Demel

Chez Demel Café (l'été, en tout cas), c'est un peu la foire. Comme tous les touristes, on attend sagement devant la porte, avant de voir que d'autres nous passent devant. Finalement, on entre et on patiente à côté du comptoir, afin de se voir attribuer une table (bref, on est bien élevé). Et pour la seconde fois, des gens nous passent devant. C'est là que l'on comprend que ce n'est que plus loin qu'il faut réellement faire la queue pour monter à l'étage et obtenir une petite table.

Une fois toute cette agitation passée, on découvre la carte des boissons et le buffet des desserts. Les gâteaux traditionnels viennois côtoient des pâtisseries plus "françaises" ; il y en a un peu pour tous les goûts.

Nous, nous avions envie de tradition viennoise, nous avons donc opté pour l'Apfelstrudel (un délice) et le chocolat froid maison en boisson. Ce dernier est assez simple : pas de chantilly ou de boule de glace vanille comme dans les chocolats viennois habituels, et sa présentation n'est pas franchement soignée puisqu'il est servi avec une petite paille à sirop. MAIS le chocolat est excellent ! Demel est une pâtisserie-chocolaterie, et ça se sent. Ce petit chocolat froid tout simple ne payait pas de mine, mais il a ravi mes papilles.

Concernant le cadre, nous dirons que ce n'est pas trop mal, à mi-chemin entre le salon de thé et le bistrot (mobilier en bois assez simple dans certaines salles), mais le service était professionnel et agréable.

For as long as I can remember, I've had had an absolutely killer sweet tooth. Over the course of my two decades and change on this planet, I've met very few people whose appetites for sweetness match mine. As a child I remember this taste for sugar feeing almost insatiable, as if no amount of sucrose could possibly leave me without wanting more. And so to this day, when someone asks me my favorite food, the answer is a simple one: it's cake, of course.

Imagine my bliss when I first arrived in Vienna, a city I had chosen to travel to while knowing admittedly little about what I'd find. From the first day I spent there, I was spellbound by Vienna's timeless charm -- the exquisite palaces, the flawlessly manicured gardens, the unwavering devotion to the arts. (How could I say no to nosebleed seats at the opera?) The rich and very tangible history of the place made me feel utterly and completely spellbound, like I had ripped a little tear in the time space continuum and ended up in a place I shouldn't be.

I'd spent the week hopping from landmark to landmark -- from the Belvedere Palace to the famed Hotel Sacher, from the Spanish Riding School to the site of Mozart's grave. I had learned far too much about the complicated and tragic tale of the nineteenth-century empress Sisi and seen far too many of her impossibly tiny-waisted gowns. I'd taken audio tours up the wazoo and seen so many pieces of furniture that I could have considered myself an anthropologist. It seemed, though, that there was still something waiting to be explored, yet I didn't quite know what it was until I stumbled upon it on my way out of the Hofburg.

There it stood, gleaming like a little diamond on the cobbled street before me -- the brown awning shading a bustling patio and elaborate large windows with goodies visible on the other side of the glass. My mouth watered when I took hold of the masterpieces being shuttled across the patio on little plates. Thankfully, it was just about time for my afternoon sweet treat. How serendipitous!

Upon strolling in, what hit me even before the deliriously delightful mélange of aromas was just how stunning this place was. A palette of pastels infused everything with a hint of springtime, and the elaborate gold details on the molding made me feel like I was back in Belvedere Palace. For a moment, I felt as if Sisi herself could be sitting at one of these tables, sporting a lavish gown and sipping on a tiny cappuccino.

Imagine my shock when I laid eyes on the pastry case. From undeniable classics like apfelstrudel and sachertorte to concoctions like punschkrapferl and biskottentorte that were wholly unbeknownst to me, it nearly took my breath away. If I could have, I would have shrunk myself down and lived out the rest of my days in that pastry case. Of course, limited by the laws of physics as I am, I decided that ordering something would be a close second.

I chose the annatorte because I was fascinated by the ribbon-like design around the perimeter of the cake. It was one of the most beautiful cakes I had ever laid my eyes upon, and let me tell you that these eyes are no stranger to gorgeous cakes. After taking the first bite I found that it was phenomenal and unexpected, although I couldn't seem to place the flavors no matter how hard I tried. It wasn't until I was nearly finished that I resorted to Google, learning that the staple flavors are nougat and orange liquour. A surprise but a pleasant one, much like my entire week in Vienna had been. By this point in my travels, I was learning that getting caught off guard was part and parcel of exploring the world -- for better or worse, but usually for the better.

