A good day begins at Tomaselli's

The first mélange of the day

Saturday morning. Hardly have the green-and-white umbrellas been opened on the veranda, than the first regulars arrive to sit down at the white marble tables. The lucky ones manage to get a seat in the first row. 

You glance over the rustling newspaper to the hustle and bustle of the Alter Markt, and chat briefly with the neatly-uniformed pastry-waitress as you sip the first mélange of the day – of course an old, tightly-kept secret recipe. 

The long tradition of sweet temptation

Few places in Salzburg are linked as strongly to its history as Café Tomaselli, visited over the years by famous figures including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Max Reinhardt. Centuries later, it is now a meeting-place for Salzburgers, visitors, actors, musicians and opera stars – all of whom succumb to the charm of Austria's oldest coffee-house. In Salzburg we know that a good day begins with a visit to Tomaselli's – a (hi)story that started over 320 years ago. 

In the year 1700, Frenchman Johann Fontaine opened Salzburg's first coffee bar, the Cafegewölb Fontaine, amid the bustle of the Goldgasse. It was not a coffee-house, but simply a meeting-place for students and bohemians. Over half a century later, in 1764, Anton Staiger took over the licence and established the café on the present site on the Alter Markt. As major-domo to the incumbent archbishop, he soon attracted the upper middle classes to the "Staiger", and made it the most elegant and prestigious café in the town. Even Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart enjoyed the convivial atmosphere and, it is said, was a frequent visitor, drinking his almond milk here.  In 1852,  confectioner Carl Tomaselli took over the café and re-named it. The rest, as they say, is history. 

The cake lady's smile 

Now one of the best-known coffee-houses worldwide, it has become almost legendary, and life in the Old Town is inconceivable without it. The present fifth generation of Tomasellis ensure this reputation; although they  have introduced frequent innovations – as the first-floor veranda and the kiosk under the magnificent chestnut trees opposite, which over the years have completed the picture – the family has always taken scrupulous care to maintain Austrian coffee-house culture and its traditional charm. Seated at one of the marble tables, surrounded by wooden panelling with oriental marquetry, you feel transported to an earlier age, with silver trays, pictures of old coffeehouse proprietors on the walls and waiters in dinner jackets. Talking of past ages – a further tradition, dating from 1853, is that of the "cake lady", or pastry-waitress. She flits back and forth between the tables, proffering a selection of delicious cakes and gâteaux. Always with a smile – she is well aware that the guests are spoilt for choice before the tray bearing sweet temptations such as Esterhazy or Dobos torte, apple-, quark- or berry-strudel, strawberry tarts, Salzburger nockerl slices, or croissants with walnut filling – all fresh from the in-house bakery. 

As ever, you hardly notice time passing in Café Tomaselli. Engrossed in one of the international newspapers, you hear the odd chink of crockery from the kitchen,  or perhaps chat to people at a neighbouring table – in Salzburg there's always something to see and talk about. "Another mélange?" – what a question!

Our tip: Do as the Salzburgers do – come early (from 7 am) to Tomaselli's. At this hour, the squares and lanes are still deserted, and you have a good chance of a place in a window recess or in the first row outside. 

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