Velvet Bar & Café brings day-to-night elegance to Budapest’s Al Habtoor Palace

Budapest’s social scene gains a new jewel this October with the opening of Velvet Bar & Café at Al Habtoor Palace Budapest. Blending the charm of the city’s café heritage with a glamorous evening cocktail experience, Velvet offers two distinct atmospheres under one luxurious roof.

A day-night transformation at Velvet Bar & Café

By day, guests are welcomed into an elegant café and patisserie, where the menu features speciality coffees, refined teas, delicate French-inspired macarons and a rotating Daily Art of Cake Trio. Savoury selections, including beef sliders, foie gras salted caramel bonbons, and salmon tartare, bring a gourmet edge to midday meetings and leisurely catch-ups.

As twilight falls, Velvet undergoes a transformation. The pace quickens, the lights lower, and the space becomes a chic cocktail destination with live jazz or curated DJ sets. The bar’s signature feature is its exceptional vermouth collection, sourced from Italy, France, Spain, and beyond. Available neat, on the rocks, or within imaginative house cocktails, the vermouth selection anchors an evening programme designed for celebratory gatherings and sophisticated nights out.

Among the standout signature serves are The Velvet, combining Red Riserva Vermouth with Cherry Pálinka and bitters; Adria, a sparkling fusion of sloe gin, rosso vermouth, blackberry, and prosecco; Palace, an elegant mix of port, red vermouth, elderflower, and tonic; and Bee, a refreshing alcohol-free creation with Tanqueray 0%, honey, elderflower tonic, and non-alcoholic vermouth. Each tells a story inspired by the palace’s history and the art of modern mixology.