Kaffee und Kuchen: German phrases for the bakery and café

Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) is a fixed afternoon habit in German-speaking countries, usually around 3 or 4 o'clock, often on Sundays with family. It is a small ritual and a good place to practise everyday German. Bakeries matter as well: a German Bäckerei sells fresh bread rolls every morning, and bread culture is so strong that Germany's bread varieties are listed as intangible cultural heritage.

At the bakery

People buy Brötchen (bread rolls) for breakfast, often on a Sunday morning. The word varies by region: in the north and west it is Brötchen, in Berlin Schrippe, in Bavaria and Austria Semmel, and in the south-west Wecken or Weckle. In Switzerland you ask for Brötli or Weggli.

A Bavarian customer might say Zwei Semmeln, bitte, and in Austria Grüß Gott is the normal greeting at the counter. Small bakeries often take only cash, so keep some coins ready.

At the café

You order at the counter in some places, and at the table in a classic Konditorei or Café. Cakes sit in a glass display, so you can point and name what you want.

A plain Kaffee is usually filter coffee, and a Kännchen is a small pot, which is cheaper than two cups. Whipped cream, Sahne or in Austria Schlagobers, often comes with cake. In Vienna the traditional coffeehouse lets you stay for hours with one order, and a glass of water arrives with the coffee.

Talking about it

Cake and bread words have a gender: der Kuchen, die Torte, das Brötchen. The endings -chen always make a noun neuter. See gender: der, die, das.

A short dialogue

Practice

For a full meal, see ordering at a restaurant.