Hello!
We will be in Vienna the first week of April and are wondering if anyone has suggestions on a classic Viennese coffeehouse to visit? Admittedly, I am a little nervous given the reputation of the waitstaff and the fact that I am not a German speaker (trying to learn some key phrases, hopefully that earns us some grace :) ). We will have our 2 kids (13 & 10) with us if that makes any difference.
Thanks all!
Vienna is well populated with cafes and coffeehouses , so here are a few to consider - Cafe Sperl , an iconic example -https://cafesperl.at/en_home.html Cafe Braunerhof , this one has the well worn patina of a century past - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_Br%C3%A4unerhof , on a Saturday when they have live music , you might get to hear Ziehrer's " Wiener Madlen " . Cafe Landtmann a beautiful upscale place next to The Burgtheater - https://www.landtmann.at/en/the-landtmann/our-coffee-house.html Also , if you are out by Schönbrunn Palace , this cafe in Hietzing is the location where the Strauss family of waltz composers played in the nineteenth century https://oberlaa-wien.at/standorte/standort-dommayer/ Just a sampling , many more to choose from .
And ,for your audibile enjoyment , this is pure Viennese ear candy - https://youtu.be/sZ3Nq9J_UWY
Emily posted these about her favorite eating haunts a year ago:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/austria/forget-what-you-know-here-s-where-to-find-good-coffee-in-vienna
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/austria/my-top-ten-food-experiences-in-vienna
Hope this helps.
I'll reiterate some fo the coffeehouses that I have recommended in the past. Cafe Sperl - best apfelstrudel and the look that you are going for. Cafe Diglas on Wollzeile - really excellent cakes. Vollpension - run by grannies who bake their favorite cakes, fun for kids. Gerstner - an uber-elegant cafe (be sure to go the upper floors) with amazing sour cherry strudel. Alt Wien Kaffee - really cosy, local vibe and new to my list of favorites. Café Prückel - Breakfast at Tiffany's vibe, good for lunch.
I will also share cafes to avoid - Sacher, Demel and Central. These are all completely overtaken by Instagrammers and long lines. Sadly, they used to be great, but now they are tourist factories.
I will also share my new favorite with you via private message.
As an aside, you should know that when ordering cakes, you need to go to the cake display to make your selection. Viennese visit cafes in the middle of the afternoon.
Thank you everyone for the recommendations, especially which spots to avoid 🙂. Looking forward to trying put a couple of these spots.
Sean
I enjoyed Cafe Motzart, near the Albertina Museum and the Opera. Waitress spoke English very well.
