Newly Opened Klaus's Kaffee Haus in Chinatown

Newly opened Klaus’s Kaffee Haus is the kind of place that makes you do a double-take if you pass by it. This unique Chinatown eatery with an eye catching white colour storefront has been open for nearly a month now and specializes in Austrian food including strudels, sandwiches, salads and coffee. I saw their Groupon deal and bought it to try them out.

Chinatown Location

Located at 291 East Pender Street, Klaus’s Kaffee Haus is surrounded by neighbouring, “traditional” Chinatown businesses. I found the interior to be clean, cozy and inviting with several dining tables and a counter by the window. The interior, I thought, seemed more Asian-inspired than hipster or European. The wooden chairs and the red draping over the ceiling felt more like a traditional Chinese style. Even my bar stool by the window had a red cushion on it.

Chef-Owned and Operated

The chef and co-owner of Klaus’s Kaffee House is Baron Klaus Erich von Hochgotz. Klaus is from Austria and has extensive experience in the food and hospitality industry.

Klaus’s Kaffee Haus Menu

Klaus’s Austrian-focused menu includes savoury and sweet strudels, sandwiches, and espresso-based beverages. The items have Austrian names but English descriptions. I had to spend a few minutes reviewing the menu before I ordered because it was not your typical coffeehouse menu. Their menu is available online.

What We Tried

The Groupon deal was $10 for $20 worth of food for two. I ordered several different items to share with my husband including:

Viennese Melange ($3.75)
Franziskaner (Franciscan Monk) ($4)
Grand-ma’s apple strudel ($7.50)
Ham, mushroom, cheese strudel ($7.50)
“Kaiser Franz Josef” Panini Sandwich (Half) ($4.75)
“Sissi” Sandwich (Half) ($4.50)

The cafe’s house blend is a dense yet sweet espresso. The Viennese Melange was a sweeter drink made of a small espresso served with half steamed milk topped off with milk froth. The Franziskaner (Franciscan Monk) featured a fine black coffee doused with foamed milk and served with whipped cream.

I liked how the sandwiches were presented on wooden stands. I thought that the sandwiches were good but nothing too memorable unfortunately. They came with an Austrian-style potato salad which had a more sour taste.

The “Sissi” featured Hungarian salami, lettuce, tomatoes, shaved red onion, cucumber, and dill pickles. The mustard seed spread gave the sandwich a more sour taste.

The “Kaiser Franz Josef” panini sandwich was the more favoured sandwich of the too but tasted like many paninis I have had at a typical coffee shop. It had Schincken Speck, swiss cheese, mayonnaise, arugula, and shaved red onion.

Grandma’s apple strudel had a nice apple flavour, but a more gummy and pasty texture. I think it’s a personal preference but I like my strudels with more defined pieces of apples rather than a paste. The whipped cream and vanilla ice cream not surprisingly went well with the warm strudel.

One of the new additions to their strudel line-up was a mushroom, Swiss cheese and ham strudel. It was the first time I tried a savoury strudel and I thought it was pretty good.

In contrast to the “mushy” apple strudel, I liked how the ingredients in this one were better defined.

Overall Impression of Klaus’s Kaffee Haus

I thought that the sandwiches at Klaus’s Kaffee Haus were average and the strudels were good. Not much to write home about but overall an okay experience. Rating: 3.5/5

Website: www.klauskaffeehaus.com