New York Café Budapest – Most Beautiful Café in the World

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know about New York Café until my partner and I traveled to Budapest for winter vacation. Kind of embarrassing considering New York Café has been dubbed the most beautiful café in the world.

History of New York Café, Budapest

New York Café is a Renaissance-style restaurant located in the luxury New York Palace Hotel. Originally built in 1894 by the New York Life Insurance Company, the café was the center of Hungary’s literary and poetry scene for decades. Devastated by both world wars and the communist regime, the New York Palace Hotel that housed the café closed in the 1940s.

The New York Palace went through various incarnations, before being acquired by an Italian hotel chain, Boscolo, in 2001. Boscolo renovated the palace into a lavish five star hotel and restored the New York Café to its former glory.

Open Hours

The café is open from 8am until 12 am every day of the week. Breakfast is served from 8am to 11 am. During this time, the cafe offers a breakfast buffet that will cost you about 9000 HUF. I’m not sure if the buffet is a good value because we didn’t try it. But, I can tell you that the buffet did have a great selection of food and included a glass of bubbly.

Reservations

You are not required to make a reservation to dine at New York Cafe. In fact, we didn’t have a reserved table when we visited. Despite not having a reservation, the line wasn’t too long. Besides, the café’s sheer beauty was enough to keep us enthralled while we waited.

That said, I recommend that you either make a reservation or visit at opening time so that you have less of a wait.

Dress Code

There is no formal dress code. Most people dress in smart casual attire. I strongly advise against flip-flops, shorts, tanks tops, etc. I recommend dressing for the occasion, especially considering the décor of the café. You probably don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.

How to Get to New York Café

New York Café is located at Budapest, Erzsébet krt. 9-11, 1073 Hungary. The address is GPS friendly, so you shouldn’t have a problem getting directions from wherever you are. Blaha Lujza Tér is the closest metro station and will cost you about 350 HUF. Keleti Railway Station is the nearest train station. Also, if you interested, you can take the Budapest Hop on Hop Off Bus and reach the café via several stops on the red route.

Décor

When we arrived at the café and went inside, I was in complete awe. Clearly I haven’t been to every café, but I can absolutely understand why New York Café is known as the most beautiful in the world. Boasting a lavish and spacious interior, the café offers live music, dazzling chandeliers, twisted marble columns, ornate high ceilings, and gold trim galore. The opulence and grandeur of the New York Cafe makes it feel as though you’ve been invited to dinner at the Palace of Versailles.

New York Café Menu And Prices

The price of the food and drinks at the café are fairly expensive. You can take a look at the menu here. But, don’t let the prices dissuade you from visiting. Keep in mind that New York Café isn’t your run-of-the mill restaurant. It’s a historic and architecturally significant edifice that provides it patrons with a decadent dining experience and remarkable ambience.

Besides, you have options. You can either go in prepared to splurge or simply choose something small off the menu like the Hungarian coffee. That is precisely what we did. The coffee is made with black sour cherry palinka, chili, brown sugar, coffee, and cream. It was aromatic and delicious. Moreover, ordering coffee gave us an opportunity to support the café and ample time to marvel at its unraveled craftsmanship.

Is New York Café, Budapest Worth Visiting?

Absolutely! I’ll admit, the food and drinks are expensive. But the ambiance and the interior decoration is superb. It’s worth visiting for that reason alone.  However, if Italian Renaissance architecture and extravagant interior design doesn’t strike your fancy, you’ll probably want to skip this experience and visit a less expensive café.

If you do decide to visit, don’t forget your camera! The intricate details of the New York Cafe certainly make for some Instagrammable photos in Budapest.

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