in the early evening, although it is almost dead by 9pm most week nights. It is big enough to know that you won’t have to reserve a table, and also there is usually a table free on the terrace which overlooks the church square, as it is adjacent to the Mariahilferkirche, and statues. All in all this is a very reasonable place to eat or come for a coffee, and great if you want to take the weight off your feet after a splurge on Uncle Visa in Peek & Cloppenburg.

Pfüati! 

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