At a glance
Family check
4.3 of 5
Checked on site · we visited with our kids and would gladly go back
- Pram access: yesstep-free
- Room for the pram: yes
- High chair: yes
- Changing table: yes
- Decaf coffee: no
- Play corner inside Bonus: yesbig sandpit in the middle of the playground
- Playground nearby: yesits own playground, with table service all around
Smoke-free outdoor seating: partly (smoke-free around the playground, smoking allowed in the main outdoor area)
With fully smoke-free outdoor seating, this place would get 4.6 instead of 4.3 points. Why this matters to us
Café Pavillon sits right inside Schönbrunn Palace Park, a few steps from the Meidlinger Tor gate along the Schlosserallee. What makes it special for families: the café has its own round playground. Tables with table service line its edge, and a big sandpit fills the middle, so the kids play right in front of you while you stay seated.
For us it was a really lovely afternoon: the kids kept themselves busy and played while we enjoyed our coffee (and yes, an Aperol Spritz too) and finally had some time for a grown-up conversation.
Ordering at the playground
At the playground you order and pay via QR code, and the team brings everything to your table. Nobody has to leave the kids alone to queue. There are no table reservations; only groups of 20 or more can book by email.
Smoke-free by the playground
Especially nice: the area around the playground is smoke-free, and properly so, with no smoke drifting over from elsewhere. Not having to brace ourselves for cigarette smoke at any moment felt very unusual for us, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you!
In the larger main outdoor area, with the nicer setting, smoking is allowed, though. So if you want to avoid smoke, you are limited to the area by the playground – and especially with slightly older kids who no longer want to play in the sandpit, we would love to sit there as a family too. That is why the smoke-free area gets half a point from us: a great start, and fully smoke-free outdoor seating would be the next step. Why this matters so much to us: Smoke-free patios.
Coffee and cake
The coffee was good, classic Viennese rather than third-wave style, such as a Wiener Melange. Pastries, cakes and apple strudel come from Gerstner, the former imperial court confectioner, and breakfast is served until 2 pm. There was no decaf when we visited.
We didn’t eat this time, but what we saw on the other tables looked delicious. Prices are a little higher, but then you are sitting right in the middle of the Schönbrunn palace gardens.
Kid-friendliness
Access is step-free and there is plenty of room for a pram. There are high chairs and a changing table.
Good to know
The café is only open from April to October, daily from 10 am to 5 pm. It closes for the winter; the next season starts on 1 April 2027.
Our verdict
A café that is genuinely made for families: the kids play in the sandpit, you sit around it, get served and breathe no smoke. For us it’s ideal after a visit to Schönbrunn Zoo or as a stop on a long walk through the park. We’ll gladly be back.
Hilary & Markus
Cover photo: Vespadriver (taken in 2013), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Playground photo: Hilary & Markus.
Find more places where kids are welcome in our guide to family-friendly cafés in Vienna.