☕ Coffee house · grand
Café Sacher
The red-and-gold café of the Hotel Sacher, behind the State Opera, and the address of the most famous chocolate cake in the world.
The story begins in 1832, when Franz Sacher, a sixteen-year-old apprentice in Prince Metternich's kitchen, was told to invent a dessert for distinguished guests and produced a chocolate sponge with apricot jam under a dark chocolate glaze. His son Eduard opened the hotel in 1876. For decades afterwards the Sacher and the court confectioner Demel fought in court over who could sell the original; the settlement left the Sacher with the title Original Sacher-Torte, marked by its round chocolate seal. It is served, as it should be, with unsweetened whipped cream.
The café is open daily from 07:00 to 23:00, as published on sacher.com in September 2026. The room itself — red damask walls, chandeliers, portraits — is pure Ringstrasse theatre.
The honest catch: this is one of the most visited cafés in Vienna and there is usually a queue outside, especially mid-afternoon. You are paying for the ritual and the room as much as the cake. Come at breakfast or late in the evening after the opera, or skip the queue entirely and buy a whole torte in its wooden box at the Sacher shop in the same building to take home. How to order like a local: Viennese coffee-house etiquette; more in Vienna's coffee houses.
Where to stay nearby
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Frequently asked
What are the opening hours at Café Sacher?
The hours published on Google are: Monday: 07:00–23:00; Tuesday: 07:00–23:00; Wednesday: 07:00–23:00; Thursday: 07:00–23:00; Friday: 07:00–23:00; Saturday: 07:00–23:00; Sunday: 07:00–23:00. Check the venue's own site before a special trip — holiday and seasonal hours often differ.
Where is Café Sacher?
The address is Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Wien, in Innere Stadt (Vienna's 1st district).
How old is Café Sacher?
It has been running since 1876, which places it among Vienna's genuinely long-established coffee houses.
What should I order at Café Sacher, and how long can I stay?
The classic order is a Melange — espresso with steamed milk and foam, Vienna's cousin of the cappuccino — which arrives with a glass of water, often refilled without asking. In a traditional Viennese coffee house nobody hurries you: one coffee buys you hours and the house newspapers. When you want the bill, say "Zahlen, bitte" and pay at the table.
Is Café Sacher worth visiting?
It holds 3.9 out of 5 from 20,400 Google reviews — a strong score for a coffee house in Vienna. Treat the rating as a starting point, not a verdict, and read a few recent reviews too.
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