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    Café Central

    4.1 (750 reviews)
    Closed 7:30 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Café Central Photos

    CAFÉ CENTRAL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Touristy
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Café Central

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    Reviews With Photos - Café Central

    Maria Therasia
    Vicky W.

    This is one of the must-visit during our Europe trip back in September. We stopped by around noon time, the line was slowly building up but not too bad, it was about 20-30 minutes. The building is very elegant and classical, really enjoyed the atmosphere as walking in, we sat down at a corner next to the window and could not wait to try out the coffee and pastries here. We got Cafe Central Kafee and Maria Therasia for coffee and shared one Viennese Apple Strudel. The coffee is so smooth and with the added liquor, the fragrance is amazing!!! No question, this is the BEST Apple strudel I've tasted, crunchy texture for the outside crust and the filling is full of fruity flavors. We spent about a bit more than an hour there and that was the most relaxing, appreciating and beautiful moment among this Europe trip.

    Street view
    Susan C.

    Hmm a little torn on this review since I only came for breakfast one day, and didn't get to try their pastries, however felt like the experience was pretty mediocre. Well known for being a beautiful and historic cafe established 1876 frequented by the likes of famous names like Trotsky and Freud, this traditional Viennese coffeehouse and cafe is a popular tourist destination. Having walked by around 7:30pm the prior evening and seeing a line of about 15 people outside, the next morning arriving around 9am the line was about 15 minutes without reservations. Upon entering the inside is beautiful, cavernous domed ceilings, chandeliers and a very classic bistro vibe. Enough seating for probably 150 customers, quite large inside, and about two-thirds full. That's when I realized the line outside was more for show, which at some places I get because staffing might be hard and they want to ramp up the pacing between breakfast and lunch services. In a place like this it seems more like a marketing technique to create hype, which kinda annoyed me--it's not respectful of customers' time. It took a while maybe 10 minutes for a staff member to pass menus, then another 10 minutes for him to come back and check in. What I'll say is he was swift to answer our questions and knew the menu well. In general service felt lacking though, after eating it took quite a long time to get our server's attention again to get the check. For breakfast I was a little surprised by the prices for the food offered, on the high side. While the vegan spreads were very good, from the menu it wasn't clear that it was actually vegan cream cheese that was the base of the spreads. Unfortunately the rest of the food was meh, €14.50 for a small croissant (not especially good), a plain roll, a boiled egg and latte, with a pat of butter and jam. Would I come back? Maybe to try a couple of their baked pastries and dessert, but not for breakfast. For more info: https://cafecentral.wien/en/

    YUMMM
    J F.

    Out of this world. Just amazing. You think you come here for the coffee, but the deserts are to die for. Awesome service and they treat you like a local. Danke!!!!

    Red C.

    An absolute must-visit in Vienna! Do as the locals do: slow down, sip your coffee, and just enjoy the moment. The line looked intimidating at first but moved quickly, and we even made friends with some fellow travelers from the U.S. while waiting. We went straight for dessert because why not? The torn pancake with stewed plums was massive. It looked a little messy, but wow, it was delicious. We also tried the Café Central Torte, their version of the Sachertorte since the original name belongs to another famous café, which I'll try to review later. Service was slow, but that seems to be the rhythm in Vienna's cafés. No rushing here like in the Bay Area. Bathrooms were clean, which I always appreciate. The ambiance was what really made it special. Grand chandeliers, a stunning interior, and a gorgeous display case full of desserts. To top it all off, a pianist with a Beethoven wig and outfit played everything from classical pieces to pop hits like Bruno Mars. We tipped him in USD since we weren't carrying any EU cash at that time. Overall, Café Central felt elegant but never pretentious, just timeless, cozy, and unforgettable.

    Oh my...
    Jerry M.

    Come here for fabulous coffee and delicious pastries. This historic 19th century cafe is a delight for the eyes and well as the pallet. When you dine here you are dining in a truly historic cafe that was frequented by some of histories greatest and also most notorious individuals. Wiki will list these for you. The food is outstanding especially the pastries. Cafe Central employs a dozen pastry chefs. Everything is imaginative and delicious. They vary the pastry offerings frequently, so you will need to come back over and over. Staff here are hyper friendly and our waiter was cheerful, knowledgeable about the food, made great suggestions and was generally chatty. There is usually a line for walk-ins, reservation holders get seated right away. The line for us was about ten minutes. Double highly recommend.

