Café Sacher Wien

Café Sacher is the home of the most famous cake in Vienna. According to the house, the Sacher-Torte goes back to 1832, when Franz Sacher, then a 16-year-old apprentice in the kitchens of Prince Metternich, created a chocolate cake for his master's guests. His son Eduard later founded the Hotel Sacher behind the State Opera, and the cake became its signature. Only cakes made by Sacher may carry the name Original Sacher-Torte, a distinction that followed a long dispute with the confectioner Demel.

The café occupies the ground floor of the hotel and has the look of a classic grand café, with red upholstery, chandeliers, mirrors and portraits on the walls. The cake is a dense chocolate sponge with a thin layer of apricot jam beneath a glossy dark chocolate glaze, and it is traditionally served with a generous spoonful of unsweetened whipped cream. Pair it with a Melange, the Viennese version of a milky coffee, or one of the house's hot chocolates. The menu also covers other Viennese cakes, savoury dishes and a full breakfast, served from 07:00 to 11:00.

Café Sacher is firmly on the tourist trail, and you will usually share the room with visitors from around the world. It is still worth doing once, especially for first-time visitors and anyone with a sweet tooth. Families, couples and solo travellers all fit in, and the setting suits a leisurely afternoon break between museums.

The café is open daily from 07:00 to 23:00. Queues often form outside at busy times, so the café recommends reserving a table in advance, either in person or through its online booking tool. Coming early in the morning or later in the evening is the easiest way to avoid a wait. If you only want to take a cake home, the Sacher shop sells whole cakes in their wooden boxes, which travel well and make a popular gift.

The café faces the back of the State Opera on Philharmoniker Straße, a minute's walk from Karlsplatz station (U1, U2, U4) and the trams on the Ring. The Albertina, Kärntner Straße and the Bitzinger sausage stand are all on the doorstep, so you can follow cake with sightseeing in the heart of the city.