PHOTOS: Budapest’s most beautiful historic cafés

Budapest is known for its stunning architecture and rich history, which can also be discovered in some long-established cafés. One of the city’s hidden gems are its historic cafés, offering a glimpse into the past while serving delicious coffee and food. In this article, we will take a tour in some of the most beautiful historic cafés in Budapest, showcasing the city’s unique blend of history and contemporary charm.

Get ready to be transported back in time as we explore the city’s most iconic coffee houses and their timeless beauty.

Café Gerbeaud

The coffee house on Vörösmarty Square was opened by Henrik Kugler in 1858. However, it was named after Emile Gerbeaud. Emile, a Swiss-born confectioner, took over the café from Kugler in the early 1880s. Gerbeaud is known for a number of patisserie innovations, perhaps the most famous of them being the cognac cherry bonbon, the so-called “macskanyelv” (a milk chocolate shaped like a cat’s tongue) and the Gerbeaud cake (in Hungarian: zserbó). The café, which turns 165 years old this year, was even named one of Europe’s best historic cafés by The Telegraph in 2017.

Photo: facebook.com/GerbeaudCafe

Zserbó slice
Photo: facebook.com/GerbeaudCafe

New York Café

Opened in 1894, this café was even reported by CNN a few years ago as one of the most beautiful cafés in the world, where you feel like you’re entering “the Hungarian equivalent to the Sistine Chapel.” The Renaissance-style café, which is still very popular today, had its golden age in the 20th century. It was a popular meeting point for many artists, and almost all the famous writers and poets of the time visited the café. In addition, the editors of some of the most influential newspapers of the time worked on the second floor of the building.

New York Café
Photo: facebook.com/NewYorkCafeBudapest

Photo: facebook.com/NewYorkCafeBudapest

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Central Café

The Central Café opened in 1887. At its peak, it was considered an important intellectual centre. In the 20th century, the café served as the writers’ hangout of the most influential journal of Hungarian literature, “Nyugat”. Thus, the café’s regular visitors included many of the 20th century’s best-known Hungarian literary figures.

Centrál Grand Cafe & Bar 1887
Source: facebook.com/centralgrandcafe

Source: facebook.com/centralgrandcafe

Művész Café

The elegant Művész Café was opened in 1898. The café can be found in the building once known as the Szenes Palace, built in 1884 in neo-Renaissance style. The café has been a popular meeting point for artists almost from the beginning. Furthermore, according to the café’s website, some Hungarian celebrities also like to stop by for a cake or a coffee.

Művész Café
Photo: facebook.com/Muvesz.Kavehazak

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Source: gerbeaud.hu, telegraph.co.uk, cnn.com, centralgrandcafe.hu, muveszkavehaz.com