Café Tomaselli

Café Tomaselli stands on the Alte Markt in Salzburg, the oldest continuously operating coffee house in Austria. Its origins go back to 1700, when the first coffee licence was granted to Johann Fontaine. The present building was established in 1764 by Anton Staiger, who turned it into a fashionable meeting place for the city’s educated citizens. Mozart and Michael Haydn were among its regulars in the 18th century. In 1852 the Staiger family sold the café to Carl Tomaselli, a confectioner from Milan whose family had known Mozart’s family.

The café preserves many features from the 19th century. In 1859 the Tomaselli-Kiosk opened across the square as a summer pavilion for cultured gatherings. Later, in 1891, a former billiard room was converted into a ladies’ salon, ending the men-only tradition. The Tomaselli Terrace was added in 1937–38 to the design of architect Otto Prossinger. After the Second World War the building was briefly used by American forces as the Forty Second Street Café before being returned to the Tomaselli family in 1950.

Inside, the café still shows its original layout with mirrored walls and marble tables. The ground floor offers coffee, tea and ice cream, while the first floor houses the ladies’ salon with its historic furnishings. Outside, the Tomaselli-Kiosk remains a popular spot for summer coffee and conversation. The terrace overlooks the busy Alte Markt, linking the café to Salzburg’s daily life.