Budapest Cafe and Restaurant Reviews

Service good. Food good. Wine list good. Atmosphere high and magnetic. Great crowd. Music fitting. It is worth visiting if you're in the area. All good.

We were there for bkft at 10:30 and the places was packed. It was great service and very good food. We chose omelets and weren't disappointed. Staff very good.

One of the only places in Manhattan to get Hungarian food and pastries and thay do a great jib! The food has always been delicious when I go here.

Eating Hungarian food at such a distance from Hungary was a great experience. We enjoyed everything as much as possible, so we returned. If we are in New York again, we will go every day! It was great!

Tiny restaurant, great Hungarian food...Loved the stuffed cabbage. Staff not overly friendly, and they do charge for refills, but at least clearly let you know before you order.

In a small place, with such a tasty original recipes of food it is a real joy to spend some time with a symphonic Hungarian music. The Wiener schnitzel, the stuffed cabbage, the cherry , cheese pie makes you think how soon you should return.

The Budapest Cafe offers comfort, Hungarian food. When you enter the front door, there is a bakery section with lots of yummy cakes and pastries. In the back is a dining room offering typical Hungarian fare like chicken paprikash, beef paprikash, chicken or beef schnitzel, and nokedli. The food makes you feel like you are back at home in Hungary.

What a fantastic experience. This is a tiny restaurant. We went for a late lunch over the weekend and didn't have to wait, but we witnessed a continuous like of patrons purchasing baked goods. The Hungarian staff know many of the regulars, and easily transition from Hungarian to English, depending on the guest. We were excited to try the chicken paprikas and it was quite good with a side of nokedli (spaetzle). Everyone's grandma makes her paprikas a bit differently. This was missing something - perhaps sour cream in the gravy? It was good, and the other dishes enjoyed by the patrons around us looked just as good. If you've ever wanted to try Hungarian food, or you're missing your nagymama's cooking, GO TO ANDRE'S!!!!

Stopped in to get some pastries since many of the older stores in the area are disappearing. Never seen the place and figured to give it a shot. A little pricey, but what isn’t in Manhattan and these days. The pastries were ok, not really worth the price. The service was good. You never know till you go.

My ancestors are from Hungary, and I remember family parties where Hungarian dishes were prepared. I love the chicken paprikash here--and the noodles are to die for. Keep in mind that this restaurant is cash only.

This is a small neighborhood bistro, it is not attempting to be fancy and I was fine with that. The woman manning the counter in front was very helpful as a waitress so no complaints about the service.Being familiar with Hungarian food, I was craving the summer staple of sour cherry soup. I elected for the lunch special which has a soup, main course and piece of cake. All portions were large but unfortunately, were fairly awful tasting. The soup was overly sweet with a great deal of cinnamon. One doesn't expect anything but the canned cherries that it had but it is hard to screw this up and they did with unsubtle and unbalanced flavors. The next course was veal goulash (really a porkolt) which, what it lacked in paprika was compensated for with an inordinate amount of salt and pepper. The nokerdli was mushy and stale. It was clear the whole dish had been warmed in a microwave; the taste had severe imbalance and that microwave distribution of heat was as well. For dessert, the waitress told me that normally they get cake or pie but today they only had pie for this lunch special. I mentioned that I didn't come across town for Hungarian food to eat apple pie! She was very kind and gave me a piece of poppyseed strudel. The piece was large and was warmed and served with whipped cream. Again, the flavor was unbalanced with way too much sugar put into the mix. Poppyseed cakes have that lovely tart-sweet trade off but this was all sweet. The pastry itself was so-so. It is a great pity that in New York, this is what we have for Hungarian food

Heard it from a past employee, that the owners don't give the tip to the waiters, who are very friendly and helpful. Food is good and desserts are as well. Place is quite small and hasn't been updated in the last 20 years. "Pogacsa" small cheese rolls are best.

