In 1786, confectioner Ludwig Dehne opened a confiserie (a store with sweets and baked goods) in Michaelerplatz square across from the national theatre of Austria, Hofburgtheatre. Not long after its opening, the confiserie was appointed by the royal family to be the sole sweet provider to the Hofburgtheatre. In 1857, Heir August Dehne passed on the business to his apprentice Christoph Demel. Not long after, Demel’s sons took over the business naming it CH. Demel’s Sons.
For a grand remodeling by renowned architects, the confiserie is moved to Palais am Kohlmarkt. The shop remained a success and moved into other family members’ hands for the next few decades. In 1952 owner Anna Demel made history by becoming the first woman named Councillor of Commerce, an achievement that is still celebrated today with the shop’s “Anna Torte” cake made with chocolate and nougat.
In 1956, Anna’s daughter Klara and her husband Baron Federico took over Demel’s together. Federico became known for crafting dreamlike window displays and set the tone for the company’s decor and packaging at Demel ever since. After changing hands a few more times, the shop finally landed in the lap of DO & CO group who is the current day owner of the historical confiserie.
Demel is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. so guests can visit the cafe on-site which offers a wide variety of the very best Austrian desserts and savory bites. Guests can grab a plate of smoked salmon, a French croissant, and Demel sausages and choose from an array of cakes. To drink, the cafe offers a large selection of coffee, tea, and wine.
Demel now offers a special sweet treat to-go — Kaiserschmarrn. The fluffy dessert is a sweetened pancake that takes its name from the Austrian emperor (Kaiser) Franz Joseph I, who thoroughly enjoyed eating this fluffy shredded pancake. Kaiserschmarrn is a compound of the words Kaiser (’emperor’) and Schmarren (a scrambled or shredded dish). The dessert is usually served with applesauce, stewed plums, or a fruit compote and contains raisins or dried cranberries.
While in Austria on our Viking River Christmas Market cruise, we stopped by the to-go window to experience the royal treat of Kaiserschmarrn with the stewed plum topping and the warm dessert did not disappoint. The line was down the block to sit down and order in the café since the December time period is one of the busiest for the city with the Christmas Markets. So, if you plan on eating in the famed café plan extra time for your visit during peak seasons.
Each year, Demel will reveal different holiday window displays that include elaborately created chocolate or baked goods. For Christmas, the confiserie makes a small gingerbread and chocolate model of the Stephansdom, a famous gothic cathedral in the area. For Easter, a giant painted chocolate egg was displayed front and center. Throughout the year, other creatively shaped cakes of characters and sceneries can be seen in the store front windows.
Words by Emily Cigan @emily.cigan and Amy Harris @thetraveladdictig