http://www.sacher.com/original-sacher-torte/

Ah the infamous Sacher Torte sold at the Sacher cafe or hotel or whatever - some lampoon it others love it but it is a real traditional for anyone in Vienna to sample (at other places as well but here is the original real deal!)

One of my favorite places to grab something easy is Nordsee--a fast food place based on fish and seafood. Certainly more upscale than McDonald's but definitely fast and truly delicious. There's one on the Karnerstrasse near Stephensdom. My vote for best fast food in the world. Love it. Enjoy Vienna.

Do NOT have the Sacher torte. It is an incredibly dry and dull slice of chocolate cake. In a city that has about a gazillion cafes with incredible desserts (and do remember mit schlag) the sacher torte is a complete waste of money and calories.

Grin.. here we go again, the eternal battle of friends and foes of the Sachertorte.
It does not hurt to sample it - Vienna's signature cake won't kill you. But not at Hotel Sacher - it's just so expensive there. The ubiquitous Aida Konditorei-Cafés are a more affordable place to eat your way through the sweet choices. Try the Punschkrapfen.

Cakes and "torte" are not desserts, though most restaurants with enough tourists from abroad will serve them also as desserts. Having a slice of cake as dessert after lunch or dinner is (almost) as uncommon in Austria (or Germany or Switzerland) as having sushi for breakfast would be in the US.
Except maybe for strudel with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
So, aside from real desserts, restaurants will usually have only a very small range of one or two cakes on their dessert menu.

Cakes (both the dry ones as well as the rich and creamy ones) are typically eaten between lunch and dinner as a seperate meal (usually around 3-4pm) at a Konditorei-Café. They will obviously serve their cakes all day long, of course, and not just in the PM hours.

My first sacher torte was my last, but with it I ordered iced coffee and didn't expect coffee, ice cream, ice, chantilly-- so that made it a great experience for a 20 yr old on her first trip to Europe.

one way to save a bit of cash and to get into the whole of the Schoenbrunn without queuing is to buy a "Sisi" ticket at the Homburg [or before you get to Vienna].

http://www.hofburg-wien.at/en/plan-y...si-ticket.html

We bought ours at the Hofburg where there was no queue at all and were pleasantly surprised to find that it gave us access to all areas at the Schoenbrunn save, I think, the zoo.

The Sisi ticket will not get you into the Orangerie or the Privy Garden OR the zoo. Not a travesty by any means, as I felt these were easily skipped (after we paid separately to get in there).

There was a lot of crossover in the apartments between Schonbrunn and the Hofburg. If I was pressed for time I'd skip the Hofburg museum.

We are back from our trip and I just would like to thank everyone for your help. We loved Vienna, spent a lot of time just walking the city. Highlights were the Kunsthistorisches, coffeehouses (Hawelka, Landtmann, Kunstshistoriches) markets, and church visits (Peterskirche my favorite) . We did go to Schoenbrunn one day. Loved the gardens. We enjoyed being at the Courtyard Messe. Very convenient to the Metro stop, nice bakery next door for breakfast, quiet at night. But just strolling through such a beautiful place was the best. Thank you!