Visited Andre's today. Ignoring the fact that someone else's used butter container was in my breadbasket (not very appealing to say the least - and the waitress was not apologizing even when I mentioned it to her), the meal was relatively satisfying. Was it AS good as Budapest? No. But was it a reasonable facsimile for North America? Yes. I order two entrees, one to take with me: the gulyas (goulash for the uninformed) and a Weinerschnitzel (pounded, breaded veal cutlet). The gulyas was tasty albeit a little fatty considering it was veal - the Nokedli dumplings were a bit too small and fragmentary. The schnitzel was typical, nicely breaded but not overly so, well cooked and not greasy; it came with some krumpli (potatoes) which was a bit overdone in places, and not as well seasoned as I would have liked. A side of uborkasalata (cucumber salad) would have been appropriate but it was not included and isn't actually listed on their menu. Sadly, the "Sacher" torte (torta) was a mockery of what an actual Sacher torta should have been; it was cut into square slices instead of from a round tort and was so dry, it was very fragmentary. No legit Sacher emblems to be seen, just some drawing of "Sacher" on each of the pieces. This was definitely the least authentic aspect of the entire meal. Did I mention the whipping cream was fake? At $8/piece, this was insulting. Service was slow, considering that initially I was the only one there at 230pm, the two girls at the front were a bit too busy on their cell phones to be proper hosts, and none came over to ask how the meal was. After all was said and done, $50 for myself with a beverage, the two entrees and the piece of 'tort'. I say it's the best of Maygar gastronomy in NYC because it just so happens to be the only 'self-identified' Magyar restaurant in the city, and 5 boroughs.

I went here for many years when it was andres And loved the bakery products and the meals served here. It no longer warrants anything more than a poor rating as both service and product are not worth the prices they charge. Apparently it has either new owners or change of attitude. As they have burned all their goodwill with me. Try at your own peril

We dropped in for dessert. Small narrow restaurant.We ordered two decaf cappucinos and an apple pie with schlag. Coffe and dessert were very good. we'll go back and try dinner.

I had the cherry soup and the stuffed cabbage, my friend had the cauliflower soup and the veal goulash. I've never had cherry soup before and it did not disappoint! I highly recommend trying it, its like gazpacho so it comes cold. The stuffed cabbage was cooked well and very delicious. I've tried the stuff cabbage from various places and this is by far my favorite. We also had the moscato and it went well with the meal. For desert we ordered poppy seed pastries, a cherry pastry, and an apple pastry. My favorite was the cherry pastry. I would highly recommend this restaurant and would go again.

Very small cafe,maybe 10 tables.Good value lunch for $15 Three courses,salad or soup,entree and desert. My chrome paprikas was very good,served with passel noodles.

We were looking for authentic Eastern European food. Took the subway out and it is a block from the stop. Small restaurant with a bakery. I ordered the gulas with hlushky, and my husband ordered the Hortobogy palacinky. They were very good, with large portions. We each took home our leftovers. Their website does not list all their offerings. We enjoyed our meal!

I was traveling Hungary in socialist times, service was comparable. For people who did not experience that world, grumpy complaining service personal. A lady at the Pastry shop was asking prices and some normal questions, she was answered with an attitude. When she left, the sales person said "helyes" which means something like "well done" or "finally" I honestly was out of words. The pastries we bought were actually really good. With a little more friendliness and less of a "what you want????" atitude the pastry department would have deserved a five point rating. With this prices and thatattitude I would give 3 at the most. Food was mostly ok. What was sold as a Hortobagyi was really not a Hortobagyi (been there several times). Usually the Hortobagyi is made out of a porkolt not a chicken paprikas. That was very very weak. The sauce was a loveless mix of paprika, sour cream and maybe some salt. This dish would get 2 with lots of question marks. The stuffed cabbage was so so. Little bit to much paprika, but not bad. Portion was serious. This one deserved a 4 out of 5. The Turos teszta (pasta with bacon and fresh cheese) was not bad but soaked in Bacon fat. I admitt in some places in Hungay this is a standard, in other places they dont use as much fat. All in all a 3 point is all I can give them. Maybe pay the service personal better? Or look for someone else? Like this, it was an unpleasant experience. It was ok for us, we were handled halfway friendly because we speak Hungarian, but some of the non H speakers, if I would have been them, I would have raised hell over the way they got handled. So if you need Hungarian Pastries and have thick skin, the stuff is really nice. If you are out for food and a sit down, avoid the Hortobagyi and don't expect to much. Sorry for the bad rep, but it really wasn't worth more. The fresh cheese was excellent. So again a 4 point.

