Hawelka from St. Pölten

Pastry chef on a “sweet mission” for 60 years

Norbert Fröstl and his café of the same name in Wiener Straße are definitely worth a visit. As long as he is still around.(Bild: Imre Antal)

What Hawelka is to Vienna, Norbert Fröstl is to St. Pölten - namely a true institution of the coffee confectioners' guild. At the age of 79, the owner is still in the store every day.

When I go into my bakery in Wiener Straße at two o'clock in the morning, the last night owls are often staggering past outside," smiles Norbert Fröstl. Those who are expecting it and - to paraphrase Hermann Hesse - are toasting the sun rising over the Traisen or the waning moon in one of the pubs and bars in the provincial capital can fortify themselves with breakfast at dawn. This ritual between croissants, bread rolls and all kinds of delicious pastries is the hallmark of what is probably the last classic coffee house in the provincial capital - and has been for a little while now.

A real insider tip, away from the hustle and bustle of the city center: the Fröstl on Wiener Straße in St. Pölten.(Bild: Imre Antal)

Mr. Norbert is currently a kind of English pub landlord, except that he "taps" noble beans and deals with carnival specialties. "Everything is handmade, especially the doughnuts and foam rolls," Norbert frowns with mock offense when asked if all the sweet treats actually come from his own bakery.

In the bakery since 1977
The year of birth of Mr. Hawelka von der Traisen also contributes to his legendary status. Norbert Fröstl - incidentally an intimate connoisseur of British and St. Pölten soccer - was born in the same year that the first bread roll came out of the oven. He has been kneading his own bread since 1977 and the atmosphere has not changed since then. "If I had a wall clock hanging in the store, it would probably show the standstill of time instead of its tireless progress," muses the connoisseur.