Read more reviews at letsgetdinner8.wordpress.com.

We had the Amaretto Coffee, the pancakes with vanilla sauce. The food is fairly good. Regarding the service, well, we waited for about 40 minutes despite the fact that there were empty tables available. Then, the staff started rushing us to ruder and to eat fast.

Demel is a bakery founded in 1780's with a long history of serving quality products. The location itself is a mix of old and modern. It was a fairly good experience.

Caution : pancakes may have raisins.

Very rude bartender. No one informed us about the rules and we didn't realize the cafe and bar are two separate entities. The bartender wouldn't let us eat the cakes we bought here even though we also ordered food at the bar. He literately told us to leave then he proceed to talk dirty with the staff at the door.

Not friendly to first timers/tourists at all!!!

Must visit while in Austria. Top quality cookies and cakes. Beautiful building. Long lines if you want to eat here

TOURISTS: Pay attention! See the door to the right of the outside takeaway line? Go directly through that door (the 2nd door to the left side) and you can shop around for your chocolate, cookie, and bakery delights. No need to stay in line.... Unless you want to sit inside and eat cake. The line of people are there to sit inside (or they don't know about how they can just walk upstairs without a line....). They probably haven't read my review yet if they just want to buy self-service goodies.

Don't go through the door at the far right since that is the exit. You won't be able to get in through there.

FOOD: Worth the journey toward!!!
10/10 Hot chocolate
10/10 Kaiserschmarrn (basically a big pancake)
10/10 Various bakery goodies

So much hype since they have original recipes. Tried the most famous chocolate apricot cake, then our local guide said go try the kaiserschmarren, it was best in city, so we went back to try it.

Verdict...sadly wasn't a super fan of the famous chocolate cake. It's my taste buds and texture preferences, no fault to the restaurant as I'm sure they nailed it. But, the Kaiserschmarren!!!! Omg, that was incredible. To satisfy my sweet, this was worth a 2nd visit.

It gets super crowded, but we found a quick way in and out so not too bad. Outside line us strictly for kaiserschmarren, and inside you can purchase everything else. Service is vety fast. Great location!

Not sure why this classic Viennese bakery only has a 3.8-star rating on yelp, but I think it should have at least a 4-star or higher. The line was fairly long for a sitdown table, but they also have a separate line for takeout only. The service was very quick, prices were reasonable, and the dessert is outstanding. The combination of pancake-like dessert with the tart plum is phenomenal. I've been eating this stuff my entire time in Vienna, and regret nothing. I did not get a chance to go inside of the bakery, but the outside seating was great and overall ambience was satisfactory. If you come to Vienna, please come here!

We came here looking for sachertorte as we heard it's a must eat in Vienna. We got it to go as the line to sit was too long. Unfortunately we weren't the biggest fans of it as it was very sweet.

We also got a coffee dobos torte and that was delicious. It had a nice caramel flavour to it and the coffee really stood out. It was strangely addictive and not overly sweet.

This is definitely only a one time buy as the prices are quite steep as it is geered towards tourists.

If you find yourself in Innere Stadt and want something sweet, this is the place to go. Best to head up the stairs and sit in the calm café area for proper table service. Though paying is a bit chaotic since you need to take your bill downstairs and pay at the counter where a bunch of people are trying to order pastries.

Apple Strudel: Maybe the best apple strudel I've ever had? The pastry dough was thin and flaky, but different from phyllo. The apples were also sliced very thin and had that great texture of a little firm but also soft. And the taste was full of apple greatness, like they picked the optimal varieties to use.

Apricot Dumplings: It seemed like they wrapped pancake batter around cooked apricots and covered in brown sugar. Loved the warm pancake-y textures. Though it got a little dry at times, when you didn't get apricot in your bite, so good to have coffee nearby.

Franziskaner: Coffee, milk, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. More exciting than a regular latte or cappuccino.

Häferlkaffee:If you want something on the bigger side, this is the thing to get.

We saw a line here en route to Michalerplatz so we googled this place. It seemed like a must visit so we did. We lined up at first and then I decided to ask the staff if the line was for seated meals. It wasn't. So if you're there for the first time and would like to sit down, just grab any open seats you find.

We sat outside and absolutely loved the green dome as the backdrop. The inside seats looked very nostalgic. Either way, no matter if you sit indoor or outdoor, the ambiance is epic. The food, drinks, and service were decent. 1 star is reserved because it didn't fully wow me.