130-year-old New York Café Open at Night from March

Another milestone has been reached for the 130-year-old New York Café, which is considered to be the most beautiful café in the world. The iconic establishment on Erzsébet körút in Budapest will open nightly from March 1st, after a test run, and will offer a nightly menu: from Thursday to Sunday, from midnight, giving more people the opportunity to enjoy the Hungarian capital's iconic café.

A statement issued says the night-time opening will allow guests to avoid long waits and enjoy the magic of the café in a relaxed and exclusive atmosphere. The test run during the festive period was announced at the 130th anniversary event of the café, adding that if the public responds positively to this idea, night opening will become a regular feature from March onwards, in line with demand. The trial period has provided the answers to the questions raised, with guests happy to take up tables in the café after midnight.

Csaba Szabó, General Manager of New York Café and Eventrend Group partner, said that "experience has shown that the New York Café is a night-time venue for active evening activities, with the café being full mainly on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Guests preferred drinks rather than coffee, with so-called "snack" accompaniments, but were also keen on pastries. So, the night menu will be more of a drinks and cold food menu. Music is also an indispensable part of the atmosphere, this time the lounge, chill-out atmosphere was tried, but also a bit more rhythmic music was played, the audience opted for the latter. Accordingly, a bar pianist will be entertaining the audience during the night opening hours, playing faster-paced, enjoyable hits.

The café will be illuminated to match the night-time atmosphere and El Asmoday, the life-size figure of the torch-bearing demon on the façade, will also move in to be a favorite subject for photographs. Special selfie spots will also be designated, providing the perfect setting for memorable photos.

The legendary anecdote goes that when writer Ferenc Molnár opened the café, he wished the place would never close, so he threw the keys into the Danube. Now, 130 years later, this dream is once again being fulfilled with the opening of the café at night. Last November, the café celebrated its 130th anniversary with a special new mini-cake: guests can also ask for a creation made from a combination of apricot and chocolate flavors. The New York Café serves between 2,500 and 3,000 guests a day, which translates to over 1 million guests a year. This unprecedented challenge requires a huge amount of organization. The team at CER Ltd, part of the Eventrend Group, which operates the New York Café, is committed to carrying out this proud task with the utmost professionalism, the statement says.