If a few Hungarian words in the menu made a restaurant authentic, then the Budapest Cafe (AKA Andre's Cafe) would be a Hungarian restaurant. Alas, the food served in this little restaurant, located in what was once the polyglot capital of central European emigré culture, bears little resemblance to Hungarian food. My friends and I had the Veal Stew and the Chicken Paprikash (sic), and not only was the food inauthentic, it was virtually inedible.

Small restaurant, cafe, bakery. Take out or dine in, coffee, pastries, meals. Large selection of European specialties such as Schnitzels and Goulash. Good deal on lunch specials which include soup and desert. Recommended.

Andre's Café is a quaint little Hungarian restaurant on Second Avenue in NYC. Not so long ago, this area was bustling with Hungarian shops, butcher stores and restaurants. Times have changed. Andre's is pretty much the only one that preserved the cooking and baking tradition and they do an excellent job. Authentic taste of both the main courses and pastries. Highly recommend the refreshing cool Cherry soup on a hot summer day. Of course, must have the strudel for dessert.

We stumbled into Budapest Café after a failed attempt to find something German still in Yorkville--there wasn't much and nothing open for lunch. So we crossed the street and there it was. Budapest Café has a large assortment of fresh Hungarian pastries in the window--apple, cherry, cheese strudels, Linzer cookies, croissants, ruggalas--so it was enough to draw us in. The menu offers a selection of the usual things you think of when you think of Hungarian food: cold cherry soup, goulash, stuffed cabbage, schnitzel and the like, entrées in the $20-25 category. There is a luncheon special for $14.95 that includes soup or salad, a smaller entrée and the dessert of your choice, and I thought it was a real deal for Manhattan--truly tasty and filling, and the dessert was excellent. I went for poppyseed strudel and loved it. Service is a bit on the slow and cool side, but if you're traveled in Eastern Europe you know not to expect service with a smile. Budapest Café only accepts cash, so come prepared.

This is an unusual specialty restaurant for New York City. The menu heavy on the desserts, video which look great but the looks or sometimes not rewarded in the mouth. The venue is very narrow and dark, but many of the decorations are quite romantic. This is probably the best Hungarian food in New York City. Note: "Andre" no longer appears on the exterior of the store. Is called "Budapest".

The bakery counter up front does a steady business of ones and twos...cookies, strudel, cakes, tarts. In back, there are a few small tables, and a booth that could handle half a dozen people. We heard Hungarian and Russian around us. Good chicken paprikash, excellent cheesecake...and we took some apple strudel with us, back to the hotel. The strudel was OK...a little tough...but the meal was tasty...and fun. We'd been here before, and enjoyed it.

The owner/manager/server was a lovely woman. She made us feel welcome. The appetizer was excellent. The schnitzel, however, should have been pounded thin, or at least thinner because it was very tough.

The restaurant is a leftover from the past. It’s dumpy and unclean. It offers a few choices of Hungarian dishes that are served sloppily in smallish plates. While a few of the dishes are passable (stuffed cabbage, palacincas) their appearance turns you off. The place is not clean, especially the kitchen which is tiny and messy with piled up pots and and. No cook in site. They specialize in deserts and pastries which look like they’ve been sitting there for days. A cake we ordered was stale. The palacinca with apricot jam, however, was tasty and prepared right there. The one person wait staff was friendly. This place should be cleaned up or shuttered. It’s a vestige from the past that doesn’t deserve to serve food.

