Have you heard about the world’s most beautiful cafe? Located in the New York Palace hotel, the New York Cafe in Budapest is widely acknowledged as the most stunning restaurant in Europe – if not the world.
During my three days in Budapest, I went for lunch to see it for myself and find out if the New York Cafe deserves the hype. Is it really the most aesthetically pleasing cafe in the world?
This article was updated in September 2019 and covers the menu and prices at New York Cafe in Budapest. I’ve included plenty of photographs from my visit, which will hopefully help you plan your own visit to this world famous eatery.
A brief history of Budapest’s cafe culture
Coffee culture became big in Budapest during the 16th Century Turkish invasion, when the Turks’ love of the black stuff seeped in to Hungarian tastes. By the 19th Century, there were around 500 coffee houses dotted around the capital city.
New York Café was designed by Alajos Hauszmann, Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl, and it was housed on the ground floor of the New York Palace, which opened in 1894.
Hungary’s most influential newspapers were edited on the second floor of the Palace and Budapest’s literary minds gravitated towards the grand building.
Prolific writers, artists, musicians and poets of the time would meet at New York Cafe to swap creative ideas, make use of the free ink and wile away the day. They subsisted off the ‘writers’ menu’ – cold cuts of meat, cheese and bread sold a low price to starving artists.
Unfortunately, the communist party suspected Budapest’s cafés as the meeting place of underground organisations, and they closed the most popular coffee houses but moved in to New York Cafe themselves.
Like many of Budapest’s elegant historic buildings, the Palace was severely damaged by the two world wars. During the 1956 uprising a Russian tank bulldozed into the edifice!
Restored to glory by designer Adam Tihany, Café New York reopened in 2006 thanks to an 80 million EUR investment from Boscolo Hotels to renovate the dilapidated building.
Is the New York Cafe in Budapest worth visiting?
For many travellers, immersing ourselves in the essence of a new destination means sitting in one of its cafes, sipping coffee and lingering over an indulgent pastry. Perhaps you bring a book or a companion, or maybe you’ll just use the time to scroll through Instagram and recharge between seeing the sights.
Watching the world go by from a cafe while travelling is a simple pleasure, but a great one.
At New York Kávéház in Budapest, you won’t be focusing on the other patrons or the day’s activity outside the window. You’ll be too busy gazing at the ornate ceiling, gilded eggshell pillars and elaborate balustrades.
An imposing edifice greets diners, and 16 bronze figures holding lamps in their hands guard the windows overlooking Erzsébet körút. They evoke El Asmodai, the ancient symbol of coffee and meditation.
Inside New York Cafe, the Italian Renaissance theme continues. No corner of the multi-level salon is without an elaborate touch.
You can almost hear whispers of past scandal amid the tinkling of the piano and the clink of fine china in the vast dining room, which is overlooked with balconies swathed in royal crimson drapes.
Legend has it that writer Ferenc Molnár wanted the café to stay open day and night so he threw its key into the Danube.
Today’s clientele are largely tourists rather than literary genuises, but New York Cafe hasn’t lost its lustre. The ambience is still reminiscent of halcyon days gone by and the menu is still high-brow.
Sit back beneath the glittering chandeliers and art deco opulence, order a kávé (coffee in Hungarian) and revel in an old-world glamour you rarely find today.
What’s on the menu at New York Cafe?
The New York Cafe’s daytime menu is upfront about the prices, with Afternoon Teas at 60 Euro (19500 HUF) per person and a selection of cake and drink specialty combinations to choose from. ]Even if you’re on a moderate budget in Budapest, I think it’s worth the splurge.
The 24 carat gold cappuccinos and hot chocolates are an extra special treat, at 9.50 Euros (3100 HUF each). I’d get one just for the novelty factor!
We ordered the raspberry and pistachio tart, which came with a tangy fruit coulis, and a light cheesecake with apricot preserve.
A tall glass of cold white chocolate with raspberry and a glass of pink champagne left us feeling sufficiently sick, but satisfied.
You can check the New York Cafe’s current menu and prices on their website.
Here’s a toast to elaborate beauty, adventures and always pretending to be fancier than you actually are.
The dinner menu at New York Cafe reveals the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy’s influence. Classic dishes like Beef Goulash, Fishermen Soup, Chicken Leg Paprikash-style, Wiener Schnitzel and Grilled Foie Gras are served along with famous desserts such as Dobos, Sacher and Eszterházy cake.
It’s not all high brow though – you can still order a burger!
Want to visit New York Cafe when you go to Budapest? We went in the morning (yes, I still got bubbles before noon) and there was already a queue. Reservations are recommended.
Address: Erzsébet körút 9-11., VII. district, M2 metro Astoria station, tram 4, 6
Open: 9.00-24.00
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What do you think? Have you been to any cafes around the world that beat the NY Cafe for unadulterated aesthetic pleasure?
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Angie Silver says
Beautifully opulent!