Cafe Diglas
Wollzeile 10
Vienna can lay claim to two coffee traditions: the cozy, cake-orientated Cafe Konditorie; and the grander Kaffeehaus, where dinner and alcohol are also served, along with other assorted fare. Cafe Diglas has been a Kaffeehaus classic for almost a century. Gold-rimmed cups arrive at marble tables on silver trays. The coffees are so rich you could almost forget you're hungry. But when the pangs do strike, Cafe Diglas' mains hit the spot: try the creamy spaghetti with fresh green courgettes and sprigs of tiny wild yellow chanterelle mushrooms for a bargain Euro8.50 (HK$83).
Cafe Central
Cnr Herrengasse/Strauchgasse
A favourite with intellectuals since the times of Leon Trotsky, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Ludwig van Beethoven, Cafe Central (above) still encourages creative debate. But even intellectuals succumb to hunger. Try the spaetzle noodles with chunky beef and beans (Euro17), followed by a warm apple strudel (Euro8). Coffee is also exemplary, but the underrated Austrian white wine is superb.
Cafe Sacher