New York Cafe in Budapest - hype or history?

We are visiting Budapest early next year and intend to have a coffee at the New York Cafe. The cafe looks beautiful and hype is part of being a tourist, whether it be Budapest, Paris or Machu Picchu. Just enjoy it

From the website, they only accept reservations for dinner after 6pm.

I guess it’s like going to the Vatican ONLY if you can do it without out others there taking pictures.

I have walked by and seen no one at the door and I have walked by and seen a very long line to get in.

About 10 years ago I went with my two college sons. They got bored with me sitting and people watching so they got up and returned with a chess board. We were there 3 more hours. Can’t remember which son won, but seeing them there playing chess just fit the ambiance. A good memory.

If you want decent coffee and maybe, if they aren’t too busy, a conversation with a local then the Lions Locker. Nothing architecturally special about it, but very “real”. The guy in the black shirt and the young lady behind the bar are two of the family that own it: https://www.lockerbudapest.com/gallery. Say good morning, ask how their day is and sit back and enjoy the conversation (if they aren’t real busy).

For more traditional turn of the century coffee houses (but these are mostly tourist attractions these days … generally for good reason. They are lovely.

DISTRICT V
Central Grand Café (4.8), https://maps.app.goo.gl/czFuAfay1dq5Vvin7, Established in 1887.
Café Gerbeaud (4.2), https://maps.app.goo.gl/tdtPPBbUCBWeQLvq5, Established 1885.

DISTRICT VI
Művész Coffee House ** (4.4), https://maps.app.goo.gl/qnr7RjzPDkERYUbP9, Gracing Andrássy út since 1884.
**Zsolnay Kávéház (4.7), https://maps.app.goo.gl/xAd8YKyy1tWRg9ac9, Located in the Radisson Blu Béke Hotel, among the oldest hotels in Budapest. Part modern and part Art Nouveau. Coffee, sweets, meals and drinks. The mosaic at the front door, added in 1947, is György Szondi, the heroic knight captain who fought the Ottomans in the 16th century.

Maybe more to your liking might be: Auguszt Cukrászda Belváros, https://maps.app.goo.gl/XpgWKo2chT66nyfc9, don’t forget to check out the courtyard shops.

And not open yet, but somehting to watch for: https://dailynewshungary.com/150-year-old-budapest-cafe-reopens/

Thanks for the suggestions.

I went to the New York Cafe when visiting Budapest last year. There was a small lineup to get in and the place was packed. I would say it is definitely worth visiting once because it's such a beautiful space, despite being full of tourists. I found Cafe Gerbaud to be more to my liking however.

There’s no wrong answer here as far as visiting.

But to be honest, I don’t think it’s the sort of place you go to sit and answer emails. It’s the sort of place you go to sit and be amazed at the sheer decadence and beauty. I’m glad I went. And yes, while there are people taking photos (I mean, it’s hard to go and NOT take pictures), it is not a “land of only influencers”. But I tend to agree with GregW that Cafe Gerbaud is a smaller bite of beauty and history. I have also only been once there, but will go back (probably in October) to sit inside the next time. Both are meant for enjoying the ambiance (and food).

I am also mostly a solo traveler so I understand that sometimes people want to use their time while at a table alone - but I think both of those are made for being in the moment. If you just want a place with good coffee, WiFi, and where locals come to have coffee and work, try a Madal. Not historical or fancy - but very local with very good coffee.

Edit: the answer to your title question - its is both hype AND history.

But to be honest, I don’t think it’s the sort of place you go to sit and answer emails.

I'm not the type of person to just be on the phone when enjoying a new café or restaurant. I think my post may have been interpreted the wrong way. I agree the whole point of visiting is to enjoy the ambience, but I do take these moments of pause when traveling to check-in via text with family or to respond to some emails given time zone.
And photos, I'm sure I will be taking a few. But I am not an influencer, and I've been to places where most tables around me where with people posing and filming and taking pictures and barely touching their food.

I guess I'll plan to walk by and make a decision based on size of the line. Lots of other great options here to try as well.

Thanks all!

I guess I'll plan to walk by and make a decision based on size of the
line.

Not sure i would do that on your schedule (wrong way). And this is a place that works best if you are drawn to it for inexplicable reasons.

I like the walk by and make a decision at the time plan. Café Gerbeaud is also nice and a good backup. It was fairly quiet when I was there.

We went to the New York Cafe on Sunday, May 24.

We had just arrived in Budapest. After checking in, I asked the front desk manager for a suggestion. He recommended Mensa. We walked over and checked out the menu and found it a bit pricey.

Since we were not really hungry, we decided to keep walking to check out the New York Cafe, which I had planned to have at least coffee. It was 6pm and there was a line-up of about 10 people. As soon as I stuck my head in the door, I knew we would have to stay. The line-up moved quickly, even though the place looked packed. We got a table without a reservation in about 5 minutes. I suspect that most people just pop in for a quick drink and to take photos.

We stayed about 90 minutes for dinner. The food is pricey and there is a 15% service charge. We ordered rakottburgonya baconnal es sajttal and paprikas csirke, hazi gulasksval es tejfolos uborka salataval. A slice of bread with a pat of butter was €3.5. We shared a carafe of lemonade. Total was Ft33,810 or about CAD$152. We were too full to order dessert.

During our visit, I explored the Cafe and took a lot of photos. To use the restroom, you have to walk the full length of the Cafe anyways so I just took shots along the way. It is a beautiful place. After dinner, we got another couple to take our photos near the stairs at the front and we reciprocated.