My father in law was from Budapest, so this style food has been a steady part of our dining experiences whenever we get the chance. While my daughter’s chicken paprikash wasn’t great, the veal goulash and schnitzel were very good. The goulash soup was very good. There is a cheese spread appetizer which I can’t pronounce- at home we call it magic cheese-was very good. Pastries etc for dessert where excellent. Service super friendly. 100% would return.

This is the most unkind place I’ve been in NY. If you want to find expensive cuisine with totally not adequate personnel, this is the place.

I was just walking by Budapest Café when I looked in the window and saw the most delicious looking linzer tarts in the window in their bakery section. I swear it was calling out to me. The delicious cookie was filled with fresh raspberry jelly and loaded down with powder sugar. It was a little steep at $4.00 but it was fresh, not too sweet and delicious. The combination of the tart raspberry jam with the powder sugar made a delicious combination of flavors. The raspberry jelly tasted as if it had just been made. People could see I was enjoying it while I walked down Second Avenue munching on it.

This hole in the wall is absolutely old school New York. They churn out solid pastries as well as proper dinner plates. Standards like goulash and paprikash were served warm (I wished the spaetzle noodles were not compacted into a cake). Be sure to ask for spoons to eat your dinner because you don't want the gravy to go to waste.

We stopped by for lunch and ordered the lunch special for $14.99 which included a large bowl of soup or salad, entree and huge dessert. The food was delicious- we tried the cold cherry soup which apparently is a Hungarian specialty. My stuffed pepper was wonderful and our warm poppyseed strudel with whipped cream was enough to feed 4. This is also a lovely bakery. Waitress was lovely but busy so service was a little slow

We accidentally bumped into this place and I got excited to try their pastries and see the menu so we decided to have a coffee, my brother wanted to have a cake with the coffee. The very unwelcoming old lady told us that we can’t stay unless we order at least for 10 usd/person..The restaurant was empty, apart from the table next to us where a couple ate chicken paprikas and stuffed pepperoni/paprika, both being traditional hungarian dishes but omg those two courses looked just terrible. When first saw the menu I wanted to try something just out of curiosity but after that and how the lady behaved I was afraid that their kitchen is notany different either. I felt very bad that my country and our cuisine is represented in such a disappointing and rude way. This place is really a joke unfortunately.

We were here for a light dinner before seeing a movie nearby. We both had savoury palacinkes and shared a piece of cherry/cheese strudel (sharing is recommended). Very tasty from beginning to end. Would love to come back for a full meal, for Andre’s is the real Hungarian deal.

First we looked up for the best Hungarian restaurant in NYC for our trip to celebrate a big thing that was happening to us, but unfortunately just because this is your only option or your 2nd option…please do yourself a favor and avoid this place. When I went to the bathroom, I walked by the kitchen, saw a whole bunch of microwaves going on in the kitchen on top shelves. I asked the Mexican guy on the back (YES Mexican!) if he made the sauces, and he said “no”. I just thaw them out in the microwave then heat the chicken up and mixed them up. Because we had placed the order, I felt bad just walking away, but my stomach turned and it is really disgusting how people don’t put their heart in cooking anymore. Needless to say: I am never coming back to this place, I did not even want to try their desserts as I was afraid they were stale. The food was tasteless too on top of microwaved! On the other hand restaurant Veselka was AWSOME. Open 24 hrs. nice service and delicious food which someone loves to prepare. All homemade!

