Here’s a polished version of your review that keeps your strong criticism while making it more natural and impactful:
What a disappointing experience! This is certainly a must-see spot in Budapest for its stunning architecture and breathtaking interior. Given its popularity, we booked weeks in advance to avoid the long lines.
We had already heard that the food might not be the highlight, but we were still shocked by just how poor it was. The service was even more disappointing. From the moment we arrived until we paid the bill, I barely saw a single smile from any of the staff. The only somewhat friendly interaction came from the server who brought our drinks, and even her smile seemed more apologetic than welcoming, as if she felt sorry that we were dining there.
The three dishes we ordered were extremely underwhelming, especially considering the prices. The salad was so basic it looked like something I could prepare in seconds. The foie gras was overly fatty, sitting in a pool of rendered fat, and it was served disappointingly cold. The duck was the best of the three dishes, but it was still nothing memorable.
In the end, we absolutely loved the spectacular décor, but the food and service were among the worst we’ve experienced during our travels. If you’re visiting, come for the architecture and atmosphere—but skip the dining.
We visited the New York Café in Budapest after seeing it from the hop-on hop-off bus and being impressed by the photos and reputation. The place is indeed very beautiful, with stunning interior design and a luxurious atmosphere. At first, everything felt special and exciting.
However, the service was very disappointing. We waited about 15 minutes to get a table, and then around 20 minutes before anyone came to take our order. We ordered two lungo coffees and one pancake. The pancake arrived after another 20 minutes, but the coffees were still missing. We had to ask multiple times about them, and the answer was simply that there were “too many coffee orders” and we just had to wait, without any apology or explanation.
In total, we spent almost one and a half hours there just for two coffees and one pancake. We also had to go to the counter ourselves to ask for the bill because nobody came.
The total price was around 42 euros, including service charge, which felt high considering the poor level of service. Even the restrooms were not clean, which was disappointing for such a famous and expensive place.
Overall, the café is worth visiting for its interior and photos, but the service and organization did not meet expectations.
An absolutely perfect dining experience. The breathtaking interior design of New York Café is a masterpiece, with every detail exuding history and luxury. I ordered the classic hot chocolate and a selection of cakes; both the presentation and the taste were top-notch. The staff were highly professional and welcoming. Enjoying great music and food inside such an iconic, historic building is definitely one of the most unforgettable highlights of my trip. Well deserving of a 5-star review! 👍
We had an outstanding experience at the New York Café in Budapest, and a big part of that was thanks to our server, Noémi. From the moment we arrived, she was warm, professional, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. Despite how busy the café was, she made us feel like valued guests and ensured everything was perfect throughout our visit.
The New York Café itself is absolutely breathtaking, but exceptional service can make or break an experience, and Noémi truly elevated ours. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and always one step ahead of our needs without ever being intrusive.
Thank you, Noémi, for helping make our visit to one of Budapest’s most iconic cafés so memorable. We would happily return and highly recommend both the café and Noémi’s excellent service to anyone visiting Budapest.We had an outstanding experience at the New York Café in Budapest, and a big part of that was thanks to our server, Noémi.
I visited New Yorker Cafe recently and left with mixed feelings about the experience.
On the positive side, the interior of the cafe is absolutely beautiful. The design, atmosphere, and overall ambiance create a very pleasant environment, making it a nice place to relax and enjoy a meal or dessert. The decor is stylish and inviting, and it's clear that a lot of thought has gone into the appearance of the cafe.
Unfortunately, the service and seating arrangements did not meet my expectations. We were seated directly in front of the restroom, which was quite disappointing and affected our dining experience. Because of this, I would strongly recommend making a reservation before visiting, as it may increase your chances of getting a better table.
Another issue was with our order. Our dessert arrived before our drinks, which felt unorganized. To make matters worse, no forks were provided with the dessert, so we couldn't even start eating right away. We had to wait and ask for basic utensils that should have been brought automatically.
While the beautiful interior left a positive impression, the seating choice and lack of attention to service details took away from the overall experience. I hope the cafe improves these aspects, as it has the potential to offer a much better customer experience.
A truly unforgettable experience in one of the most beautiful cafés in the world. The interior is absolutely breathtaking, with stunning architecture, elegant decorations, chandeliers, and an atmosphere that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into another era.
The food and drinks were very enjoyable, beautifully presented, and matched the luxurious setting. Everything felt refined and carefully prepared, making the visit feel special from start to finish.
The café can be busy because of its popularity, but the experience is worth it for the incredible atmosphere and unique setting. It’s not just a place to eat or drink coffee — it’s one of those places you visit for the entire experience.
