ZUM SCHWARZEN KAMEEL
Art Nouveau Vienna Deli and the Beethoven Corner
In the year 1618 Johan Baptist Cameel acquired a building on Bognerstrasse in old Vienna, around the corner from St Stephens Cathedral to open his market shop to purvey the aromatic spices and exotic foods which were beginning to arrive from the “Orient” with Vienna as one of the key centers of trade routes to the Ottoman Empire. With a play on his own name, he called it “Zum Schwarzen Kameel” (The Black Camel). The shop existed for 200 years until being acquired by Joseph Stiebitz whose family and descendents have operated the Vienna institution for four centuries. In 1825, the Schwarzen Kameel was appointed Wine Purveyor to the Imperial Court and a wine tavern opened connected to the original shop and delicatessen. The tavern restaurant became a hangout for the upper class nobility and the rising middle class of the 19th Century and a favorite haunt of composer Ludwig Von Beethoven in his later years in Vienna. In 1901, the building was reconstructed and the interior of the Black Camel was redesigned in the beautiful Art Nouveau style it is today, of parquet wooden wainscot black countertops and chandeliers on beaded chains.
The Zum Schwarzen Kameel is one of Vienna’s most popular café restaurants with the older more traditional set and almost always crowded, now consisting of the delicatessen, selling wine, liquor and specialty meats, a buffet with counter seating and the inner classic restaurant café.. The restaurant dining room is rather small and intimate with only 11 tables and booths, served by waiters in tuxedos, among them the acknowledged “best waiter in Vienna”. The distinctive colorful legendary symbol of the single hump camel of the Viennese institution was created when Georg Ferdinand Waldmüller took pen and brush to his sketchbook while seated at a table, sipping on a glass of wine, and Beethoven’s favorite spot was changed with the turn-of-the-century renovation, but one can imagine the maestro seated in his corner booth, after one of his afternoon promenades, concerto musical notes swirling in his head, the sounds of china and silver shielded by his deafness.
The dining menu in the restaurant café is rather upscale pricey to suit the atmosphere and tradition. Try the Beinschinken, Saltimboca, or grab one of the tray sandwiches served from the deli counter. The Klassiker Black Bread Sandwich (Schwarzbrotsandwiches) is only €1 and the Diplomats Sandwich (Diplomatensandwiches) with Salmon, Shrimp and Kaviar is under $3 - though perhaps more a snack than a meal. The Zum Schwarzen Kameel is open from 8 in the morning to midnight. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Schwarzen Kameel
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SEE ALSO:
VIENNA'S BUTTERFLY HOUSE & CAFE
AUSTRIA BOUTIQUE DESIGN HOTELS
SACHER TORTE AND THE CAFÉ LIFE
WIENER WIESN - VIENNA'S OKTOBERFEST