Demel on Kohlmarkt has been Vienna’s imperial court confectionery since 1786, holding the K.u.K. Hofzuckerbäcker title (Imperial and Royal Court Confectioner) since 1874. The all-female service staff, the “Demelinerinnen,” still address customers in the imperial third-person register used at the Habsburg court. The Rococo interior (ornate gilded plasterwork, pastel colors, curved mirrors) was designed by the firm Portois and Fix after the shop moved to Kohlmarkt 14 in 1888. Empress Elisabeth’s favorite candied violets are still the signature specialty. The Sachertorte here differs from the Hotel Sacher version: one apricot jam layer under the glaze versus two layers in the competing original. The two establishments fought a nine-year legal battle over the recipe, settled in 1963. Go upstairs to the salon; it is less crowded and more atmospheric than the ground floor. Daily from 9 AM; Kohlmarkt 14; U3 to Herrengasse.
confectionery in Vienna
Demel
The all-female staff at Demel still address customers using the imperial third-person register, a linguistic holdover from the Habsburg court that no other Vienna establishment has maintained. "Hat die Gnädige schon gewählt?" (Has the gracious one already chosen?) instead of "Haben Sie gewählt?" (Have you chosen?).
- Type
- confectionery
- Destination
- Vienna
- Cost
- Paid entry
- Founded
- 1786
- Era
- Historicism
- Address
- Kohlmarkt 14, 1010 Wien, 1010 Vienna
- Coordinates
- 48.2086, 16.3672
- Official website
- Visit website