A must-visit spot in Budapest, especially if you appreciate history, architecture, and elegant cafés. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip.
The New York Café is honestly just as beautiful in person as it is in all the pictures. The building and décor are absolutely stunning and it’s easy to see why it’s such a famous spot in Budapest.
The service was good, but it’s quite expensive for what you get. You’re really paying for the atmosphere and the experience more than the food itself. Coffees can easily be $15–$20 and most dishes aren’t cheap either.
It felt like a lot of people were there mainly to take pictures, and I can’t blame them because the place is gorgeous. It’s almost like one giant photo opportunity. Everywhere you look there’s something beautiful to see.
Overall, I think it’s definitely worth visiting at least once because it’s such an iconic place and the setting is incredible. Just be prepared for it to take a noticeable hit on your wallet, as it’s definitely on the expensive side.
Do not patronize the New York Café in Budapest. Though it is beautiful, just go in and look and/or take a picture. But, do not give them your money. The food is okay, nothing outstanding. The service is atrocious. The servers do not want to be there, and could care less if you are. No matter the cost of your meal—and it is expensive—their policy is that you can not get a glass of water. You must buy a bottle of water or order a drink. The tap water in Budapest is excellent, there is no reason for this. We love Budapest and the Hungarian people; this place represents neither except in architecture. Go have a coffee at the Hotel Párisi Udvar or an amazing pastry at the beautiful Café Gerbeaud.
A “yin-yang” experience.
I went to New York cafe, first for the notoriety, and then to taste "that real dobos", which I had heard that only there you can find. I knew the prices were high, but I thought the experience was worth it. It wasn't worth it. Apart from the absolutely fabulous interior, which takes you back in time, giving you the feeling of being in a real palace and the romantic ambiance created by the live music, the rest is extremely commercial. The dobos I dreamed of was tiny and tasted totally ordinary (like any industrial confectionery). The coffee was good, but with too much whipped cream (from a tube) on top. Although I ordered the package with dobos, New York coffee and a glass of homemade soda, I only received a banal glass of water. The service was like in a cafeteria: very cold. A service charge was automatically added to my bill, but when I wanted to pay I was also asked how much I wanted to tip.
I will definitely not come back here and I will not recommend it to my friends.
Beautiful inside (similar to European theaters/operas) for that I give one star. Nice music, pianists was great. BUT the service is disaster. I had to go to them if I wanted something lol. First you wait in queue outside that is artificial because there are empty chairs inside without guests. We waited for wine and drink 20 minutes for price that is ridiculous. Then nobody came for 1 hour to ask if everything ok and you see waiter chef just stand behind desk with mobile phone. If you want to pay you have to go to them and tell them. After all this they charge you service fee for service that in reality does not exist. It is tourist trap, I recommend you to go inside take picture and leave for another better place for drinks/coffee where they care about customers
I didn't expect the food to be great, seeing that the NY Cafe is such a tourist destination, but it wasn't even good. It was obvious that my pasta had been sitting for a while before being brought to my table. It had very little flavor (had to douse it in the shakable plain white salt & pepper provided - not even table grinders). The timing of the food delivery was off...bringing bread/butter after I've eaten my pasta. (Bread is not dessert.) The staff was equally bland at best - displaying no genuine interest in my well being. I was made to wait to be seated when there were several empty tables. The live classical instrumental ensemble and piano were lovely to listen to but the music selections were pop or broadway - why not classical? That too was not my cup-o-tea. The space is beautiful, no doubt, but that's all. For what they charge, they could do a lot better. It's a shame they don't. If you enjoy being completely ripped off in gorgeous surroundings, visit the Dohany Street Synagogue and visit the NY Cafe afterwards. Or skip both, view some of the numerous videos posted by others, and spend your hard earned money elsewhere where you are appreciated and provided with fare worthy of the human palate.
Restaurant building interior itself is really wealthy-looking and brilliant, however my expectations were different from what we got there.
The place is really overly crowded, chaotic and noisy in the evening, you can not even hear the music well, because there are so many tables very close to each other and so many people talking around. The inventory like tables or dishes' closets seem lower quality and are absolutely left out of the interior style.
Due to many customers - service is very slow, it took almost half an hour to only take the order and another 30 mins to serve them. Food was ok, I liked the Duck steak, but not that much the risotto with salmon. Pistachio and Coconut desserts were definitely two of the most delicious desserts I have eaten because of their rich and intense flavours. I would eat them again in the future.
Prices are acceptable, not very expensive.
