Hannah Tan checks into the Belle Epoque gem Anantara New York Palace Budapest for a stay that’s fit for royalty.
The New York Café in Budapest is often called “the most beautiful café in the world” and, remarkably, it lives up to the title. The moment you step inside, it’s easy to see why. Marble columns soar towards frescoed ceilings, crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow across gilded balconies and every corner feels impossibly ornate.
But while the New York Café has become one of Budapest’s most photographed attractions, there’s far more to it than its Instagram-worthy interiors.
At the turn of the twentieth century, this was the city’s literary and cultural heart. Writers, poets, editors and artists gathered beneath these chandeliers, with many of Hungary’s most influential newspapers edited from the galleries above. Following the Second World War, the café fell into decline before undergoing an extensive restoration and reopening in 2006, returning it to the splendour that made it famous. Today, visitors queue around the block to experience it for themselves.
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Anantara New York Palace – Budapest’s Most Beautiful Café
Dinner here feels every bit as theatrical as the setting.
Led by Executive Chef Zoltán Szűcs, the menu celebrates Hungarian and European culinary traditions, blending classic recipes with contemporary techniques. Being a guest of Anantara New York Palace Budapest meant we could skip the queue and dine in the White Salon, the second floor of the New York Café which offers incredible views of all its architectural grandeur. We started with a rich Hungarian goulash soup, filled with tender beef, noodles and warming paprika, alongside grilled foie gras served with apple, celery and salted almonds.
For mains, the venison loin with Jerusalem artichoke, parsley root and sage-gooseberry jus was beautifully balanced, showcasing seasonal ingredients and Hungarian flavours at their finest. The veal osso bucco, braised in red wine and served with mashed potatoes and plum compote, offered a more comforting choice, the fruit adding a subtle sweetness to the deeply savoury dish.
Dessert was equally memorable. A delicate rice pudding with sour cherry delivered a refined take on a childhood classic, while a Hungarian farm cheese trio offered a final taste of the region before the evening drew to a close.
Naturally, we finished with glasses of Tokaji. Hungary’s most famous wine felt like the perfect accompaniment to such a historic setting, allowing us to linger a little longer beneath the chandeliers that have watched over generations of Budapest’s creative minds.
The Grandeur of Anantara New York Palace Budapest
The New York Café may be the star of the show, but the Anantara New York Palace Budapest deserves plenty of attention in its own right.
Housed within the magnificent New York Palace building, the hotel is an architectural love letter to Budapest’s Belle Époque era. Opened in 1894 in eclectic Italian Renaissance style, its grand marble façade and ornate clock tower remain among the city’s most recognisable landmarks.
While the rooms offer all the comforts you’d expect from a luxury city hotel – marble bathrooms, plush furnishings and elegant city views – it’s the wellness offering that reminds you you’re staying with Anantara. The brand has built a loyal following around its exceptional spas, and the Anantara Spa Budapest more than lives up to that reputation.
Hidden beneath the historic grandeur above, the spa feels like a cocoon of calm. A network of cave-like wellness spaces leads guests through saunas, steam rooms and experience showers, while a softly lit relaxation pool invites you to slow down and switch off entirely. Signature treatments draw inspiration from Hungary’s famous thermal bathing culture, harnessing the healing properties of the country’s mineral-rich waters in rituals designed to restore both body and mind.
After a day spent navigating Budapest’s bustling streets, exploring the nearby Jewish Quarter or admiring the city’s architectural treasures, there’s something wonderfully restorative about retreating underground to this peaceful sanctuary before returning upstairs for dinner beneath the chandeliers of the New York Café.
There are few hotels where the destination itself becomes part of the experience. At Anantara New York Palace Budapest, you’re not simply staying in Budapest – you’re staying inside one of its most treasured landmarks.
All images from Anantara New York Palace Budapest via Minor Hotels. Visit anantara.com for more information.
