Kohlmarkt / Demel

This is the Kohlmarkt, Vienna's street of luxury, running from the Graben straight down to the gates of the imperial palace. And about halfway along it is the window we came for — the window of Demel.

Press up to the glass. Inside is a theatre of sugar: marzipan figures, candied fruit, glossy tortes, whole little landscapes built out of chocolate, all arranged like a jeweller's display. There has been a confectioner on this spot since seventeen eighty-six, when a pastry shop opened nearby to sweeten the appetites of the court. The business took the Demel name a little later, earned the title of purveyor to the imperial and royal household, and moved to this address, where it has traded ever since. This is imperial Vienna's sweet tooth, made into architecture.

Keep one word in mind as you look: Sachertorte. That dense chocolate cake is the most famous thing ever to come out of this city, and Demel is one of two great houses that spent years in court fighting over who was allowed to call theirs the real one. It is a genuine Viennese feud, and we'll settle it later, down at the Opera. For now, just note that Demel sells its own version proudly, with a special seal, and leave it there.

When you've had your fill of the window, turn back and head up the narrow street called the Herrengasse. A few steps along it waits one of the great coffeehouses of the world.