Two More Days, Two More Cafés

I spent my Monday morning in Café Florianihof at Florianigasse 45 in the 8th district. The verdict: not bad but I just don't quite think it's what I'm looking for.

Positives include that they have a wide variety of 'flavored' coffees, one of which being caramel, and there were a lot of other people working on their laptops there. Negatives were that the setting was a tad bland, the location a bit too out of the way, and the seating not remarkably comfortable. My waiter was nice at least, and there was a pleasant atmosphere to the place despite everything.

And then there was Café Sperl just off of Mariahilfer Straße in the 6th district. I had admittedly known about it for a long time through my Vienna guide books which all listed it as a must-visit, but with so many other attractive options in the first district I had just never gotten around to it - what a shame that was!

I knew it was promising when I spotted it across the street and noticed that the patio seating was well populated (with non-tourists). As much as I would have loved to sit outside on a day like that I needed to get the experience I had come to try which was working. According to all of the warnings I have heard about winters here, that's definitely going to be an inside activity in the not-so-distant future, so I settled for a seat by the window. This worked out just as well, because the tables along the walls inside were more like nooks which is exactly what I was looking for. Oh, and did I mention that the interior is charmingly nineteenth century with upholstered seats, marble table tops, and parquet floors?

While I didn't try Sperl's coffee -gasp!- I did have their mushroom risotto, which was more than satisfactory both as far as proportion and savoriness. There were also other people tucked away working on their computers which was a good sign. And I completely missed this, but apparently there are pool tables there. I'm definitely going back to look into that. As far as the historical aspect, regulars have included Archduke Joseph Ferdinand and, more recently, authors Robert Menasse and Michael Köhlmeier. Who knows, one of these days this café may be adding yours truly to the list of notable patrons...