    Take away torte
    Sharon S.

    SERVICE 5 stars - with NEZIR was above 5 stars and two thumbs up. He single-handedly made our experience at Cafe Central out of this world. Professionally, NEZIR was quite efficient expediting our food orders and bringing to us hot. He provided great suggestions on the menu as we know Central is world renown for its coffee and pastries but we wanted to try the savory dinner entrees too. NEZIR was right on. Aside from his professionalism, Nezir's friendly welcome set the tone for the entire evening . While he worked quite fast, he managed to share Family stories, background and cafe history . Totally cool! AMBIANCE 5 stars - Over 130 years , frequented by luminaries such as Freud historical background, live piano music , and beautiful architecture. No wonder it's THE PLACE people line up for! FOOD- savory dishes 3 stars salmon - a bit dry 3 stars - chicken also a bit dry but tasty seasoning 5 stars- warm chocolate cake served with vanilla Ice Cream was EPIC! Moist and very rich chocolate, just as I dreamed it would be! Takeaway at display case- Apple Strudel- 5 stars Petit Fours 4 stars Sisi's favorite -5 stars Coffee- 5 stars

    Kyle M.

    Decent amount of food for the price. Super touristy. You have to get here first thing in the morning or pre book. I was there 30 minutes early and there already was a line. They get you in and out so things move quickly. I enjoyed it the inside is super cool and it is worth checking out, not the number one priority though.

    Chocolate cake
    Prasiddha H.

    I had a chance to visit the famous Cafe Central with the hubby and I am so glad we did. Definitely remember that there will be a huge line here, so if you are able to get reservations, I would definitely get that as the wait can be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour plus! Hubby and I waited for around an hour before we were seated. The ambiance here was nice and we got to try the warm chocolate cake with ice cream. This was decadent and delicious and I loved the warm and cold combo that this dessert offered. The interiors of this cafe is gorgeous and would definitely recommend taking some pictures! Overall, really good experience here and a nice place to pop in to take a break once your feet start hurting from all the walking if you are a visitor in Vienna!

    Ally W.

    Out of the famous Viennese cafes, I prefer Cafe Central the most. Yes, it is touristy. Yes, there is a line to get in. Yes, the menu is over-priced. However, I enjoy sitting at this cafe admiring the cathedral-like arches while sipping coffee and devouring pretty desserts. For an old-school cafe, they certainly have some nice modern desserts and pastries. 1 star off: Service is almost absent. It takes a very long time to get an order in, receive an order, and get the check. As a frame of reference, I ordered a coffee and two desserts and it took 1 1/2 hours...no wonder there was a long line outside. What was even worse was that my waiter *insisted* that I give a tip. I will spare you from my rant about the forced tip culture that U.S. has created worldwide.

    Sarvin K.

    Café Central is one of those iconic spots in Vienna that feels like a time capsule -- step inside and you're instantly transported to a different era, with grand vaulted ceilings, elegant marble columns, and a refined buzz that makes you feel like a 19th-century intellectual (or at least like you're almost in a novel). The vibe alone is worth the visit. We ordered the apple strudel and a torte, and hands down, the apple strudel stole the show -- perfectly warm, flaky, and not overly sweet, with just the right touch of cinnamon. The torte, on the other hand, didn't quite win us over. It was underwhelming compared to the strudel. Service was surprisingly fast and very friendly, even with how busy the place was. Just a heads-up: there's almost always a line to get in, so if you don't want to wait, definitely make a reservation in advance. Overall, a must-do for the atmosphere, the history and that unforgettable apple strudel.

    Christopher N.

