Another Century-Old Coffee Shop Closes... Famous Viennese Chess Café Shut Down Due to Pandemic Impact

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 upended daily life everywhere and cast a long shadow over the coffee industry. As the pandemic ground operations to a halt, a wave of "closed for good" signs appeared over the past year. Back in January, Coffee Workshop reported that Caffè Florian — Italy's oldest café — might close when its operating rights expired later that year.

A café that had run for 300 years, witnessed the turn of eras, and built a glorious history was ultimately felled by the pandemic. Netizens were heartbroken and helpless. Though people from Italy, France, and beyond pleaded for support — urging their governments to rescue the legendary café — everyone was struggling during the pandemic, and no rental aid for Caffè Florian materialized.

While people were still mourning the legendary Venetian café, another venerable Vienna institution — Cafe Sperlhof, open for 98 years — announced that due to the pandemic's impact, it too would close its doors on December 31, 2021. Vienna residents' reaction was a collective "NO!!!"

A Unique Café with 1200 Board Games

Since opening in 1923, Cafe Sperlhof had never left the second district. Its defining feature: a collection of 1200 board games, many long out of production and unobtainable anywhere else. Preserved like rare antiques, they made the café essentially a board game museum in disguise — which is why numerous films and TV series chose to shoot there. One more quirk: customers could still pay with the discontinued Austrian schilling.

A Welcoming Community Hub

Over the decades, the café drew gamers, game testers, and game designers who adored the antique games and regularly played matches with visiting tourists or locals. Many described Cafe Sperlhof as an extended "cozy living room" — a place to share coffee, play games, and make new friends. Beyond board games, its shelves held plenty of books, giving the less sociable a quiet corner to read and learn.

The End of an Era

When the year-end closure was announced, the owner of 35 years, the long-serving staff, and local residents all grieved — the café held memories for several generations. The owner thanked every customer and neighbor who had passed through over the years and invited everyone to come for one last cup of coffee and one final game.

Surviving nearly a century rests on the ability to keep locals coming back. By offering all kinds of recreational games, the café attracted customers of every age to unwind and exercise their minds, easing the pressures of life and work. But during two years of pandemic, Vienna endured four lockdowns — cafés shut, residents confined, rent still due... And so, in 2021, this café — whose business model surely deserved study by future generations — came to an end.

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

When a century-old café closes its doors, the best tribute is a well-brewed cup at home. For a coffee with the same timeless, comforting character, FrontStreet Coffee suggests the Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 — certified-origin beans, medium-dark roasted, balancing cream, caramel, chocolate, and nuts in a smooth, harmonious cup that suits quiet afternoons and long conversations. If you'd rather have an easy, no-fuss daily brew, the FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate offers low acidity, rich nut and cocoa aromas, and standout caramel sweetness — forgiving to brew and endlessly repeatable. And for a darker, more contemplative cup, the FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling delivers herbal, dark chocolate depth with low acidity and a thick, lingering body — the kind of coffee that pairs perfectly with a board game and good company.