Me and my mother went here for a nice dinner after a long day and the MET, and honestly, we were quite surprised at the size of the Cafe (quite small). We both ordered the Cabbage Strudel which had a little taste of vinegar and they made no try to hide the fact that they microwaved them both pretty much in front of them. Even then, it tasted wonderful and the texture had the good flaky texture of a proper Strudel. I ordered the Weinerschnitzel with French Fries and the portion size was very large, but the meat was of great quality and the flavor was Magnificent. My mother decided she would order some food that would give her a "taste of home" (she is Hungarian) and ordered the Hortobagyi Palacsinta (Crepes filled with Chicken Paprikas) and said that although it was a large portion, the filling was a little sour, like it contained some vinegar, which does not belong in Chicken Paprikas, and the Crepe was a little gummy. She also ordered the Mushroom Palacsinta which she said was good and had a great flavor and had a lot of mushrooms that tasted very rich and earthy, but in a good way. All together, the restaurant was a great place for a nice evening meal with your family.

Stopped in for wine and a pastry treat. Portions are generous, selection is on point! Strudel was filled to the brim w apples.

You can eat for 2 ppl with one plate. My uncle got the nachos which were delicious and I go the chicken parmesian on spaghetti.. Chicken was good but spaghetti could use a bit more cheese on it.

I was taken to this restaurant by Hungarians as they said it was a good experience of home cooked food. The menu is small and things sell out fast and that’s because the dishes are good and sizes plentiful. We had the paprika chicken, stuffed cabbage and the stuffed peppers. Though they where all good but the peppers where the stand out. The bulls blood wine was decent, Be sure to save room for dessert. Had a selection of the cakes, all good. Overall a a great experience of Hungarian food from a family run restaurant. Cash only

This restaurant is very small and casual and the food tastes like your Hungarian grandmother cooked it just for you. Be sure to have a cherry strudel for dessert!

Budapest coffee, a cute little intimate coffee shop. They have a wonderful cheese danish, a good croissant, I'm just addicted to it. They have good poppy seed cakes, delicious fruit cakes, the coffee is less tasty, but to their credit they try very hard, I'm a regular customer.

Behind this narrow shopfront is a popular bakery with strudels, dobosch torte and other pastries, baked fresh every day. A Hungarian friend tells me the flavors are those he remembers from childhood. There is also a minuscule seating area serving hearty main dishes as well as the luscious sweets. One of my go-to places for party desserts, The take-out slices of cake are enough for two on an ordinary evening.

The food is normal Hungarian, but the desserts are to die for! The serving size for entrees are huge, you can share. Try the rokett krumply--layered potatoes

This neighborhood used to be full of German, Czech, and Hungarian places. It's nice that there is still one left. On the the whole, it might be best to see this as a bakery. The pastries are too big for my taste, but very good (I especially love the poppy strudel)--you should just remember to go with a friend and split things. The food is as good as at any of the East European places in the East Village or Greenpoint, but I find the portions again too large, and the prices a little high.

Me and my husband took my parents who were visiting from Europe here, we wanted a light lunch with a coffee and cake but ended up leaving our table because the staff was so rude. We were ignored at first, they didn't want to serve us anything else than brewed coffee (even though they had other coffee on their menu and the customer next to us had a cappuccino), we were not allowed to order the wrap we wanted that was on the menu and lastly we were rudely told that they have a $20 minimum order because it is weekend (no signs about this and they had multiple empty tables) - and we didn't even finish our order as we would have exceeded this amount with a lot more. There was no welcoming feeling from the staff at all, we felt more like we bothered them so we decided to leave and we will never come back again. We were nice and polite to the staff and did not deserve that attitude back from them, you can not run a restaurant where the staff get to choose who to be nice too and make up things as they want.

We had a great dinner here during a brief visit to NYC. There is a neighborhood feel to the place, with many of the guests engaging in conversation with other guests. The food is really tasty home cooking, with lots of choices of great traditional Hungarian dishes. For dessert, they have lots of fantastic pastries (displayed in a case at the front of the restaurant, ready for take-out too.) The service was very friendly and helpful.

