Many locals call Café Central “the real heart of Vienna.” With its painted ceilings and a lively atmosphere, it is certainly one of Vienna’s most splendid coffee houses. Likewise Café Sacher, near the Opera House, is home to the legendary Sachertorte, loved by musicians and pre-theatre diners. Across town, Demel, founded in 1786 as confectioner to the Royal Court, serves its own equally rich version. Their long-running “cake war” ended in a true Austrian compromise: both can claim the name, but only Sacher’s can say it is the “original.”