    This is now a must visit for tourists so reserve a table ahead of time thru your hotel. The sweet spot seems to be late afternoon, just before dinner time. When we arrived at 6:30pm on a recent Wednesday, there were still many open tables. By the time we left at 7pm, there was a line out the door. This is a very large cafe so service is a bit slow. We were there just for a drink before dinner elsewhere so did not order any food items this time. The spritz was okay. The ambiance was great. But with that many tourists around you, I'm not sure you can truly experience the Viennese cafe.

    Kasey G.

    A must see in Vienna, cafe central is an old historic cafe. The interior is beautiful, which adds to the charm. Food was delicious we had the salmon, eggs, and toast. They have a whole section for chocolates and pastries, and they had great service as well. We came around 10am on a Monday and it started to get busy shortly after.

    Vienesse coffee
    Ria S.

    Great experience while we were in Vienna, Austria. I recommend to make a reservation or you will wait in line. Service is really great. Our server even took our group photo. It was a nice experience to come to this cafe.

    At the entrance

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    Demel - Sacher torte (€7.9)

    Demel

    3.8(501 reviews)
    0.2 kmInnere Stadt
    €€

    Enjoyed our first visit so much, we snuck in another visit before trip end…read more A local guide gave us the important tip, that while we would see the outdoor are in front packed because everyone wants to eat there, he doesn't understand why and told us to venture inside and upstairs. This was a wise decision. The indoor space is beautiful and we were seated promptly both times (mid-day). The first time we both got coffee drinks and shared a piece of apple strudel. Second visit we were hungrier so shared the two tiered "best of" sampler. It included four savory open-faced sandwiches and four desserts. All in small sizes, although still big enough to share with another person. The other reason for the second visit was to peruse their downstairs shop. We wanted to bring some high quality souvenirs home to gift to family/friends and this was the perfect shopping location. We got a few chocolate things, including a little something for us. One thing I noticed is that, in addition to tasty chocolates, the boxes themselves are quite pretty and a gift themselves. They also have some non-food options, including branded aprons and reusable bags.

    Took a walking tour and our guide recommended this place for the pancake desserts. We ordered a…read morepancake and a strudel. Both were good, especially with the respective sauces. Went well with the Anna's coffee. We sat outside but they also have indoor seating with an upstairs area.

    Photos
    Demel - Bar area sans customers, towards their closing time

    Bar area sans customers, towards their closing time

    Demel - Apple strudel- the national dessert of Austria

    Apple strudel- the national dessert of Austria

    Demel - Inside shop

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    Inside shop

    Créme de la Créme - Pastry selection

    Créme de la Créme

    4.7(9 reviews)
    1.1 kmJosefstadt
    €€

    I have been wanting to visit this cafe for 2 years now. First breakfast in Vienna landed me in…read morethis beautiful establishment. The big breakfast was amazing! There was a spread that included with an assortment of an egg, cheese, bread, spreads, meats and fruit. As a typical Viennese breakfast, nothing was lacking! The fruit was seasonably ripe and fresh. The bread...the bread was a great with not too light, not too heavy texture. The cold Chai latte was to die for...so GOOD. I was shaking my head the whole time at how good everything was. It is a bit pricy, but worth the experience.

    This place has been hyped for a long time now. It is a small, very cure cafe that fills up very…read morequickly. In general, the prices are pretty steep for the location and Vienna. Everything looks gorgeous and breathtakingly beautiful, BUT the taste is not there. It is overall too sweet. The pistacchio dacquoise has benzaldehyde flavoring which I detest. The cream was real pistachio but was pretty heavy and sweet - didn't sit well with me. The Ribisel-Cremeschnitte was good, tart and sweet, but still, the cream too heavy. The vanilla cake was heavy and sweet. I mean heavy regarding double fat cream, the mouthfeel is light but you feel the fat content afterwards. Breakfast was ok - a slice of bread and brioche with jam (a little off tasting) and spread. Breakfast with coffee and pastry was 20€ which in my mind is too expensive for what it is. I wouldn't complain if the taste is as amazing as the looks. I really had high hopes for this place.

    Photos
    Créme de la Créme
    Créme de la Créme - Breakfast

    Breakfast

    Créme de la Créme - Pastry selection

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    Pastry selection

    Café Central - cafes - Updated July 2026

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