Though the city’s stunning New York Cafe, once called the most beautiful coffee house in the world, is on most Budapest bucket lists, oftentimes there are long, winding queues outside, and grabbing a table takes some patience. But fewer people know that a separate restaurant is hiding on the café’s mezzanine floor, offering the same Belle-Époque splendour through marble and gilded surfaces, crystal chandeliers and quiet piano music. This is White Salon, where you can dine like royalty in a fuss-free atmosphere.
The New York Palace on Budapest’s Grand Boulevard is a breathtakingly beautiful building, housing the Anantara New York Palace Hotel with its special spa section and restaurant, as well as the New York Cafe. Though the cafe and restaurant are two separate venues, they coexist peacefully in the same place. White Salon occupies the mezzanine floor of the New York Cafe – as well as a few more tables on the balcony – providing an excellent view of the always buzzing coffee house, taking diners back in time to Budapest’s elegant yet bohemian Belle-Époque.
We’d quickly like to highlight that in the 2023 edition of the Michelin Guide Hungary, White Salon is featured as a Michelin-recommended restaurant.
We’d quickly like to highlight that in the 2023 edition of the Michelin Guide Hungary, White Salon is featured as a Michelin-recommended restaurant.
A live band often entertains guests with popular songs, while during the breaks, peaceful piano music fills the air.
Casual dining
White Salon is not a fine dining but rather a casual dining restaurant, which means that the venue is elegant, the dishes and service are top-quality, but the dining experience is still fuss-free. So guests don’t have to worry about anything other than enjoying their food and themselves. This is a place that can make a meal with your friends, family or special someone truly memorable.
A symphony of flavours
The enthusiastic culinary team led by András Wolf and Zoltán Szűcs gently fuse traditional Hungarian and European recipes with modern kitchen technologies, so the dishes here are familiar yet new-wave and innovative at the same time.
It’s a lovely gesture that while browsing the menu, you get a small basket of sourdough bread with butter and eggplant spread. For starters, you can choose beef tartar, marinated salmon or Hungarian chicken soup, but if you don’t feel like browsing for too long, you can order a fixed-prized two- or three-course menu as well.
While the menu is not too long, it includes everything from salads to classic Hungarian courses, grilled, meaty and fish dishes, as well as vegan options and mussles and caviar for those who are ready to go all out.
The sourdough bread is so delicious that we recommend choosing the Hungarian ‘Jewish eggs’ with Foie gras on toast for starters, or a crowd-favourite hearty and filling goulash soup with plenty of vegetables and melt-in-the-mouth beef cubes.
When it comes to Hungarian classics, saucy chicken paprikash is always a great choice, with fresh cucumber salad served separately. It is traditional, exactly how Hungarians love it. The roasted baby chicken with thyme and sweet potatoes is also super delicious; the meat is a big serving, beautifully balanced by the sweetness of the potatoes.
The drink list offers various gin-tonics and signature cocktails in addition to the champagne, wine and spirits selection. For a stylish choice, you can order a ‘New York New York’ mango champagne cocktail that is deliciously sweet and refreshing, served with a groundcherry.
The drink list offers various gin-tonics and signature cocktails in addition to the champagne, wine and spirits selection. For a stylish choice, you can order a ‘New York New York’ mango champagne cocktail that is deliciously sweet and refreshing, served with a groundcherry.
If you crave something sweet, you can choose rice pudding, chocolate cake, a Hungarian képviselőfánk, which is a vanilla custard cream puff, or sweet and sour lemon sorbet, which is a perfect end to a delicious meal.
All in all, White Salon is a reliable restaurant. The view of the New York Cafe is unbeatable, the dishes and the service are outstanding, and the background music is fabulous. This is a place where you can easily feel at home, even though it may look a tad more glamorous than your own dining room. Whether you’re planning a dinner out with friends, family or a special someone, we wholeheartedly recommend White Salon for an unforgettable experience.
