8 Viennese Coffeehouses for Any Trip to Austria

"A classic Viennese coffeehouse dating to 1900, Café Weimar is a visual feast. Old World elegance competes with head-swiveling pastries. Elaborate crystal chandeliers vie with French ballet skirt lampshades. Framed wall art and bric-a-brac set off the old-fashioned coffeehouse furniture. It makes sense that opera audiences and artists flock here from the nearby Volksoper. At least a dozen housemade cakes and pies arrayed in a large glass case are the real stars. The bestseller is a divine Esterházy Torte, hazelnut- and cognac-infused buttercream sandwiched between four layers of almond meringue dough and glazed with decorative fondant. You can also order such classics as Tafelspitz (Austrian boiled beef) and Schnitzel, of course. Follow them with a decadent Maria-Theresia coffee named for the Hapsburg empress: double espresso with apricot liqueur and whipped cream. And pretend you’re back in imperial times." - Veronica Stoddart