Best Places to Eat Sachertorte in Vienna

Sachertorte is a traditional Austrian chocolate cake. Its history includes youthful innovation, rivalry and a battle to claim the original, making it a rather legendry cake. Trying a piece should definitely be on your list of things to do in Vienna.

What is Sachertorte?

With a base of chocolate sponge cake, moistened with apricot jam and topped with thick chocolate glaze, the cake is deliciously rich and decadent. The original recipe of Sachertorte is a closely-guarded secret but, nonetheless, Sachertorte comfortably remains one of Vienna’s favourite indulgences. It is so good, and such a symbol of Austrian culture, that Sachertorte even has its own national day on December 5.

The Legend of Sachertorte

Austrian confectioner Franz Sacher created Sachertorte in the 1800s and it starred on the menu of the Hotel Sacher, that his son opened in 1876. However, a long-running legal dispute followed over the cake’s ownership between the hotel and Viennese pastry shop Demel. This evolved into a dispute about whether the original cake had one layer of sponge or two layers of sponge cake with apricot jam between them, and was finally determined in the Austrian Supreme Court (deciding the Sacher family owned the cake and it originally featured one layer of sponge). As you can see, Austrians take cake extremely seriously!

Where to try Sachertorte

Sachertorte is widely available in Vienna but to enjoy your cake in suitably sumptuous surroundings, I suggest these are the best places to try Sachertorte in Vienna.

Café Sacher

Part of Hotel Sacher, and an elegant place to try the delicacy, Café Sacher has several salons decked out in luxurious red velvet and traditional décor. This makes a marvellous backdrop for a little indulgence. Served with whipped cream, the Café Sacher Sachertorte (pictured above) features two layers of sponge cake sandwiched together with rich apricot jam.

Address: Philharmonikerstrasse 4, 1010, Vienna

Wiener Rathauskeller

The walls of the basement rooms of Vienna’s town hall (Rathaus) are adorned with delicate patterns and frescoes of medieval images that date back to the late 17^th century. Long used to host events, the tradition continues, and this unique underground space is often visited to provide a ‘coffee and cake break’ during tours. This Sachertorte cake was lighter than that at Hotel Sacher and featured a bit more jam.

Address: Rathausplatz 1, 1010, Vienna

Café Central

Housed in Palais Ferstel, Café Central is in a well-heeled neighbourhood in the centre of Vienna. The Florentine and Venetian architecture has attracted writers and philosophers for years, and is now a popular stop for visitors to the city too. In addition to their less traditional version of Sachertorte, they have a cabinet full of similarly tempting cakes and treats. One such offering is another local tradition, apple strudel. How to decide? Perhaps try both?!

Address: Ecke Herrengasse / Strauchgasse, 1010, Vienna