Budapest’s New York Café: Coffee Aromas and Golden Grandeur since 1894

Fancy visiting a fairytale place that will make you feel as though you’ve been dropped straight into another era? A timeless beauty even today, the New York Café in Budapest has been enchanting travellers to the city ever since 1894. With ceilings decorated in gold, magnificent marble columns and glittering chandeliers, it’s virtually impossible to tell which bit of the building sparkles the most. Once upon a time, countless renowned artists found their inspiration here, and students dreamed of a new, bright future in amongst the frescoes. Today, you can indulge in a slice of delicious cake and partake of the finest coffee creations – some of which even incorporate 24-karat gold(!) – at these very same tables. Why not pay this place a visit and immerse yourself in 130 years of Budapest coffee house culture?

When the New York Café opened its doors in the heart of Budapest back in 1894, the city was part of the Kingdom of Hungary under the Austria-Hungary Dual Monarchy. It was the heyday of coffee house culture, when cafés were far more than just places to enjoy a coffee and slice of cake – they also functioned as salons, meeting places and creative workshops. And it was in this environment that the New York Café, a Budapest coffee house that soon became known as ‘the most beautiful café in the world’, was established.

To this day, it remains a symbol of the way life is lived in this metropolis on the Danube. The history of the café reflects the history of the city: heavily damaged in the two world wars, renamed ‘Hungária Kávéház’ and badly neglected during the era of socialism, then restored to its former glory following the fall of the Iron Curtain. Extensive renovations in the early 2000s brought the gold-adorned ceilings and marble columns back to life. Today, the café attracts guests from across the world every single day – and is a living monument to Budapest coffee house culture, combining both tradition and modernity.

Pure grandeur is the name of the game at the New York Café: once you catch sight of the gilded ceilings, stucco ornaments, huge mirrors and chandeliers, you’ll think you’ve ended up in a ballroom, not a coffee house. As soon as you walk through the doors, there’s a good chance you’ll immediately be transfixed by the marble columns that divide the room and evoke the glamour of the Belle Époque era.

Particularly rich in detail are the frescoes by painter Gusztáv Mannheimer and gilded stucco by Károly Senyei. Together, these two artists managed to create an interior reminiscent of a Venetian palace – lavish yet royally elegant at the same time. Once you sit down, you’ll soon realise that this café was never intended just for drinking coffee, but was much more a stage on which Budapest’s upper crust could shine.

Barely any time at all after opening its doors, the New York Café became the heart of Budapest’s cultural scene. As a meeting place, it was particularly popular with the authors of the literary journal Nyugat (The West). Literary names like Mihály Babits, Dezső Kosztolányi and Frigyes Karinthy spent many an hour at these marble tables as they sought to make their mark on Hungarian literature.

Painters, actors and musicians also regarded the café as their home from home. It was said that anyone who was anyone in the Budapest cultural scene had to be spotted here, including filmmakers such as Michael Curtiz (then known as Mihály Kertész) – before he made classics such as Casablanca – and the painter Pál Szinyei Merse, founder of the Hungarian Society for Modern Art.

The New York Café was also one of the most democratic places in Budapest: students could spend hours here nursing a single cup of coffee while reading, writing or debating politics.

Even today, the spirit of this cultural stronghold is still very much present. Simply take your seat between the gold-adorned columns and listen to the buzz of voices around you.

The best time to visit the New York Café in Budapest is in the morning between 7:30am and 9:30am or late afternoon from 4:30pm once lunch customers have left. This is when the queue will be the shortest and you’ll have the best chance of getting a good table.

During the day, there is an open seating policy, so you can choose where you’d like to sit. However, expect there to be queues during peak times (11am-3pm). You can make table reservations via the website but only for dinner.

The nicest places to sit are either in the ground floor hall directly under the frescoes and chandeliers or on the first floor by the railings where you can look down at the hall from above. The latter are also the best seats for taking some atmospheric photos.

Once you’re sitting comfortably, take a closer look at the menu as it offers some exciting specialties that you’ll definitely want to try. Particularly famous is the New York cappuccino with 24-karat gold, served in an elegant cup with a sprinkling of gold leaf (approx. €13). This is a real highlight for connoisseurs and one of the most popular New York Café photo motifs on socials.

The elegant desserts are also a homage to Hungarian patisserie: why not try a classic Somlói Galuska, a trifle with sponge, walnuts, raisins and chocolate? This dessert has been a staple on every café menu in Budapest for decades. For lovers of fine chocolate, we recommend the New York chocolate cake made with the finest Valrhona chocolate. And if you’re vegan, you’ll also feel at home here: the chocolate tart with strawberries is just for you and simply exquisite.

• Erzsébet körút 9–11, 1073 Budapest
• Open Mon-Wed 7am–midnight, Thu-Sun 7am-1am
• Metro M2 or tram lines 4 and 6 to Blaha Lujza tér (3 minutes’ walk away)

The New York Café is without question the most beautiful of all Budapest’s cafés – hardly any other café is as steeped in glamour and history as this place. That’s not to say, however, that you shouldn’t give other coffee houses in Budapest a try, as there are plenty of others with an equally special ambience: some are absolutely traditional, others focus on food and some prize an intimate atmosphere. If you’d like to get a feel for the contrast between the New York Café and other institutions, we’d recommend the following:

• Café Gerbeaud: Situated on Vörösmarty tér, this place is elegant yet less overwhelming than the New York Café. The high-ceilinged rooms are brighter and the atmosphere a bit more formal. Famous mostly for its amazing confectionery – the legendary slices of Gerbeaud cake are considered one of the city’s classics.

• Centrál Kávéház: Art Nouveau meets intellectual panache on Károlyi utca. Compared to the worldly New York Café, Centrál Kávéház is smaller, more intimate and has long been a place for thinkers to gather. Couples having breakfast, the hubbub of student voices and people working on their laptops make for a lively, unpretentious atmosphere.

• Gerlóczy Kávéház: This traditional French-style café not only serves coffee creations, but also excellent hot food, from fresh pasta to game stew. Perfect for coffee and cake or a chic lunch in the cosy courtyard area.

And if you’re more into tea than coffee, rest assured there’s something here for you too: head to the Zhao Zhou Tea House near the castle, a modern oasis serving Chinese and Japanese teas, where you can enjoy a little trip across the world right in the heart of Budapest.

Want to stay close to the New York Café? There’s a hotel to suit every budget in this area. If you’re looking for a stylish place to stay that's right out of the Belle Époque playbook, then Nemzeti Hotel Budapest – MGallery Collection on Blaha Lujza tér is perfect for you. Located just a few minutes’ walk from the New York Café, this four-star superior hotel combines elegant interiors with modern art and is the ideal starting point for walking to Budapest’s most beautiful sights.

Perhaps you’d prefer to stay in a central location but somewhere that will allow you to spend more of your budget on restaurants and trips? If so, opt for ibis Budapest City: this straightforward three-star hotel is very close to Blaha-Lujza square, and is handily located for anything you might want to see.

Or is style top of the list when it comes to accommodation? Then a room (or suite) at the Pullman Budapest is for you. This five-star hotel might be 15 minutes’ walk away from the New York Café, but it's right next to the magnificent opera house – making it the perfect choice if you want to attend elegant performances or concerts in the evenings.