Vienna Travel Guide
Vienna Coffee Houses and Food
How to eat and drink like the Viennese — the coffee-house ritual and how to order, the cake rivalry between the Sacher and Demel, schnitzel and Tafelspitz, sausage stands, the Naschmarkt and wine taverns inside the city.
Vienna eats and drinks with a sense of ritual. The coffee house is an institution, the cake is a serious matter, the schnitzel has its rules, and the city has its own vineyards, with wine taverns where the year's wine is poured under the trees. You could spend a whole trip on food alone. Here is how to approach it.
The coffee house. Viennese coffee-house culture is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in Austria, and for good reason: the coffee house is a public living room where, for the price of a single coffee, you can sit for hours, read the newspapers provided, write, talk or simply watch. The classic rooms have marble tables, bentwood chairs, chandeliers and waiters in black jackets who are famously unhurried. Order at the table, never at the counter, and accept the free glass of water that comes with your coffee. When you are ready, ask for the bill.
How to order coffee. Do not ask for a latte. The Melange is the classic, a mild coffee with steamed milk and milk foam; a Brauner is coffee with a little cream or milk, small or large, kleiner or grosser; a Verlaengerter is a coffee lengthened with hot water; an Einspaenner is a strong black coffee in a glass topped with whipped cream; and a Franziskaner is a Melange with whipped cream instead of foam. For something stronger, a Fiaker adds a shot of rum.
Where to go. Every Viennese has a favourite, but these are the classics. Cafe Central, in a former stock-exchange palace, with its vaulted ceilings, is the most famous and most crowded; go early. Cafe Sperl, near the Naschmarkt, is the most authentic, with billiard tables and faded grandeur. Cafe Hawelka, near the Graben, is dark, smoky in spirit and bohemian, famous for its sweet yeast buns, the Buchteln, in the evening. Cafe Landtmann, by the Burgtheater, is elegant and political, and Cafe Pruckel, on the Ring by the Stadtpark, is a bright 1950s room with a loyal local crowd. For cake, the museum café under the dome of the Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of the most beautiful settings of all.
The cake. Vienna's pastry tradition is one of the richest in the world: Apfelstrudel with paper-thin pastry, Topfenstrudel with curd cheese, Esterhazy torte, Kaiserschmarrn, the shredded and caramelised pancake named after the emperor, and above all the Sachertorte, a dense chocolate cake with apricot jam and a dark chocolate glaze, created by Franz Sacher in 1832. The Hotel Sacher sells the Original Sacher-Torte, while the court confectioner Demel, on the Kohlmarkt, makes its own version after a long legal battle over the name; locals still argue over which is better. Try both, with whipped cream, as the Viennese do, and decide for yourself.
The classic dishes. The Wiener Schnitzel is a thin escalope of veal, breaded and fried until the crust puffs up, served with a wedge of lemon and potato salad or parsley potatoes; a pork version is cheaper and common, but must be labelled as such. Tafelspitz is boiled beef simmered in broth and served with apple horseradish, chive sauce and roast potatoes, a favourite of Emperor Franz Joseph. Goulash, with Hungarian roots, and Backhendl, fried chicken, are other staples. The best place to eat them is a Beisl, the Viennese neighbourhood bistro, with wood panelling, a short menu and draught beer. Book ahead for the famous ones.
Street food and markets. The Wuerstelstand, the sausage stand, is a Viennese institution, open late into the night: order a Kaesekrainer, a sausage filled with cheese, with mustard and bread, or a Bosna, a spiced sausage in a bun. The Naschmarkt is the city's great food market, with Austrian delicacies, international stalls and restaurants, and a new market hall since November 2025; it is closed on Sundays. The Karmelitermarkt in Leopoldstadt and the Brunnenmarkt in Ottakring are more local alternatives.
Wine in the city. Vienna is one of the few capitals with serious vineyards within its limits, on the slopes of the Vienna Woods in the north and west and on the other side of the Danube. The local speciality is the Wiener Gemischter Satz, a white wine made from several grape varieties grown and harvested together in the same vineyard. Drink it at a Heuriger, a wine tavern run by a winemaker, in villages such as Grinzing, Nussdorf, Neustift am Walde or Stammersdorf, where you sit in a garden or a wood-panelled room and choose cold and hot dishes from a buffet. A traditional sign of an open Heuriger is a bunch of pine branches hung over the door. The opening periods vary by tavern, so check before you go.
Sweet souvenirs. Edible souvenirs are easy to find and travel well. The Sachertorte is sold in wooden boxes at the Hotel Sacher's shops, and Demel's shop and window displays on the Kohlmarkt are a sight in themselves. Manner wafers, in their pink packaging, have been made in Vienna since the nineteenth century and have a flagship shop on Stephansplatz. Mozartkugeln, chocolate balls of marzipan and nougat, come from Salzburg but are sold everywhere. For something less sugary, take home a bottle of Gemischter Satz from a Vienna winery, or pumpkin-seed oil and mustard from the Naschmarkt.
Practical tips. Lunch menus, the Mittagsmenue, are the best value, often a soup and a main course for a fixed price on weekdays. Tap water is excellent, straight from the Alpine springs. Many restaurants close on Sundays or Mondays, and popular places need reservations for dinner. Tip around 5 to 10 per cent, telling the waiter the total when you pay. And whatever your plans, leave one afternoon for nothing but a coffee house and a slice of cake.