This was a great little Hungarian Restaurant/ Bakery when there was Andre who was Hungarian was there. Now no one speaks Hungarian they speak Spanish! Prices up, serving size down and food quality poor, Authenticity poor, Flavor poor… the only thing that is still good are they’re baked goods which is why I gave 3 Stars not one. Thus is the last remaining Hungarian Restaurant in New York City! There were 8 Hungarian restaurants here when I was growing up. It’s too sad. The owner is Hungarian and has two other establishments (Cafes/Bakeries) in Queens. When the Hungarian Literary Society closed its doors we knew finding good Hungarian food in NYC would be a lost cause. Let’s hope the owner reads reviews and will bring in a Hungarian chef & wait-staff!

First of all, this has been renamed the "Budapest." It's a long, narrow "hole in the wall," with a bakery in front and restaurant tables in back. I've been here several times over the years. Last here for lunch on October 31, 2015 (kids were coming into the restaurant to trick or treat!) Like the reviewer Kati P, I also ordered the chicken noodle soup and found it equally lukewarm, blah and short on noodles. Disappointing, since the last time I had soup here (some kind of vegetable) it was the best soup I've ever tasted, and I'm a soup "maven!" However, things went back to normal after that. The chicken paprikash and spaetzels were excellent, as usual, and the cherry strudel was to die for! Lunch, with coffee, tax and tip was about $40. Well worth it, except for that soup! I'm an out of towner, but if I lived in NYC, I'd buy one of their strudels, either cherry, apple, or the savory cabbage, to take home and serve to guests. I don't know if the restaurant has changed its name because of a change in ownership, or if they just wanted to make their Hungarian connection more obvious. I'm from a Hungarian family and make some of these dishes at home, so I know what they're supposed to taste like!

After learning that the wait for the Neue Gallery cafe was over 45 minutes, we walked over here. The apple strudel and hazelnut cake were spectacular. No wait for a table and very patient staff who waited as we debated our choices. Our very knowledgeable companion told us the pastries were more rural Hungarian and less like Vienna or Budapest.

I have been to the Budapest cafe several times. Up to 2 month's ago, it used to be called Andre's cafe. The last time I was there on October 29th, 2015. Unfortunately, this experience further proved to me, that with my every visit, the quality of the food deteriorated from the previous visit. On my most recent visit, the chicken noodle soup was lukewarm. The waitress didn't inform me that my selection of entree was not available until after I finished my soup. The cucumber salad was too sweet and lacked taste. I don't know if the name change was inspired by trying to boost attendance, but it won't work if the quality of food does not improve. While 5 years ago I would have given 5 stars to this restaurant, now it barely rates the 3 stars. It will be a shame if the last remaining Hungarian restaurant in New York City will not survive.

The menu is tasty although it seems rather high in carbohydrates. Their Hungarian deserts are their specialty and they are very good. We pass by there regularly. We are most inclined to stop in for lunch when the soup of the day is a cold (sour) cherry soup. A bowl of that soup is more than enough for a meal in itself. If you like sour cherries, it is delicious.

Chicken Paprikas was very good. Large portions. Korozott also excellent. Cherry strudel also great. Service mediocre. Prices right. Highly recommended.

Paparika of course but several other authentic dishes. Desserts better than the mains. Note that Andre appears to be gone, at least his name is.

Their strudle is the best and I especially like the Cherry and the Poppy. Other desserts such as the Dobos Torte is like seven layer chocolate with Apricot topping on steroids. They serve meals there as well but I have not had any in about 4 years. The little butter cookies with chocolate are fabulous as well.

NIce ,cozy place. Dined in on a weeknight with friends,the place was full. There was one waitress working,running from tables to the counter and to pick up the phone. THey should have at least one more person to help out. OTherwise the food was o.k.,had the chicken stew,the meat was a little bit dry.

We stopped in here after looking it up on Yelp and seeing rave reviews. Our experience was a bit different than wanting to rave about it. While the dessert pastries we had looked enticing, the chocolate rugalah was dry and the savory streudal with meat and potatoes tasted off. I couldn't tell if the meat was bad or if it was the spices they used. Same with the stuffed cabbage which tasted very sour. What a shame as it was the first time I had Hungarian food since being in Budapest, but this didn't measure up at all.