Afterwards, we walked to the nearby TimeOut Budapest to check it out for a possible lunch or dinner. It is a pretty bougie place with prices that rivaled the Cafe New York. What surprised me was that at about 8:00 p.m., there were hardly any diners. It was nothing like the TimeOut in Lisbon which was always packed. We decided that we would not bother to come back.

@funpig - thanks for sharing. Glad you enjoyed your time there and with minimal wait. But that is a pricey dinner!

funpig, I have enjoyed the posts about your trip. I wish more memebers took the time to do what you are doing; the good, the bad and the ugly. If folks know what to expect and craft a trip that concentrates on what they enjoy then they go home with better memories. You are helping with that.

You are correct about the prices at TimeOut. If anyone is interested here is a menu: https://qrco.de/bgQqkP Take the number x 3 and round up a bit for dollars. For Budapest those are a tad on the high side. But some folks pay it for anything associated with Michelin. I go there from time to time just to get away from the tourists and there are a few shops in the area that I like. The number of people there varies widely. But its more of a lunch to 6 or 7 sort of place than an evening dinner place. And few tourists because of the location.

Thank you again.

@Joy

I found Budapest to be quite expensive. It was our last 5 night stay before going home.

Perhaps, it was unreasonable expectations on my part. I found Bratislava to be really cheap, a noticeable 30% difference from Vienna. And while we were waiting for our train for Budapest, I had a conversation with a Hungarian engineer working in Slovakia. He told me that Budapest would be even cheaper than than Bratislava. However, the New York Cafe on the first night kind of set the price standard for the rest of the 5 night stay.

Another reason may be purely psychological because of the Hungarian florets currency. Every time I looked at prices that were in the thousands, it just felt expensive, regardless of the mental math.

I spoke with a local Hungarian lady while having breakfast at a bakery cafe. She said that Hungary, and especially Budapest, has been hit with high inflation in the last few years.

Of course, it did not help that we kept sitting at outdoor cafes with great views of the touristy attractions. LOL. With the heat wave last week, we could not bother to look for out-of-the-way cheap eats. We just wanted to find a seat under shade with cold drinks or dessert ASAP. LOL.

Our cheapest meal near the Oktagon was on our last night at the Star Kebab Grill Turkish Restaurant. Ft5,600 for two tortilla doners and two soft drinks. There were always dozens of good cheap doner places in every city that we visited during our 3 week trip.

funpig - I've been reading more and more about how Budapest's prices have increased in the last few years. I feel it for the locals who bare the brunt of the inflation.

The news is a bit old, but sells advertising. Hungary had two very bad years of inflation (2022 and 2023) but so did the EU those two years, Hungary was just a bit worse, and it did close the gap with the EU average a little bit. But my perception is not even by half. We have been down to 3 to 5% annual since. This year is predicted to be very good thanks to new EU money coming in.

Hungary is on the forint but as an EU member state most everything that happens is tied to the Euro, so when the US to Euro exchange rate goes to pot, so does the US to Forint exchange rate. So, this year you are paying here and across the EU about 15% more than a year ago.

Is Hungary cheap or expensive compared to Western Europe?

Well, two popular tourist entry tickets are not cheap; the Parliament and the Great Synagogue each approaching $50 a ticket (and still selling out). Beyond that most stuff is free, less expensive or no more expensive than anywhere in the EU. Hungary’s Matthias Church is about 9€ to enter, the Basilica is 9€ to about 20€, while Vienna’s St Stephens is 29€. I dont know how representative that is, I just picked a few at random. Most of the museums about 10€ to enter. But beyond that, since I have a well-deserved reputation for being a bit biased, I suggest you maybe ask AI for comparisons between Budapest and other European destinations, then follow that up with some research.

Here are some interesting sources on the subject for many European destinations.

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/travel-money/guides/city-costs-barometer Click to see the full report. Its interesting. If you are over 65, then Budapest moves up to number 11.

https://nxvoytrips.ai/destination/cost-of-travel-per-day-europe

https://radicalstorage.com/travel/is-budapest-expensive/

If you want to SEE the New York Cafe, then by all means, go. I've been once, and that was enough. The service isn't great, the food/coffee is over priced, and isn't ask good as you'd want it to be. The interior of the cafe is quite breathtaking, but the overall experience isn't exceptional.

If you want character, and a really Hungarian experience, try Művész Kávéház, which Mr. E recommended above. (get the sour cherry cake) Café Gerbeaud is a Budapest staple, as is Auguszt. All offer a better product than the New York Cafe.

If you're looking for a good cappuccino, 9BAR makes a great one.

If you want character, and a really Hungarian experience, try Művész Kávéház, which Mr. E recommended above. (get the sour cherry cake) Café Gerbeaud is a Budapest staple, as is Auguszt. All offer a better product than the New York Cafe.

Thanks for the recommendations, Christy.

CHRISTY! I missed you! Do a trip report on your last one!

For beauty and history the NY Café. But you have to read some of the stories first, including the names of the people that used to frequent the place and of ourse the story of the keys. I once met the supposed grandson of the key tosser.

For easy and memorable sterotype of the genre and great bites its Café Gerbeaud.

For a little more relaxed with fewer tourists, but still old world atmosphere and great bites, Auguszt Cukrászda Belváros

For close to the original concept ... at least in appearance ... try Central Grand Café. The seats outside are the nicest of all the ones that I know.

For a new place with a good enough connection to the psst to carry it forward, its the Zsolnay Kávéház in the Radison Hotel. Maybe my favorite just to relax "in Budapest".