thanks for the correction Cowboy...Landtmann it could well be ..if it's famous for Freud's patronage then the Landtmann it is...!

We had lovely sachertorte just at Segafredo cafe espressoround the Nasch Market...im thinking this might be a chain/franchise but both the torte and the apple cake were good..i loathe dry cakes and am quite fussy with sweets...dont want to eat it for the empty calories if it doesnt deserve to visit my body-temple LOL

forfourtravel..
just for clarification purposes on the "dry cake dilemma" :-)
I did not mean that everyone in C/E Europe was a fan of dryer cakes. Just that those are not uncommon.
When MY Polish grandmother had guests for coffee on a Sunday afternoon she would have never dreamt of just serving one Torte (the creamy ones). A decent coffee table would need to feature one cream Torte, one cake with fruits, and one dry cake.
I remember when Brownies hit this side of the pond maybe 2 decades ago, and my mom had one for the first time.. and commented that someone should give that dough a bit more heat in the oven :-)

Just arrived to Vienna yesterday and had a fantastic meal at Plachutta by the Statsoper. I enjoyed the tafelspitz and my husband loved the special of braised venison with mushrooms and cranberries. In Salzburg I also enjoyed several entrees that made great use of pumpkin.

Cowboy, your Babcia must have been more generous than mine. ;)

If you are looking for authentic food off the beaten track, there are some anonymous restaurants in the Rathausstrasse (sort of behind the town hall) that have good cheap lunches - eat what the Viennese are eating. You can sit and eat in a Schanigarten (outdoors on the pavement). Also I second Café Landtmann, which is nearby - although a bit nicer than the restaurants in the Rathausstrasse. Café Central is normally very good but at the moment it's closed for renovations. Round the corner from there is the Ferstel Passage, which has a sweet little café inside, attached to a gourmet food shop. Nearby just off Freyung is the Melker Stiftskeller, a little clichéd, but good food.

Lavandula

My apologies for the long delay in replying to all of you who added thoughtful recommendations, etc. They are, as always, helpful in planning for this upcoming trip.

Anybody in the area should check out the Ferstel Passage just for the lovely architecture.

Lavandula-
I enjoyed Cafe Central on September 30, it was beautiful (both the interior and the pastries!).

Thanks for the tip, we were there at the end of July / beginning of August and the renovations looked major. Nice to know it's open again : )

Lavandula