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One of Budapest’s oldest cafés to reopen: Historic 150-year-old venue returns after 2020 closure
Budapest’s Múzeum Café, located at the corner of Bródy Sándor Street and Múzeum Boulevard in the city centre, is set to reopen in spring 2026. The iconic café will be leased for 15 years by CNTRL Ltd., part of the Eventrend Group, which operates several prestigious hospitality venues in Budapest. The company’s portfolio includes the Gundel Restaurant and Café, Centrál Café, and the New York Café, ensuring that experience will not be lacking at the revived location.
A 150-year history
The café’s origins date back to 1876 when it first opened as Schodl Café. Within a few years, it became known as Múzeum Café, named after the nearby Hungarian National Museum, according to ÉnBudapestem. The café quickly became a central hub of Budapest’s cultural life, hosting literary evenings, press events, public gatherings, chess tournaments, and political demonstrations. Over the decades, many famous Hungarian writers and poets, including Gyula Krúdy, Attila József, Zsigmond Móricz, and Gyula Illyés, were regular patrons.
Closure in 2020
Throughout its 150-year history, Múzeum Café changed ownership several times, and the COVID-19 pandemic forced its closure in 2020. According to Józsefváros Újság, the long-vacant building was put up for lease by the Józsefváros Municipality in February 2025. The tender specified that the space should operate solely as a hospitality venue (whether as a restaurant, café, or patisserie) and that the café’s historic atmosphere should be preserved.