Overall this place has a potential to be a high class fine dining restaurant, however currently I have a feeling that it's more targeted to the mass-customers and they don't really care much about the exclusivity or upscale, high-spending visitors. This is their strategy now. But for me personally, I could not get as much pleasure as I expected with the interior, because of the situation that I have explained above. Besides, I see that they answer every lower-rating review with the comment that they're sorry, but they don't seem to be doing anything to improve the situation
Made the walk from the Danube - a short wait and led to a table.
The place is gorgeous.
LOT’S of staff.
Loved the pianist.
I decided on a mojito, a bottle of still water and the pierogie like skillet . . . and then I waited.
I watched the stylish older couple share an ice cream drink, I kind of smirked as he studied his receipt and questioned the patient server.
He produced his visa and waited as his date went to use the wash room.
She finally returned and they headed out, the pianist finished and took a break . The table crew came and bussed the table.
I watched the three servers just 12 feet from me as they chatted - I tried to catch their eye but yeah - no.
After :25 min, I walked out.
I got the pic, I guess I didn’t have to be subjected to the bill . . . the good news is there are dozens of restaurants surrounding the New York Cafe that will serve you in a blink.
I rarely give a negative review but honestly, I’d peek inside and spend your money where it will be valued.
The atmosphere was beautiful, and the musicians were excellent, especially the older gentleman -an incredibly talented professional. As for the food, it was decent but nothing particularly special. The coffee was delicious, and so was the cocktail. We tried the Piña Colada and really enjoyed it
Stunning surroundings but terrible service. We waited in line for about 20 minutes which was fine. Once we were to the front of the line, there was a sign indicating that no food apart from dessert would be served between 11 and 12 PM. Once again, that was fine. We were happy to settle for a coffee and a cocktail and then go find lunch elsewhere. Once we were seated, the waiter took our order. 30 minutes later neither the basic coffee that my wife had ordered nor the cocktail that I had ordered had been delivered. We left. Again, the room is gorgeous but, with service like that, I don’t recommend going.
It’s a stunning place in terms of decor, but absolutely not worth the money. The prices are insultingly high, tables are too close too each other (the couple whose table was next to ours could have easily joined in on our conversation), it’s noisy because too many people are cramped in (which doesn’t make it much of a nice experience) and the service is quite poor.
There are other stunning and peaceful cafes all over Budapest with views of the river or some historic sight, normal prices and amazing coffee. I wouldn’t recommend this place - it’s a just a very nice looking tourist trap.
it is a very popular cafe in the Budapest, but I do not recommend you to go if you do not have enough money or free time. first of all, the waiting period was very long, about 30 minutes if there are no too many people waiting in line. secondly, the service is terrible when you compare it to the price that you have to pay for the food or the drinks. the waiter misunderstood our instructions and bringing us the wrong food for 2 times continuously. and also the serving period was really long. We sit there for about 20 minutes without any waiter to serve us, and after we placed our orders, we didn't receive our food for half an hour after our repeated request that we would like our serving to come up faster. and basically, there was no serving the waiter and waitresses just bring the plates and knives and forks to your table without any introduction of the food, without any correct allocation of the food, without any arrangements of the dishes or the knives or forks. Generally, they just leave all the things to the customers themselves, and they did not do any service that is worth the 15 or 20% of service tax that they requested. and to be honest, the food was really just very, very ordinary without anything that stands out considering its relatively high price in Budapest, it's because I come from Paris and I think the prize already matches the middle upper class restaurants in Paris, however, their service and the quality of their food is really no match to any kind of restaurant in Paris. the only thing that can be praised is the scenery and the inter decoration of the cafe that is indeed very exquisite and beautiful. However, if you just come here for the view and the sizing, I recommend just to order a drink or a piece of cake and do not waste too much time in this spot. to keep my manners, I cannot use worse words to describe this place, but in general, I do not recommend anyone without enough money or free time to come here. Just it's just a theory, ordinary cafe, and if you have been to other western European cities and experience their service and their quality of food, you will surely be disappointed by this cafe.
Enjoyed this place a lot!!! Staff were polite from the beginning to the end, I got my order on time, and tiramisu was absolutely delicious. No words to describe about atmosphere. It’s a super place for artistic souls. Live music made everything even magical. I don’t understand 1star reviews about this place. It worths every amount to pay and enjoy your time. Thank you!!!
A beautiful piece of architecture., located in Anantara Hotel. An old New York Life Insurance headquarters for Europe. Stunning from inside. Be ready to wait in line for long before you get inside. But once you're in you won't feel like coming out.
Talking about food... their menu is quite expansive.
We were there for brunch & truly enjoyed it. Although the service was a bit on slower side.
Would i go again... definitely !!!
Also being a fan of Anantara hotels I would love to stay at this beautiful property next time.
