I visited the café dubbed 'most beautiful in the world' and queued 45 minutes for a drink

We had ticked off a morning of sightseeing and were ready for an upmarket pitstop in the warmth at the “most beautiful café in the world”: the New York Café in Budapest. The aesthetic building had garnered plenty of attention online, so it was only right to judge the spectacle for ourselves. Setting off from Heroes’ Square with cold fingers, we traced a route through residential streets to reach the New York Café in Budapest's city centre. Finding the café required no detective work, as long before we reached the corner of Grand Boulevard, the queue had already announced it.

Having scoured Google Reviews beforehand, we anticipated a queue, given that you can't book daytime bookings for the popular attraction. But our 11.30am arrival meant we were joined by hordes of fellow tourists who were also craving some late-morning luxury. My sister and I joined the queue with no idea that we'd be admiring the dramatic bulk of the cafe building for more than 40 minutes.

When our turn came, the rope lifted, and the city’s noise was traded for a different soundtrack. Inside, a cavernous hall opened in tiers of gold and cream.

High, frescoed ceilings, gleaming chandeliers, and ornate plasterwork were just as impressive as they seemed in the pictures, but most of this is reconstruction since the cafe fell into disrepair after WW2.

If you arrive expecting untouched 19th‑century surfaces, don't be fooled. The cafe is a largely theatrical restoration doing the job it was built to do—hosting a crowd.

Classical music drifted from a gallery; waiters in black waistcoats and white shirts slipped between tables with silver trays. It’s busy—very busy—and tables are assigned as soon as they free up, a quiet reminder not to linger. Even so, we claimed our corner and took a full 90 minutes to let the room unfold.

Phones were everywhere, but that is the reality of a global attraction, and the cameras keep it packed.

The menus here are more gala than grab-and-go. Hot chocolate costs around €11 (£9.50), cocktails €16 (£14), and a pistachio slice with a hot chocolate €25 (£22). I chose the 24‑carat gold hot chocolate—ironically, one of the cheaper options—while my sister went for the pistachio showpiece.

Service was brisk rather than attentive, understandable given the turnover, and drinks arrived swiftly with enough flourish to feel special.

The real attraction of this intricately decorated cafe is the Lugosi Salon Gipsy Band, who play for 15 minutes each hour between 11am and 5pm, with a pianist filling the interludes. We caught several short sets.

Those bursts of strings change the room, warming the marble and softening the clink of cutlery. For a few moments each hour, the café comes to life.

Our experience was an expensive couple of hours, and judged on flavour alone, it can feel underwhelming. Yet the experience is more than what’s in the cup.

You cannot replicate this atmosphere at a high‑street chain, and that is precisely what makes a visit worthwhile if you’re willing to spend. Its history remains impressive despite being a do-over of the authentic building.

The New York Palace opened on October 23, 1894. It is an eclectic Italian Renaissance landmark that still dominates the corner.

This city-centre hotspot reopened in 1954 under the name Hungária, but decades passed before a full revival. Only in 2006 was the New York Café restored to its former splendour and folded into the hotel that now houses the café, a restaurant and the Nyugat bar.

My advice is to time your visit early or in the late afternoon, as these times tend to be calmer; queues of 30–60 minutes are common at peaks. As for what to order, a dessert and a hot drink deliver most of the magic without ballooning the bill.