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Best Cafés in Vienna (2026)

The Viennese coffee house is an institution, a place to sit for hours over a single coffee with a newspaper, and the city's café culture is recorded as intangible cultural heritage. Café Sacher, behind the State Opera, is home of the Original Sacher-Torte, while Demel on the Kohlmarkt, the former court confectioner, has been making cakes since 1786 and is the place for Kaiserschmarrn. Both are popular, so expect queues at peak times; Café Sacher takes reservations, while Demel does not.

For atmosphere over grandeur, Café Hawelka off the Graben has barely changed in decades and is known for its jam-filled Buchteln and its artistic past, and Café Sperl near the Naschmarkt keeps its 1880 interior, billiard tables and all. Café Landtmann on the Ring, next to the Burgtheater, is the polished choice, with a terrace facing City Hall and a long list of famous past guests. Order a Melange, the classic milky coffee, or an Einspänner topped with whipped cream, and do not be surprised if service is unhurried. If you prefer modern speciality coffee, Jonas Reindl roasts its own beans and runs cafés around the city, including one by Schottentor. Most traditional cafés open early and serve breakfast, so they make an easy start to a day of sightseeing.

6 places · Updated October 27, 2026

Our top 3 cafés in Vienna

  1. Café Sacher Wien Grand café and patisserie, Innere StadtThe café of the Hotel Sacher opposite the State Opera, home of the Original Sacher-Torte first created by the 16-year-old Franz Sacher in 1832.
  2. Demel Historic confectioner and café, Innere StadtThe former imperial and royal court confectioner on the Kohlmarkt, serving cakes, pastries and Kaiserschmarrn since 1786 in rooms close to the Hofburg.
  3. Café Sperl Traditional Viennese coffee house, MariahilfA coffee house of 1880 near the Naschmarkt with its original interior, marble tables, Thonet chairs and billiard tables, seen in the film Before Sunrise.

Café

2. Demel

Historic confectioner and café$$$Innere Stadt

The former imperial and royal court confectioner on the Kohlmarkt, serving cakes, pastries and Kaiserschmarrn since 1786 in rooms close to the Hofburg.

View details — Demel

Café

3. Café Sperl

Traditional Viennese coffee house$$Mariahilf

A coffee house of 1880 near the Naschmarkt with its original interior, marble tables, Thonet chairs and billiard tables, seen in the film Before Sunrise.

View details — Café Sperl

Café

4. Café Hawelka

Traditional Viennese coffee house$$Innere Stadt

A dim, picture-lined coffee house off the Graben, run by the Hawelka family for some 80 years and long a meeting place for Vienna's writers and artists.

View details — Café Hawelka

Café

5. Café Landtmann

Grand Ringstrasse café$$$Innere Stadt

An elegant Ringstrasse café open since 1873, next to the Burgtheater and facing City Hall, once frequented by Sigmund Freud, Thomas Mann and Gustav Mahler.

View details — Café Landtmann