I enjoy dessert a lot and I’m lazy sometimes so I have a cookie or brownie for breakfast when I’m in my dorm!! My mom tells me to get more muscular and she thinks I’ll get more attention from the ladies if I do!! I am obviously joking about the last part!! I went here for dessert last night and got raspberry and apricot cookies!! My parents and I were all very satisfied with the taste!!

We ate here on a recommendation and were a little disappointed with the food. We enjoy Hungarian food very much and have had it from the U.S. to Budapest and unfortunately this restaurant just missed for us. The food was just alright at best, really nothing special.

Beautiful cafe and restaurant, very calm and pleasant atmosphere. Live piano when we were there. Excellent food, well served and with good flavor. Impeccable service.

Really good hungarian food (wife is hungarian) and nice owners. Not 1st class service but then again its a quiet family run business known for its food.

My husband is Hungarian and when we were visiting NYC we were looking for a Hungarian restaurant. Andres was recommended to us and it was great! We had the chicken paprikas and 3 orders of kremes. Both dinner and desert were very good! We will make sure to come back on our next visit.

Worst food I’ve ever been served in a restaurant. The “grilled chicken” was way overdone, hard as shoe leather, reheated and tasteless. We were so astounded that something so bad would be served that we didn’t send it back. (Kind of like when you’re amazed at someone lying so blatantly you have trouble calling them out. ). No sauce or gravy. Goulash was full of fat and lacking in flavor. Save your money.

Anyone wishing to indulge in traditional and authentic Hungarian cuisine in New York MUST make the Budapest Cafe a bucket list stop. The cuisine is outstanding, flavoursome and plenty of it so if you like a big hearty meal then go no further. But wait, the dessert is the culmination of a hearty meal well enjoyed with the choice of pastries out of this world. Anyone in New York or visiting New York must make this little eatery a MUST stop.

Pastries looked so good in the window, so we took some home. Apple strudel was very greasy. Napoleon custard was thick like jello and dough was not flaky. Cherry pastry was better but not sweet. Maybe I am more used to French pastries than Hungarian. But I would not go back. Service was fine.

If your are an Eastern European or any of your friends, you have to check this place. The Hortobaguy palacsinta made with chicken paprikash was delicious! And pastry with honey and poppy seeds just piece of haven!

As a Hungarian, I looked forward to experiencing the food of my youth. I ordered the Chicken Paprikas which was pretty good in flavor, but the chicken was dry & overcooked. A friend got the Stuffed Cabbage & was pleased. The breadbasket was just passable & came with the main rather than prior. Portions were very generous. The service was terrible! The waitress hardly acknowledged our presence. Handed us the menu, never said a word. No greeting, no smile. Couldn’t answer any questions about how the food was prepared. Seemed like she hated her job. Put all silverware down in a bunch, with some napkins. Made no effort to set the table. Desserts were very good . I recommend the chestnut purée, an authentic Hungarian dessert.

I was uncomfortable from the second we were seated. Although nearly every table was open, the server stuck us in the smallest table in the place, crammed right up against the wall. She then proceeded to act miffed that we did not immediately know what we wanted to order (despite the fact that we had never been there before and hadn't even been granted the time to look over the menu). When we were ready to order just a few minutes later, we had to make several attempts to flag the waitress down, even though the place is very small and practically devoid of customers. When we asked a question about the options, she practically bit our heads off. The drinks and food were a let down as were the numerous interruptions from the waitress scolding us and telling us to be quiet so that she could hear well enough to take orders from the one other table of patrons. I can assure you our conversation was at a normal volume level. When it came time to pay the bill and go, our attempts to get the check were ignored so we finally had to go up to the register only to be scolded once again. I do not appreciate being treated in such a rude manner, especially when I feel it was completely undeserved and as such will not be returning. I would recommend staying away if you are a person that values being treated with respect.

