Is the New York Cafe Budapest Worth It? (Full Review)

The New York Cafe Budapest is said to be the most beautiful cafe in the world, attracting tons of visitors every year. So as a lover of beautiful places who needs no excuse to say yes to a fancy coffee, I was, of course, dying to go when my husband and I visited Budapest in 2019.

But is the New York Cafe Budapest worth it? Did it live up to the hype?

Spoiler alert: No. Personally, I do not think the New York Cafe is worth visiting. It did not live up to the hype and, honestly, it’s not even that beautiful (especially if you get sat in the wrong section, more on that later!).

Below I’m sharing my full review of our New York Cafe Budapest breakfast experience and why I felt it was a let down. I’ll also include everything you need to know if you want to plan your own visit (but don’t say I didn’t warn you!).

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

A brief history of the Cafe New York Budapest

Opened in 1894 as part of the New York Palace, the New York Cafe Budapest was a hotspot for poets, artists, editors and writers in Budapest. Writers could take advantage of affordable meals, plus the provided paper and ink, to go along with their coffees.

From there the cafe changed hands, fell into disrepair during World War II, and was used as a sporting gear store, travel agency, and a place to sell horse meat!

Reopening in the 1950’s under the name Hungária Kávéház, the cafe once again found popularity with literary and cultural crowds.

Its fate was up in the air at the turn of the century, eventually being bought, renovated and reopened as a luxury cafe in 2006 by the Italian Boscolo Group. Today it’s known as a beautiful coffeehouse with a rich literary history.

New York Cafe Budapest logistics: Opening hours, location & reservations

If you’re visiting the New York Cafe in Budapest, here’s what you need to know:

• The cafe is open from 8:00am – 12:00am, 7 days a week
• It is centrally located here by the Jewish Quarter on the Pest side of Budapest, conveniently close to metro and other transit connections
• Reservations can only be made for dinner after 6:00pm. If you wish to visit the cafe from 8:00am – 6:00pm, it’s first come first served.

Please note, the information in this post is current as of March 2024. Please check with the cafe directly for the most up to date hours, pricing, etc. 

Besides the New York Cafe, check out 21 other things to do in Budapest! 

My New York Cafe review

Now that we’ve got the history and logistics out of the way, let’s dive into my New York Cafe Budapest review based on my experience at the cafe in October 2019.

Below I’ll detail my experience and give a rating of the cafe’s decor, service, menu and prices, and then my overall thoughts on whether it’s worth visiting.

New York Cafe Budapest decor: 3.5/5

Yes, the New York Cafe in Budapest is stunning. There’s really no debate there.

This place looks like Versailles with gold trim, ornate ceilings, beautiful detailing on the walls and fancy AF staircases. The setting is simply gorgeous!

But is it the most beautiful cafe in the world? I don’t know. I haven’t visited enough cafes to say for sure.

If you’re super into the opulent Versailles look then yes, you’ll be in love. But if that’s not your aesthetic, you might be less into the New York Cafe.

Personally, I’d prefer a cafe that is a little more charming – think a cozy ski chalet rather than a grandiose palace.

And, to be honest, I did find some of the decor elements underwhelming. The chairs felt cheap and the tables have a glass top with photos and stories underneath, like what you’d see at a diner.

I went to the bathroom expecting to be blown away but it seemed like an ordinary hotel bathroom to me. And don’t even get me started on the side room (more on that below).

So yes, it’s beautiful, but not every element is as gorgeous and luxurious as I had hoped. For a place that boasts about being the most beautiful cafe in the world, I expected better.

New York Cafe Budapest service: 3/5

Sadly, service is where the New York Cafe in Budapest lost a lot of points with me. Because I’m obsessed with travel planning and research, I had made us reservations for breakfast weeks in advance of our trip to Budapest in late October 2019.

Note: This was back when reservations for breakfast were allowed; now you can only make reservations for dinner after 6:00pm.

When we arrived, the foyer was full, mostly with people standing in line. It was very unclear whether we needed to line up or wait elsewhere since we had a reservation.

We noticed another couple show their reservation to a server, so we stood behind them. But still, it took a long time until someone came to talk to us. I understand that a popular restaurant gets busy, but I’m not sure why they didn’t have a more clear system in place.

Eventually we were seated in a room off the side of the main dining room. If your server tries the same with you, get out of there!

This room is a complete let-down. It’s not at all what the grand, gorgeous New York Cafe is supposed to be; it looks half dressed for bed compared to the main room’s ballgown attire.

We were shocked to be seated here, considering we had been promised – and made reservations for – the most beautiful cafe in the world.

As we mulled over the menu and fidgeted in our seats, two ladies were seated near us. Immediately, they too were unhappy with the room and one went to speak to the hostess.

She explained to the hostess that they had made a reservation and preferred to sit in the main dining room where there were tables available.

The hostess refused to move them, stating the free tables in the main dining room were reserved. Which doesn’t really make sense, considering these ladies also had a reservation! And so, the ladies left.

I considered following them out of the restaurant. On a normal day at your average restaurant, I wouldn’t really care where I got sat. I wouldn’t care about the decor and, having been a server myself, I would never ask to move tables.

But we had specifically made reservations at the New York Cafe because we wanted to sit in the main dining room, the one they advertise as being the most beautiful in the world. We knew we’d be paying premium prices, but we at least thought the decor would make up for it.

I didn’t want to pay $50 for breakfast to eat it in a bland room, especially when there were open tables in the other room. Plus, I was really turned off by how rude the hostess had been to the two ladies next to us.

So we spoke to our waiter and politely explained the situation. At that point, I was more than happy to cut our losses and follow our dining neighbours out the door.

