A Place to Linger Since 1859: Café Maldaner

( “The Chocolate Girl” by Jean-Étienne Liotard )

Café Maldaner is often crowded and customer service is hit or miss. I still believe it’s worth a visit, or in my case, a dozen.

Spinning through the turnstile doorway transports you to a bygone era of a Viennese style coffee house; a place where a forgotten pastime is encouraged: lingering.  

Prompt service, a 21st century expectation, doesn’t exist within the striped yellow silk-lined walls. Under crystal chandeliers, you’re encouraged to lose track of time under the faint melodies of Mozart and Vivaldi.

I’ve enjoyed countless hours nursing a cup of coffee in the company of my daughters and friends, but often I find myself sitting alone daydreaming, writing and witnessing life in slow motion: ladies sitting among friends, men reading newspapers alongside their well-mannered Irish Setters, couples in love, wide-eyed tourists and local women cradling porcelain cups of coffee in one hand, while the other flips through pages of a novel.

This coffee house will satisfy those addicted to sweets: pastel petits fours, dense chocolate cakes bearing fanciful script, apple strudel dusted in confectioners sugar, black forest cake, and swirls of snow white meringues mimic Rococo clouds under a glistening glass pastry case.

At Café Maldaner, your purchase extends beyond consumption. You’re buying a historical piece of real estate, a seat and table. Yours for as long as you choose to linger.

(For modern day convenience: if you’re under time constraints you can order pastries and coffee to-go at the pastry counter. )

Café Maldaner 
Marktstraße 34,
65183 Wiesbaden
Telefon: (+49) 0611/305214