Someone recommended this cafe, so I decided to give it a try. The history of Cafe Sperl dated back to 1880, at a time when Vienna was the political and cultural centre of a vast multi-ethnic empire and the birthplace of various intellectual and artistic movements.
The cafe is housed in the 6th district of Vienna, near the popular shopping miles of Mariahilferstrasse. The interior decoration radiates a classical elegance typical of the now bygone Fin de siècle era. A snooker table, full of newspapers, await the customers inside the spacious lounge. There are far more locals inside the cafe, much less tourists. I chose a place next to the large windows and ordered a regional speciality available only in the autumn months - pumpkin soup with pumpkin seeds and pumpkin oil.
Although this cafe has a very pleasing ambience and is certainly worth going, its service is something of a disappointment. Unlike most of the historical cafes in Vienna which are staffed by male waiters, in Cafe Sperl the service team consists of younger waitresses, some of them are obviously students who work as part-time staffs at the cafe. Although friendly, their reaction and response to customers' requests are nevertheless somewhat amateurish and below par compared to other traditional cafes.
Although Cafe Sperl is certainly a place highly recommended for its food and ambience, the place would certainly be even more memorable if they could do something to improve their level of service. (On the other hand, if you look at the kind of dismal customer service offered at Demel or Sacher, then you will find the waitresses at Cafe Sperl extremely attentive and helpful.)
Everyone in Vienna has their personal favourite cafe, and everyone also has their own ideas how their ideal cafe should be like. Of all the Viennese cafes I have been to, Cafe Sperl is not my favourite, but it is certainly a place attractive enough to warrant spending a few hours chatting away over some cups of coffee if you are not too particular about the service.
Cafe Sperl
Gumpendorfer Straße 11. A - 1060 Wien
Copyrights@2010. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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