But after chatting for a while, our server went to speak to a different host on our behalf and, to our surprise, we were moved to the main dining room.

Our new server, and every other person we interacted with after that, were all very nice. This part of Europe isn’t known for great customer service, so having a server not sneer at you is usually considered a win.

All in all, I’d say the service was okay but that one hostess definitely rubbed me the wrong way.

New York Cafe Budapest menu: 3/5

The New York Cafe in Budapest is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can also come for drinks, dessert or afternoon tea.

We opted for breakfast, but declined the pricy breakfast buffet (€30 per person in 2019, no longer on the menu in 2024). Instead we ordered the Italian breakfast (€24) and the pancakes (€12.50).

The Italian breakfast came with coffee, juice, a few pastries, a bowl of fruit salad and some jams. And it was…just fine.

The pastries were good but nothing to rave about. The drinks were small. And the fruit salad looked like it had been sitting out for a few days, as half the bowl was just fruit juices.

Colin’s three pancakes were served with mascarpone cheese and berries. They were delicious, but the downside was the quantity.

While three pancakes sounds like a lot, these pancakes were miniature – about the size of my palm. And they sure were stingy with the berries, putting only five on the plate.

Suffice to say, we were not overly impressed with the New York Cafe food (especially when you compare it to the prices!). We had just come off of two amazing breakfasts in Bratislava, so this really paled in comparison.

Nothing we ate was bad, but nothing was great either. And while the prices aren’t outrageous, they are a lot to pay for breakfast in Hungary – especially breakfast that isn’t even that good!

I can’t speak to the other items on the New York Cafe Budapest menu, but have read reviews about the lunch and dinner options also being unimpressive.

I have heard some rave reviews about the cakes and hot chocolate. So if I were to go back to the cafe, I think I would focus on the sweet snacks and leave the savoury stuff.

New York Cafe Budapest prices: 2/5

Unfortunately, the New York Cafe in Budapest isn’t going to win any points with me when it comes to price. Of course, we knew how much things were going to cost coming in. We had looked up the menu online, so there were no surprises.

You’re very obviously paying for the setting, not the food. But even still, I would expect more for what we paid.

In 2024 prices, the Italian breakfast (pastries, two drinks, fruit salad) was €24 and the pancakes were €12.50. And these were some of the cheapest items on the menu.

Dessert will set you back €11.50 per dish, snacks come in around €20, lunch and dinner main courses are between €23-36 and the afternoon tea for two is €72.50.

Are these the most expensive prices? Of course not. I’ve paid more for meals plenty of times.

However, I found the prices to be very high for what was offered and very high compared to regular food costs in Budapest. If I’m going to pay more for a meal, it better be a very good meal! And this one was not.

We tried to order strategically to get the most bang for our buck. For example, the Italian breakfast came with two drinks so we got one each. But we still felt unsatisfied and, frankly, hungry by the time we left.

Plus, there’s an automatic 15% service charge added to your bill, which I was not a fan of.

Even in North America, where tipping is customary, it’s uncommon to see an auto-gratuity billed for groups of less than six people.

But to do it to only two people in this part of Europe where tipping is not only rare but usually capped around 10%? That’s not cool. They do warn you about it in very tiny font on the menu, but it still didn’t feel nice paying it.

So we spent over $50 CAD on breakfast (2019 prices). Even if we had spent half that, I would have found it overpriced for what we got and the experience we had.

Overall New York Cafe Budapest review: 11.5/20

If you tally up the scores, I gave the New York Cafe Budapest an 11.5/20 (3.5/5 for decor, 3/5 for service, 3/5 for menu, 2/5 for price).

The decor is pretty, but it doesn’t blow you away. If you’re really expecting the most beautiful cafe in the world, I think you’ll be disappointed.

Plus, you could enjoy nicer decor at a nearby palace (Europe is lousy with them!) for probably a quarter of the price.

The service is hit or miss, but certainly has room for improvement. I understand that the hospitality service culture is different in Europe than in North America, and even more so in Eastern Europe, but in this setting with these prices (including the automatic gratuity!), every server should at least not be rude.

The food we ordered was mediocre and not much on the New York Cafe Budapest menu impressed me. Of course, I didn’t try everything but was disappointed by what I did get to try.

For the price and popularity of this place, they should be able to deliver higher quality meals.

And of course, that means the prices are extremely high for the food and experience you receive.

Like I said, I don’t find the New York Cafe Budapest prices to be astronomical at face value. But when you factor in the value of what you’re receiving for that price and compare it to local costs (even at other tourist restaurants), they are too high.

We didn’t wait in line since we had a reservation, but I’ve heard the wait can be very long. And now that reservations are only available for dinner, I can’t even imagine how unsatisfied I would feel if I had our experience and I had to wait for it.

Final thoughts: Is the New York Cafe Budapest worth it?

No, I don’t think the New York Cafe Budapest is worth it. (I think you saw that one coming!)

Of course, that’s just my opinion. I know people who have gone to the New York Cafe and totally raved about it. But to me, it’s not worth it.

My advice? Walk into the foyer of the New York Cafe Budapest to admire the decor and take a few photos, but then head elsewhere for your meal.

There are so many other things to do in Budapest, and great places to eat, that I wouldn’t waste your time here. Instead, explore Buda Castle, try out a thermal bath, visit museums and kick back at your accommodation in Budapest.

If you must try it, know what you’re in for. Make a reservation online if you don’t mind dining after 6:00pm, go halfsies with a friend on an overpriced dessert, and make sure to take some stunning photos for social media.

I’d love to know, have you been to the New York Cafe Budapest? Did you think it was worth it? If you haven’t been, do you think you would go now that you’ve read my review?

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