The coffee house (kávéház) has a long history in Budapest. Coffee culture began around the time of the Turkish occupation in the 16th century and flourished under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. While many think of Paris and Vienna as the café capitals of the world, Budapest rivals them both with its cafes filled with talented writers, poets, and artists.
Though many were closed under communism, several of the historical cafes have been restored and are once again teeming with life. Ruszwurm, located in the historic Castle district of Buda, is the oldest operating café in the city. Its famous cakes and coffee even caught the attention of the Austrian Empress, Elizabeth, who supposedly had Ruszwurm cakes sent to her for breakfast. Centrál Kávéház is considered one of the grandest of the historical cafes and was once a center of intelligence, attracting writers, poets, editors, and artists. New ideas were discussed and many literary works were born here. The first classic coffee house to reopen after the fall of communism in 1989, Centrál has recaptured the feeling of grandeur. New York Café is probably the most elegant and glamorous of the historical coffee houses. After taking an American friend for coffee there, she said that, “having coffee at the New York Café is like having coffee in one of the ballrooms of Versailles.”
Historical coffee houses are not the only place in Budapest to experience the coffee culture. The Hungarian capital is filled with cafes and coffee houses to meet everyone’s personal taste. During warmer weather, many cafes open their outdoor terraces so you can sit and people watch while sipping your cup of coffee. Walking down any of Budapest’s pedestrian streets, you can find cafes filled with people, showcasing the vibrancy of the coffee culture.
Many times I would wander down these streets to see which café drew me in for the day. One spring day I sat in a small café near Corvinus University with other Hungarian students. As I typed away at my graduate thesis, I overheard the group of students next to me in deep discussion over the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. With a cigarette in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, they gave a Hemingway-esque appearance of writers and artists gathering to discuss ideas – a bygone era that’s perhaps not so bygone.
To learn more about coffee houses and visiting Budapest, visit the Hungarian National Tourist Office.
Just a few of my Budapest favorites:
Though many were closed under communism, several of the historical cafes have been restored and are once again teeming with life. Ruszwurm, located in the historic Castle district of Buda, is the oldest operating café in the city. Its famous cakes and coffee even caught the attention of the Austrian Empress, Elizabeth, who supposedly had Ruszwurm cakes sent to her for breakfast. Centrál Kávéház is considered one of the grandest of the historical cafes and was once a center of intelligence, attracting writers, poets, editors, and artists. New ideas were discussed and many literary works were born here. The first classic coffee house to reopen after the fall of communism in 1989, Centrál has recaptured the feeling of grandeur. New York Café is probably the most elegant and glamorous of the historical coffee houses. After taking an American friend for coffee there, she said that, “having coffee at the New York Café is like having coffee in one of the ballrooms of Versailles.”
Historical coffee houses are not the only place in Budapest to experience the coffee culture. The Hungarian capital is filled with cafes and coffee houses to meet everyone’s personal taste. During warmer weather, many cafes open their outdoor terraces so you can sit and people watch while sipping your cup of coffee. Walking down any of Budapest’s pedestrian streets, you can find cafes filled with people, showcasing the vibrancy of the coffee culture.
Many times I would wander down these streets to see which café drew me in for the day. One spring day I sat in a small café near Corvinus University with other Hungarian students. As I typed away at my graduate thesis, I overheard the group of students next to me in deep discussion over the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. With a cigarette in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, they gave a Hemingway-esque appearance of writers and artists gathering to discuss ideas – a bygone era that’s perhaps not so bygone.
To learn more about coffee houses and visiting Budapest, visit the Hungarian National Tourist Office.
Just a few of my Budapest favorites:
- People watching at one of Budapest’s many outdoor cafes
- Running the jogging paths of Margaret Island (Margitsziget)
- Dinner at Menza
- Drinking a glass of wine at the Fisherman’s Bastion overlooking the Parliament
- Eating pastries from Princesspek
- Night out at Budapest’s “ruin pubs“
As a child, the grand cafes of Budapest made me feel like an aristocrat from a bygone era. I could almost imagine the café filled with women in their dresses and bonnets and men sitting around discussing politics and philosophy. The cafes of Budapest are probably my favorite part of what the city offers.