A short coffee house tour through Innsbruck – my top spots

There are days when you need a piece of cake. Cold, wet, uncomfortable outside? - Cake. Work is getting on your nerves? - Cake. Birthday - cake, of course! Preferably in the cozy coffee houses and pastry shops of Innsbruck. Today I would like to present a few of the best cakes in the city - whether in the café or to take away. Because: cake always works.

The Kasperhof: Pleasure meets panorama

Let's start with the Kasperhof: located above Innsbruck, right on the edge of the forest, with a fantastic view over the city - across to the Patscherkofel and even as far as the Serles. This location alone makes Kasperhof a special place. It is the perfect starting or finishing point for hikes, for example up to the Höttingerbild. The Kasperhof is a genuine family business and is run by the family today Angermair family. Since March 2024, the vacation apartments and riding stables have been joined by a small, fine café - and this café clearly bears the signature of niece Maria Heinzmaster confectioner, perfectionist and passionate cake lover.

From grandma's kitchen to your own patisserie

For many of us, cake brings back childhood memories - of grandma's Gugelhupf, Sunday cakes or birthday cakes. Maria's passion for baking was also sparked at an early age. "I used to bake with my grandma all the time," she remembers. "I actually always wanted to be a pastry chef. But then I did the Matura (= A-levels) first - even though I often wanted to quit and start an apprenticeship straight away." In the end, she finished school and then - at the age of 19 - began her training as a confectioner. After a few years in the profession, she briefly put the trade on ice, but the dream of having her own small patisserie never left her. "The desire was always there," says Maria. "I then talked about it with my aunt and uncle - and that's how the idea of adding a patisserie to Kasperhof came about."

A recipe that always works: passion and perfection

To be really good at what you do, you need two things: passion - and a little bit of perfectionism. I can confirm from my own experience that Maria has both of these qualities in spades. Her cakes don't just look perfect - they taste perfect too! "I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Sometimes there are little things that an outsider wouldn't even notice, but I do. And then I tinker until it's perfect," says Maria.

Sweet works of art to nibble on

Being a master confectioner is not only demanding in terms of craftsmanship, but also incredibly creative - and Maria demonstrates this in every single cake. Whether it's a wedding, christening or birthday cake, she conjures up each piece entirely according to her customers' ideas. But this creativity is also reflected in the display case at Kasperhofs. Maria attaches great importance to regularly varying the selection and adapting it to the season. In the fall, for example, you will find the heavenly delicious pear and caramel chocolate mousse cake - my absolute tip, be sure to try it! - or delicious chestnut hearts. The classics such as nut torte, Sacher torte or the fruity-sweet raspberry and poppy seed torte are never missing. Everything in the display case is a little work of art - beautiful to look at and at least as delicious in taste.

Recommendation 100 percent

Some of her recipes come from her grandmother, others are created spontaneously. "Sometimes I want to bake something completely different, but then something new comes out. I play with ingredients, try them out, rework them - and suddenly there's a new creation," says Maria. In short: I can wholeheartedly recommend Kasperhof to you. Of course, I didn't try every cake for you - even though I would have liked to - but everything my family and I tried was simply delicious. The location is a dream, the staff and especially Maria are very nice.

Everything from brunch to private parties

By the way, brunch and breakfast at Kasperhof are definitely another highlight (you can find more information here). The beautiful conservatory, which can accommodate around 35 people, can also be hired for private parties such as christenings or small weddings.

Café Katzung - my favorite address in the old town

From the edge of the forest down to the heart of the old town: this Café Katzung is a real Innsbruck institution - and one of the oldest coffee houses in the city. It's the perfect place to start the day with a delicious breakfast, chat with friends, read a good book or simply take a short sightseeing break.

Where history, charm and good taste come together

Personally, I associate many wonderful memories with the Café Katzunggood conversations, dates with my husband and cozy cocoa moments with my children. Even my very first interview, which I was allowed to conduct for Innsbruck Tourismus, took place at Café Katzung. It's just wonderfully cozy - and the best proof that it doesn't always have to be super modern and hip. The historical charm is simply unbeatable! The coffee house looks back on an impressively long history: since 1793, the Café Katzung has been celebrating Austrian coffee house culture at the highest level - right in the heart of Innsbruck. Back then, the "second court confectioner" Anton Georg Katzung founded his confectionery within the historic walls of the old town. Today, the Dengg family runs the traditional establishment with a lot of love, a feel for history and a fine sense of contemporary indulgence.

Homemade with love

Keyword indulgence: the homemade cakes and tarts are freshly prepared every day - according to well-kept family recipes and with the best ingredients, as regional and seasonal as possible. If you want to make someone happy, you can also give the delicious cakes as a gift. We particularly recommend the Katzung-Tartthe in-house specialty - a dream of curd cheese and hazelnut paste, fine apricot jam and a topping of delicate chocolate shavings. Perfect for enjoying, sharing and indulging.

Try: the best cocoa in town!

Even though this post is about cake - I have to mention the cocoa. It's simply perfect! And I'm really picky in this respect, but here the hot chocolate tastes exactly as it should: not too sweet, nice and creamy and of course with whipped cream on top.

Stylish celebrations and meetings

A little insider tip: If you are looking for a special location for a party or event, you should take a look at the second floor. In the stylish Pauli and Friedl salonsnamed after the legendary Katzung sisters, is a wonderful place to celebrate or hold a meeting - with history, charm and lots of taste.

Would you like a strudel?

After all the delicious cakes and tarts, there's one thing you can't miss: a real Austrian classic - strudel! And there's nowhere better than at the Strudel-Café Kröll. Many years ago, I worked as a waitress myself and the most frequently asked question was: "Do you have apple strudel?" I still remember Asian guests sitting in front of me with their travel guides and pointing at the picture of a strudel. To be honest, back then I never really understood why everyone was so crazy about strudel. In the fall, it felt like we had apple strudel every day at home - but somehow the apples from the garden had to be processed.

Strudel-Café Kröll - the place to be for swirl lovers

But (and I hope my mom isn't reading this now): Maybe I first had to eat Strudel-Café Kröll eat a strudel to understand the hype. Italy is known for pizza, Japan for sushi - and we for strudel. And if you want to eat really good strudel, you go to the Strudel-Café Kröll. Whether sweet - classic with apple, poppy seeds or plum - or savory with meat, vegetables or potatoes: you'll find everything here. It's definitely worth a visit!

Information about

Kasperhof
Schneeburggasse 134 , 6020 Innsbruck
Phone: +43 664 / 31 68 277
Email: [email protected]
Homepage: www.kasperhof.at
Opening hours: Friday, Saturday, Sundays and public holidays: 9:00 - 18:00
During the Christmas season: December 26, 2025 - January 06, 2026: daily from 09:00 - 18:00

Café Katzung
Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 16, 6020 Innsbruck,
Phone: +43 512 586183
Email: [email protected]
Homepage: www.cafe-katzung.at
Opening hours: Monday - Saturday: 8:00 - 22:00, Sunday closed, public holidays 09:00 - 22:00

Strudel-Café Kröll
Hofgasse 6, Altstadt, 6020 Innsbruck
Phone: +43 512 574 347
Email: [email protected]
Homepage: www.strudel-cafe.at
Opening hours: Daily from 7:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., in summer from 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m

Cover picture Kasperhof © Wolfgang Lackner