Coffee House Culture in Budapest

It’s freezing cold outside and snowing, you practically burst through the door to get inside, where it’s toasty warm and all is congenial; you shake off the cold and take off jackets and hats, gloves and scarves. And there, waiting, before you, is the friend you’ve come to see - they got there a few minutes earlier. You kiss on both cheeks and shake hands too, then slide into opulent chairs or deep, welcoming booths. Does friendship ever seem more vital than when you meet in a 100 year old café in the heart of winter? More like the ‘staff of life’? I think not. Winter in Budapest? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Three classic ‘Grand Old Dames’ of Budapest café society are Café Gerbeaud, Café Centrál and the New York Café. And they each have a history which tells you something about the life of the city over the last 100 or so years. The oldest is Gerbeaud, which opened in 1858 and soon began to cultivate a reputation for its cream cakes and pastries – the only thing richer than the chandeliers which drip from the ceiling. It was one of the few institutions of its kind to stay open during the dreary and oppressive days of communism. Café Centrál meanwhile first opened its doors in 1887, and was a centre for the city’s intellectual life. The well known Hungarian journal Nyugat (West) got its start at a table in this café. Centrál was closed between between 1949 and 1999, when it reopened and fast became this writer’s favourite among the café classics. Last but not least, when the New York Insurance company built premises in Budapest’s 6^th district back in 1894, they installed a café on the ground floor. Hence, the New York Café. It was nationalised during the socialist era, and at one point was even used as a sporting goods store. Completely restored under the new ownership of a luxury hotel group, that seems hard to believe now. Remember to look up though, because cherubs frolic on painted ceilings above as you sip your coffee.

But I can’t leave out Liszt Ferenc tér, and my particular favourite among the strip of cafés and bars there, which is Café Vian. Well, I’ve been eating Croque Monsieur sandwiches off-and-on here for years. It may not have the long traditions of the classics, but sometimes it’s nice to take part in creating a tradition. Vian is a long room with a comfortable ambience and a nice place for people watching, every season of the year.

Take it from me, expats do like to moan, and you’ll sometimes hear them grumble about how service can occasionally be slow in such places. I suppose so, compared to the USA anyway. On the other hand, you’re not pressured to keep ordering something every five minutes. You can sit with a coffee and a friend – or alone with a book – for hours without being pressured to consume more. And long may things stay that way. Of course, if you are meeting with someone in any of the cafés mentioned, remember there’s something you should bring to the table. Good conversation!

by Scott Alexander Young