{"id":9714,"date":"2019-02-01T06:40:20","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T05:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=9714"},"modified":"2025-05-08T17:55:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T16:55:57","slug":"cafe-sperl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/cafespubsbars\/cafe-sperl\/","title":{"rendered":"Caf\u00e9 Sperl"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/sperl_small.jpg\" alt=\"Cafe Sperl sign\" class=\"wp-image-9731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/sperl_small.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/sperl_small-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I walked through the door and fell in love. Not with a stranger seated within Caf\u00e9 Sperl, but with the coffee house itself&#8230;with the decor and atmosphere, but mostly with the second hand of the clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>First opened in 1880<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Elegant historical interior with an authentic atmosphere<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Features in <em>Before Sunrise<\/em> and <em>Vienna Blood<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Friendly staff<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/vienna-walking-tours-l205287\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_Coffee\" rel=\"sponsored\">walking tour<\/a>* for your Vienna trip<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/cafespubsbars\/coffee-houses\/\">Vienna Caf\u00e9s<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Billiards &amp; period drama<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/cafesperl1.jpg\" alt=\"Front of Caf\u00e9 Sperl\" class=\"wp-image-47289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/cafesperl1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/cafesperl1-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Don&#8217;t you love coffee house fonts?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s kind of hard to come up with new things to say on a fresh visit to another coffee house. They do coffee. And cake. It&#8217;s great. Next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The words come easier with Caf\u00e9 Sperl, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A (very) early Saturday morning meant few guests. Just a bespectacled gentleman in the corner with a newspaper: one of several regulars that appeared during my stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And me, of course, instantly enamoured of the gorgeous setting. The entrance way alone felt like a Wellsian portal to another world; all wood, glass, and polished mirrors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The patterned red upholstery fading gracefully with age. The huge brass lamp fittings with a hint of Art Nouveau about them. The tall ceiling decorated in white stucco. The marbled tabletops on decorated metal plinths. Marvellous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And at one end of the caf\u00e9, a piano ringed by carved wooden panels and an old clock, whose second hand circled like a runner forever trapped on the last lap of the 10,000m: tired but determined.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/sperlartists.jpg\" alt=\"Sketches of coffee house guests from 1888\" class=\"wp-image-57954\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/sperlartists.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/sperlartists-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(<em>Im Cafee Sperl<\/em>: sketches by Johann Victor Kr\u00e4mer of artist patrons of the coffee house from 1888; no idea why Cafee is spelled that way in the title; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 133672, excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I may be out by fifty years, but it all felt quite Edwardian. The sort of place you might enter with a cane, top hat and the very best of moustaches. As if the 20th century stopped around 1910.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look out the window, and opposite is a 130-year-old house in the late <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/historicism\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28926\">historicism style<\/a>. Instead of cars, you half expect to hear the rattle of carriage wheels and rushed clop of horses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One side of the Sperl features three billiard tables, an array of newspapers and a little corner for kids. I even spotted two high chairs in the same dark bentwood design of the traditional coffee house chairs, which was rather sweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the warmer seasons, Sperl also has open-air seating on a small square outside, albeit with a giant parasol to ensure protection from the summer sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><br><\/div><div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-content-type=\"product\" data-content-ids=\"1029262,976190\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"DA_HistoryTours\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The coffee house makes more than one appearance in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/songsfilms\/vienna-blood-locations\/\">Vienna Blood<\/a> period detective series set around 1900, which tells you something about the authenticity of the interior decor. And the famous &#8220;phone&#8221; scene between Jesse and C\u00e9line in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/songsfilms\/before-sunrise-locations\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"36997\">Before Sunrise<\/a> takes place inside here, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turns out Caf\u00e9 Sperl actually dates back to 1880. One of Vienna&#8217;s big theatre and opera houses is 200m away (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/opera\/theater-wien\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"18961\">Theater an der Wien<\/a>), so the coffee house became a haunt of creative spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/franz-lehar\/\">Franz Leh\u00e1r<\/a> popped in regular, apparently; a road along one side of the caf\u00e9 bears his name and leads down to the old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/semperdepot\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"83134\">Semperdepot<\/a> where they used to store set designs for the imperial court theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Various military gentlemen also frequented the place. This no doubt led to some robust discussions around the piano on late Sunday evenings. Artists versus Archdukes, books versus bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/sperl1948.jpg\" alt=\"Post-war group at a caf\u00e9 table enjoying a laugh\" class=\"wp-image-83203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/sperl1948.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/sperl1948-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Enjoying coffee and a story at Caf\u00e9 Sperl in 1948; public domain photo kindly provided by the Austrian National Library)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An immaculately-dressed and friendly waitress brought me a house <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/food\/breakfast-in-vienna\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"82605\">Viennese breakfast<\/a> with studied efficiency. This included two rolls, jam, butter (both the latter in their own dish), and a pot of coffee good for over two cups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This Sperl breakfast is excellent value for money, and the coffee prices as a whole are generally lower than in the other traditional coffee houses in the old town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Caf\u00e9 Sperl actually has quite a broad menu, almost restaurant-like in its size: everything from a croissant to baked camembert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I loved it. This may be where I go to write my next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Mark-Brownlow\/e\/B076Y3X89F\/\">historical novel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to Caf\u00e9 Sperl<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Sperl is closer to the centre that you might think at first glance of a map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subway: just a short walk from Karlsplatz station (on the U1, U2 and U4 lines). Look for the Secession exit. Museumsquartier (U2 line) is close, too<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tram\/bus: take the 57A bus to Laimgrubengasse<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Gumpendorfer Stra\u00dfe 11, 1060 Vienna | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cafesperl.at\/\">Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1qxMhuM31vUOcHvWtm9QzWRPeiURPKwCX\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I walked through the door and fell in love. Not with a stranger seated within Caf\u00e9 Sperl, but with the coffee house itself&#8230;with the decor and atmosphere, but mostly with the second hand of the clock. Billiards &amp; period drama (Don&#8217;t you love coffee house fonts?) It&#8217;s kind of hard to come up with new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9731,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9714","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cafespubsbars","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9714"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83204,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9714\/revisions\/83204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}