One thing my wife and daughter wanted to do in Vienna was to try the local cake, the Sachertorte…read more There are a few apparently famous venues for this (and a slew of other places too). Gerstner is a long-standing bakery with a few locations (including at the former summer palace). They had a shop relatively near our hotel, so we stopped in early during the trip.
If you are facing the State Opera House, Gerstner's is on the right across the street. Note that there is also some as or more famous outlet for cakes behind the Opera House also, but they appeared to have a line when we walked by. At Gerstner's you enter at street level where they have a dessert counter with displays. You can get a slice to go here. However, if you want more of the full experience, you can go upstairs (they have an elevator as well). A wide curving staircase gets you to the rather small 2nd level (the first floor, in local parlance). There are some tables here, but it has the air of a bookstore coffee shop. We opted to continue up to the next floor.
Here, there is a dark hallway where you approach the host stand. There was one couple ahead of us and they got seated quickly. I think they had a bar as well as dining, so they ask which you want. We just wanted dessert, so they walked us past the bar. This floor has high ceilings and palace-like decoration. The vibe is definitely 'special' but they don't charge extortionate rates for it, which was nice. We were shown to a small table in the main dining room. I think you could see part of the Opera House out of the open windows.
Two of us got coffees and we all split a Sachertorte. We enjoyed it, but everyone agreed that it was a bit dry. Maybe the Viennese don't go for moist cakes. They do have other items on the menu and I think you can get a regular meal here (schnitzel, salads, etc.). However, we visited around 2:30 p.m. on a weekday, so we just wanted the cake.
The bill was reasonable, and we all agreed that this was a worthwhile experience.
