Best Vienna Cake Shops For Viennese Pastry And Dessert

“Let them eat cake!” — perhaps one of the most famous misquotes throughout history (likely coined by Jean-Jacques Rousseau) — were the words that inspired my recent culinary quest in Vienna. Despite the false attribution to Marie Antoinette, I still felt compelled to hunt down the best cakes and cafes in Vienna in her honour. After all, Maria Antonia (her original name) was born in Vienna and apparently had quite the sweet tooth! Enough reason for a cake marathon, no? I’ll take any excuse…

To be honest, I actually lost count of how many cakes we tried, but thought I’d recap my five favourites so you can indulge when you visit Vienna…

5 Must-Try Cakes In Vienna And Where To Eat Them

1. Best Place For Sachertorte In Vienna 

If there’s one dessert you try in the city, let it be the famous Sachertorte at Café Sacher. These guys invented the cake so there’s no question that it’s served exactly how its meant to be. Many agree that it is, indeed, the best chocolate cake in Vienna…

Created by a 16-year-old apprentice (chef Franz Sacher), the original Sacher-Torte is dense, layered with apricot jam, coated with chocolate icing and served with unsweetened whipped cream. Glorious…

Although there are multiple Sacher Cafés in Vienna, Salzburg, Graz and Innsbruck, I recommend perching on the second floor of the new Sacher Eck beside the Vienna State Opera and devouring a slice (or two) while people-watching from above.

2. Best Place For Apple Strudel In Vienna

While this one was highly contested in my group, I personally loved the apple strudel (or as the Austrians say: apfelstrudel) at Café Sperl. The apples were slightly acidic and thinly sliced, the syrup wasn’t sweet/thick and the pastry was thin and crisp. Just the way I like it…

The ambiance is also a big draw: the traditional coffee house dates back to 1880 and is dotted with cozy booths. The kind of place you’ll want to stay a while…

3. Best Place For Esterhazy Torte In Vienna

With dozens of locations in Vienna alone, you’ll probably spot Aida Café as you wander around the city. Unlike many of the traditional coffee houses, Aida Café has a retro vibe with pops of millennial pink throughout the space. But don’t let the aesthetic fool you, this family-run chain has been around for over 100 years!

With so many years of experience under their belt, you are almost guaranteed to find a dessert you love as you peruse their cake display. The Original Mozart-Torte Wien almost won my vote…

That is, until I tried the Esterházy Torte. Think: layers of sponge cake and buttercream, distinct almond and hazelnut flavours, a dash of rum and brandy, apricot jam and a white sugar glaze with a chocolate striped pattern on top. Yum! I think this may just be my favourite cake in Vienna…

4. Best Place For Guglhupf In Vienna

Head inside the Grand Hotel Wien, snag a seat at the lobby café Rosengarten, and order a slice of their Grand Guglhupf. Trust me, you won’t regret it…

Made using a secret recipe (surprise, surprise), it’s a simple yet tasty marble cake dusted with icing sugar. The bundt cake was much-loved by Emperor Franz Joseph and, if it’s worth anything, yours truly…

5. Best Place for Imperial Torte In Vienna

Lastly, you’ll want to save some room for the cakes at Hotel Imperial…

Try them all if you can, but don’t leave Café Imperial without tasting the famous Imperial Torte…

The Viennese pastry has a unique, square shape (I cut mine in half so you guys could see the layers) and is made using whipped chocolate, thinly-sliced almonds and marzipan. It’s so popular that they now make orange and raspberry versions as well! Here’s a dramatic video to get you excited about this cake:

Hope you all enjoyed this dessert roundup and apologies if you attempted to eat your screen while reading through. I did my best to limit the list to my top five, but there are certainly many more incredible coffee houses and cake shops dotting the city (like Demel and Café Central). So if you love cake, Vienna will not disappoint! Just make sure to pack your stretchy pants.

A huge thanks to Advantage Austria and the Vienna Tourist Board for hosting us on this press trip. As always, reviews and opinions are our very own.