Anantara New York Palace Budapest
by the TopOfHotel team
Anantara New York Palace is a night spent above the most beautiful cafe in the world, inside a Renaissance palace finished to the last square inch — the building and the Jewish Quarter location outshine the rooms, which run on the compact side.
Anantara New York Palace is a night spent above the most beautiful cafe in the world, inside a Renaissance palace finished to the last square inch — the building and the Jewish Quarter location outshine the rooms, which run on the compact side.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Walk into the lobby of Anantara New York Palace Budapest for the first time and you feel dropped into a period film. The building, designed by architect Alajos Hauszmann for the New York Life insurance company and opened in 1894, is full-blown Italian Renaissance: a high frescoed ceiling by painter Karoly Lotz, deep-green marble columns paired with brass, chandeliers strung the length of every corridor, and a two-story gallery that opens down onto the cafe in the heart of the building. The 185 rooms and suites run warm gold and soft cream, layered with Belle Epoque detailing set against modern kit — a large Smart TV, a Nespresso machine, a fully stocked minibar, and a marble-tiled bathroom with a separate tub. A Deluxe runs about 27-32 sqm: compact, but it uses every inch well. If you want room to spread out, step up to a Premier or Royal Suite, some with a separate sitting room and a balcony over the central lobby. Light sleepers should ask for a high floor away from Erzsebet korut to dodge the trams.
Food and amenities
The heart of this hotel needs no guessing — it's the New York Cafe, which The New York Times, UNESCO, and plenty of others rank among the most beautiful cafes on earth. It opened with the building in 1894 and once seated the writer Ferenc Molnar and his Belle Epoque circle. It still pours coffee, serves the famous Eszterhazy cake, and plates Hungarian classics like goulash. Don't skip the breakfast buffet under that frescoed ceiling — and as a guest you walk in without the tourist queue. Next door is DonGiovanni, an Italian room doing fresh pasta and wood-fired pizza, plus Deep Bar 1894, a speakeasy-style basement bar mixing cocktails from palinka, the Hungarian fruit spirit. One floor down sits the Anantara Spa, the chain's treatments staged in a Roman-style marble room with a roughly 15-meter indoor pool, sauna, steam room, and a couples' treatment room that books out fast on weekends. The gym runs 24 hours with full Technogym kit, and the Premium floor adds a butler that many reviewers call the high point of the stay.
Location and getting there
Anantara New York Palace sits on Erzsebet korut at the edge of the Jewish Quarter, District VII, which locals shorten to Erzsebetvaros — calm and orderly by day, the center of Budapest's famous ruin-bar scene by night. From the door it's about 8 minutes on foot to the legendary Szimpla Kert, 10 minutes to the Great Synagogue (the largest in Europe), and 12 minutes to Andrassy Avenue, the UNESCO-listed boulevard that runs all the way to Heroes' Square, with the State Opera House in the same easy reach. Blaha Lujza ter metro (M2) is a 3-minute walk beside the hotel, so you can hop the subway over to the Buda side, cross the Danube, and reach Buda Castle or Fisherman's Bastion in a handful of stops. From Budapest Ferenc Liszt airport (BUD) it's a 25-35 minute drive depending on the hour, or the 100E bus straight into the center. If you want to walk the old Pest side without leaning on taxis, this spot earns its keep.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk to help you decide. The most common gripe is room size: against that grand lobby, some guests find a Deluxe tighter than expected, especially the bathroom, which in some rooms isn't large and has a single tub. A couple traveling with two big suitcases is better off in a Premier Suite or higher. The second point reviewers raise is that the New York Cafe gets very crowded, especially from 11 am to 5 pm, when the tourist queue runs long and the noise never quite settles — not the quiet 5-star lobby some people picture, and the cafe's drink and dessert prices sit well above a typical local spot. Rooms facing Erzsebet korut can catch tram and traffic noise with the window open, and some lower floors look onto an unremarkable building opposite — for a good, quiet view, ask for the 4th floor or above on the central-lobby or east side. Finally, the lobby and cafe Wi-Fi slows at busy stretches when everyone's online at once, so use the in-room connection for anything that matters.
Our take
After reading through hundreds of real reviews, Anantara New York Palace Budapest sells one thing with full conviction: a night inside a Renaissance palace above the cafe many call the most beautiful in the world. If your mental picture of the trip is coffee under Karoly Lotz's frescoes in the morning, the Jewish Quarter and Szimpla Kert by evening, and the underground spa to wind down, this is the answer — and worth every forint. But if you want a large, spacious room and quiet private space far from the crowds, the Deluxe footprint and the bustle of the New York Cafe may not match a same-tier hotel over in Lipotvaros. Overall we give it 9.2/10, best for couples, luxury travelers, and lovers of history and architecture who value the building and the service more than the size of the room.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The Italian Renaissance building by Alajos Hauszmann opened in 1894, and the lobby, staircase, ceiling dome, and corridors all read like a genuine palace. Reviewers agree one lap around isn't enough.
- The New York Cafe sits right in the building, and as a hotel guest you get a separate entrance rather than the long tourist queue out front (at least at breakfast) — Karoly Lotz frescoes, marble columns, and gilt chandeliers, all of it.
- The location at the edge of the Jewish Quarter (District VII) puts you about 3 minutes from Blaha Lujza ter metro (M2), 8 minutes from the legendary ruin bar Szimpla Kert, and 10-15 minutes from Andrassy Avenue, the State Opera, and the Great Synagogue.
- The underground Anantara Spa earns praise for its Roman-style atmosphere, with an indoor pool, sauna, steam room, and Anantara signature treatments that are hard to find at other chains in the city.
- Service is the single most-praised thing in the reviews — staff remember guest names and sweat the small details, from the concierge right through to the Premium-floor butler.
- Several room categories run compact next to the grand public spaces — a Deluxe is roughly 27-32 sqm, which feels tight with two large suitcases, and some reviewers find the bathroom a little small.
- The New York Cafe in the lobby is stunning but draws long tourist queues nearly all day, and the drink and dessert prices sit high — it can feel busy if you expected a quiet 5-star calm.
- Rooms facing Erzsebet korut catch tram and traffic noise if you open the window, and some lower floors look onto an unremarkable building across the street — ask for a high floor or the lobby-facing side instead.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
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Insider Tips
- Sit in the New York Cafe between 8:00 and 9:30 am, before the tourists open the doors — the morning light hits the frescoed ceiling at its best and you can photograph it without the crowd.
- Ask for a room on the 4th floor or above on the central lobby side for a view down to the cafe through the balcony, and far quieter than the Erzsebet korut side with its trams.
- Walk out the side door toward Dohany and straight on for about 8 minutes to reach the ruin bar Szimpla Kert — go around 9 pm, when it shifts into the buzzing Budapest scene it's famous for.