Best for
Photography fans, anyone wanting a classic Budapest coffeehouse experience once
Time needed
45-60 minutes
Worth it?
Yes, once — genuinely one of the most striking café interiors in Europe
Skip if
You want good-value coffee — this is priced for the room, not the beverage
About New York Café
The New York Café opened in 1894 on the ground floor of the New York Palace, built as the European headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company — a piece of American capital investing conspicuously in fin-de-siècle Budapest's growing confidence as a European capital. Architect Alajos Hauszmann designed an eclectic Italian Renaissance interior loaded with gilded stucco, frescoed ceilings, marble columns and elaborate chandeliers, intended from the start to impress rather than merely serve coffee.
It quickly became the favoured meeting spot of Budapest's literary and journalistic scene in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — a number of influential Hungarian literary journals and circles were effectively founded or edited from its tables, and popular legend holds that on opening night, writer Ferenc Molnár symbolically threw the café's key into the Danube to ensure it would never close.
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The building suffered badly through WWII, the communist era (when it operated for a time as a sports equipment shop, of all things) and general post-war decline, but a major restoration beginning in 2001 and completed in 2006 returned the interior to something close to its original opulence, reopening under new ownership as part of what's now the Anantara New York Palace Hotel.
It's unapologetically touristy today — expect higher prices than a typical Budapest café and a steady flow of visitors primarily there for photos rather than a leisurely coffee — but the interior genuinely earns its reputation, and going once, even just for a coffee and cake, is a reasonable way to experience it without committing to a full meal.
What to See: Highlights
- 1Italian Renaissance interior once called 'the most beautiful café in the world'
- 2Built in 1894 as part of the New York Life Insurance Company's European HQ
- 3Historic meeting place for Budapest's literary and journalistic elite
- 4Fully restored 2001-2006 to its original opulence
- 5Gilded stucco, frescoes and marble throughout
- 6Now part of the Anantara New York Palace Hotel
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Insider Tips
Go for coffee and cake rather than a full meal to keep costs reasonable
Expect a queue, especially at peak breakfast and afternoon hours
Reservations are accepted and reduce wait time significantly
It's touristy and priced accordingly — go for the room, not the coffee quality
Combine with a walk along the surrounding Grand Boulevard (Nagykörút)
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Getting There
Erzsébet körút 9-11, 1073 Budapest
Open in Google Maps →- 1Tram 4 or 6 (Grand Boulevard line) to Wesselényi utca, right outside. Metro M2 to Blaha Lujza tér is also a short walk.
Where to stay
Hotels in Budapest
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before you visit.
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Should You Visit?
Visit if...
- You want to see one of Europe's most ornately decorated café interiors
- You're interested in Budapest's literary history
- You don't mind paying a premium for the setting
- You're near the Grand Boulevard or Jewish Quarter anyway
Skip if...
- You're looking for an authentic, affordable local coffee spot
- You dislike crowded, tourist-heavy venues
- You've already experienced a similarly grand Budapest interior (Gerbeaud, the Opera House) and don't need another
Ready to Book Your Visit?
More to See in Budapest
Andrássy Avenue
Budapest's grand 2.5km boulevard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site — Neo-Renaissance mansions, the Opera House, House of Terror and Heroes' Square, all strung along one straight line.
Hungarian State Opera House
A gilded Neo-Renaissance opera house from 1884, considered acoustically among the best in Europe — visit on a guided tour, or better, catch an actual performance for a fraction of Vienna or London prices.
Gerbeaud Café, Vörösmarty Square
Budapest's most historic coffeehouse, open since 1858 on the city's grandest square — Empress Sisi's favourite, still serving the same style of elaborate Central European cakes today.