Dating back 132 years, the Centrál Café and Restaurant is one of the oldest coffeehouses in Budapest, protecting a prominent past but working with a progressive mindset. From early breakfast through late brunches and traditional Hungarian dishes with a twist, to dinner with live music and late cocktails on the terrace, Centrál Café entertains from morning until after dark. So no matter what time of day, Centrál is the way!
Ample sunshine floods Centrál’s grandiose interior all day through the huge windows that open in summer. At the onset of the 20th century, this roomy downtown locale was highly frequented by Hungary’s intellectual luminaries and a regular retreat for the editorial team of Nyugat, the most influential literary journal of the day. Now these prominent writers are memorialised with portraits decorating these classic wooden walls. The atmosphere of a glorious past still lingers, while Centrál sits right in the heart of buzzing Budapest. Visitors will be embraced by this splendid vintage vibe, facilitated with modern-day accoutrements.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, cakes and cocktails – Centrál Café and Restaurant satisfies no matter what time of day. You can start early with an avocado and salmon bagel (3,200 forints), French toast (2,400 forints) or a selection of pastries (1,950 forints). Lighter bites include chia pudding and granola, while if you’re up for a feast, the Perfect Day menu is a satisfying choice for two. On Saturdays and Sundays, Lazy Weekends await, when you can choose from a lengthy breakfast menu until as late as 3pm.
For lunch, mushroom paprikash (3,400 forints) is a great choice, served rethought bistro-style, but you can also opt for chicken leg with potato purée and cucumber salad, rosé duck breast with garganelli, gorgonzola, pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes or place your trust in the chef and choose the weekly changing lunch menu – available between noon and 3pm – comprising two courses for 2,450 forints and three for 2,990.
A range of delicate desserts is also offered, each treat made on the spot at Centrál’s own confectionery. Guests can try Hungarian delights such as Esterházy torte (a buttercream cake made with layers of walnut), Dobos torte (a caramel-topped sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream), Austrian Sacher cake or colourful French macarons. One of the house specialities is the Plumtree 'seven', named after renowned Hungarian poet Endre Ady, in which plum appears in seven different textures and form.
At dinnertime, live music often entertains, and the terrace is always the perfect spot to take in the street life while sipping a cocktail. An item or two from the amazing assortment of wines, mostly Hungarian, can also be the perfect accompaniment to any night out. Open daily between 8am and midnight, Centrál flies you back to the golden age of the Belle Époque while you’re sitting right in the heart of contemporary Budapest.
