Viennese Cafes & Sachertorte!

Below is a link that might be helpful. However, I went to the Cafe Sacher itself (for my only S. experience), and the Sachertort there was dry and not much like the photo on the linked site. Maybe the pastry chef was on vacation.

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/austria/articles/best-places-to-eat-sachertorte-in-vienna/

We tasted Sachertorte at Demel's and it was dry for my tastes. If you absolutely need to say "I had Sachertorte" then I would recommend Demel's. We ate there for breakfast and found it very enjoyable (but I preferred the strudel to the Sachertorte).

We stopped twice at Cafe Central on a recent trip to Vienna. I'm not sure if they had Sachertorte or not, but the cakes and torts we had there were awesome. Price range for most of the cakes was about 4.6 Euros. I don't remember what we paid for coffee. The atmosphere is elegant and relaxed. It's just a couple blocks from the Hofburg in central Vienna. Enjoy your trip.

40 years ago, a visit to Demel's convinced me that sachertorte was the most overpriced and overrated food item in Europe. Two months ago, in a long-overdue return to Vienna, we stopped by Oberlaa and their sachertorte changed my mind. Could be advanced age, but I thought it was worthy of the hype. http://www.oberlaa-wien.at/?lang=en

I endorse Oberlaa, too. They have the best cakes, tarts, pastries, and handmade chocolates (take away!) in town.

This is their location in the very center (1st city borough):
http://www.oberlaa-wien.at/standort-1/?lang=en

Also delicious are the two lunch specials per day for about €12 (3 courses: soup, main dish, dessert).

I can recommend Café Landtmann (at the Ring, opposite City Hall [Rathaus], next to Burgtheater), especially for the variety of coffees:
http://www.landtmann.at/en/cafe-landtmann.html
One coffe and one cake should be manageable for €10.

I've also found the Sachertorte to be dry at the Café Sacher and think that's typical of this recipe. Do try one of the many other cakes wherever you go, such as Operatorte.

IMHO Cafe Central is the best place in Vienna for atmosphere and history! Everyone who was anyone in Vienna ate there.
Yes, sachertorte is dry by design but a good one is very tasty! The piece I had at Cafe Central was just how it is meant to be made.

I've also found the Sachertorte to be dry at the Café Sacher and think that's typical of this recipe.

At most places the Sachertorte has a cover made from molten chocolate, whereas at Sacher they apply a so called couverture which contains much more fat and sugar than an ordinary chocolate. This kind of cover is air-tight and allows the Sachertorte to be stored for a long time without cooling.

I'm curious to learn where in Vienna one can find MOIST sachertorte. I can't stand how dry they bake it. The best sachertorte I've had was at Grünauer in NYC as the pastry chef knew to make the the dark chocolate cake moist and deliciously sublime. We expected even better in Vienna and were sorely disappointed.

MOIST sachertorte

This is kind of a contradiction. The moisture, if any, should come from the apricot jam in the middle. But the question, how dry a Sachertorte is allowed to be, is ongoing even between locals.

As said I prefer Oberlaa for its pastries and cakes, but I myself don't eat Sachertorte very often. My son, who lives in Vienna, likes it very much and buys it always from Aida, a well known cafe chain having pink as a signature color and a vintage interior of the sixties.

The best sachertorte I've had was at Grünauer in NYC

I'll give it a try next time, if I have the opportunity to go to NYC.

Having learned the Viennese taste of pastries and such, I now find most American cakes, tarts and desserts far too sweet. They are sugar bombs.

I remember how disappointed my late mother was with the cakes she had in Vienna; she preferred moist cakes. There's a reason the Viennese often order their cakes mit Shlag (with whipped cream).

I quite agree , the American pastries , are oversugared to the point of being cloying . Viennese products are just right . The Mozart Torte at Nobauer , right around the corner from the #38 tram stop in Grinzing , is particularly good .

As said I prefer Oberlaa for its pastries and cakes, but I myself
don't eat Sachertorte very often.

We've had dinner at Oberlaa and love their their desserts. What a treat to be there.

Having learned the Viennese taste of pastries and such, I now find
most American cakes, tarts and desserts far too sweet. They are sugar
bombs.

Oberlaa's chocolate cakes/tortes were as sweet as can be. Cloyingly actually. But since it's an occasion to have dessert, it was worth it. That was the same sentiment at Cafe Central - very sweet desserts but worth it.

I remember how disappointed my late mother was with the cakes she had
in Vienna; she preferred moist cakes. There's a reason the Viennese
often order their cakes mit Shlag (with whipped cream).

Good point.

Oberlaa's chocolate cakes/tortes were as sweet as can be.

Not in my opinion; they are as sweet as they should be. I am holding my view that much more sugar is used in the US.

I strongly agree with wmt 1 . I am also an Oberlaa fan , particularly the location in Hietzing , which has an historical component as well , for those of us with a romantic and nostalgic bent .

By the way , recipes for Tortes are essentially based on ground nuts and eggs with little or no flour , which contributes to a level of inherent dryness . The Sacher torte is rather extreme in this regard . Due credit to my wife and travel companion , who is the family expert in culinary matters .

Our two favorite cafes are Landtmann (on the Ringstrasse next to the Burgtheater) and Wien Oberlaa (in Neuer Markt). Can't go wrong at either for pastries or a meal. Was able to make it to the Oberlaa a few weeks ago on a quick trip to Wien. It's still as good as it was 25 years ago, and all of the times in between.

Thanks for that factoid, Steven. I started to say that ground nuts tend to yield drier cakes, but I wasn't sure I was remembering correctly and was too lazy to do the research.

Dear acraven , we are just finishing our current trip , and writing from Munich , our flight out is early tomorrow . While I have not been able to get a hot link to work from this diabolical tablet , look on Wikipedia for " Prinzregententorte " . This is a sort of Bavarian incarnation of a Sachertorte ( analogously speaking ) , quite good , I think a secret being the structure is seven very thin layers interlaced with apricot and buttercream which cuts the dryness .

Spent a week in Vienna in September, and found the lines at the famous tourist cafes to be too long, so I actually didn't go and have a Sachertorte. I saved my pastry moment for Strasbourg - aaah, now that's pastry!

found the lines at the famous tourist cafes to be too long

Lines at cafes or restaurants are rather unusual in Vienna. If there is a line then it is a tourist place better to avoid. (There are a few exceptions to that rule, known by locals.)

Of all the Sacher Tortes I tried in Vienna, the best was at Simply Raw Bakery- pricy, but I could have eaten the whole Torte. Won't make you sick, either- all their food is vegan and gluten free etc. Definitely a place to stop.

It's good to start at an Aida branch, as they have a very useful menu for beginners that describes the different types of coffee available in Austria in detail, with diagrams showing the proportions of coffee/milk/water/cream/flavourings/etc.