I was very disappointed with this restaurant. The staff in the counter was so mean and didn't have manners. I'm so upset that I just pay the one that I ordered and left. People who works here have no etiquette, or propably they just choose the customer they want.

I definitely have had better recently in Budapest, which was expected. That said, everything here was just average. The paprikash was very bland and had no zip to it. The noodles also bland and the chicken was dry. The dinner is an enormous portion, but..... The wine was terrible. We had sangria, which tasted spicy. I knew something was wrong when the waitress brought over a sugar dispenser for the wine!! Yipes! The front of the house is a bakery and they enjoy a brisk business. That’s where to go. Stick to the desserts.

My boyfriend and I were thrilled to find this hidden gem. We both are of Hungarian decent and had grandmothers from the homeland, whose cooking is greatly missed! Our meals at Andre's came quite close to our grandmas'. The chicken paprikas is half a chicken with spaetzle. My only wish was for more sauce. The stuffed peppers came with plentiful sauce for bread dipping. Homemade bread would have perfected the meal. The pastries are tantalizing. We had strudels, which came with the entrees - poppyseed and apple, both yummy. The seating area is small (I counted 28 chairs). We arrived just before 5 pm and the place was almost full an hour later on a weekday. Unfortunately, there was only one server, who manned the tables, phone, and bakery sales. She still managed to get things done in a reasonable amount of time. We definitely will return.

Had wonderful lunch of Hungarian Gulosh and spaetzle, soup, cucumber salad and take home desserts. Waitress was very good. Place is small but cozy!. Would go again if we are in the area.

Excellent strudels. Flaky and not greasy, and packed with the whatever filling you choose. The poppy is very rich and sweet, perhaps a little too sweet, but this is probably from having consumed too large of a piece! The cheese and cherry/cheese are made perfectly, with the right amount of filling, the latter with actual pieces of cherry (not jam) and not overtly sweet (slightly sour even, which balances the cheese well). Also very nice savory spinach and feta cheese strudel. Have tried the cheese danish. The dough was excellent but would have been nicer with a bit more filling. Overall highly recommend the strudel of your choice. Magnitude better than the one at Zabar's. Note - I have always done takeout. Service by the pastry ladies is very straight forward, not necessarily friendly. Which is just fine, as they move the line efficiently.

The food is good but not amazing. It lacks the richness of fine cuisine, but the meal was adequate, and the portions quite filling. We were brought some cheese biscuits on the house, and these were the best part of the meal. Also there was a Hungarian version of spaetzle was the side dishes, which was nice. The goulash lacked the richness of the wonderful Hungarian Paprika, and needed a lot of salt and pepper to compensate. Similar with the paprikash. Prices were OK for the pricey upper East Side location, but by no means a bargain. There is a lunch special menu, and that may be a better choice if price conscious. The restaurant is a cafe and bakery. We would try some baked goods next time, or the lunch special.

We ate there this evening. First time I've ever had Hungarian food. It did not disappoint. Small restaurant but very pretty. The food was very good also. It comes with dessert which was also good. I hope you give them a try.

I went in to get a piece of apple strudel, to go. They are known for their strudeIs. I specifically asked if it was fresh and baked that day. Oh, yes was the reply. That evening my husband, a knowledgeable strudel eater, pronounced it old and tasteless. I tried it. Awful! We threw it out. Will not patronize the restaurant/bakery again. Disappointed with customer service and product. Buyer beware!

Cakes look good, taste a bit less so. Narrow restaurant, specialising in Hungarian cuisine and especially cakes that are traditional to Hungary. Not expensive and some of the offering you would not be able to get elsewhere in New York. Food not for those who are worried about their figure.

The Hungarian pastries are about as close to authentic as you will find outside the country; the cooked dishes are not anywhere up to that standard. The ladies that work here speak excellent Hungarian; much of the clientele are Hungarians.

Small, narrow restaurant with basic decor. The food featured Hungarian comfort food--all quite good. Deserts were particularly good. They also serve Hungarian wines. The service was prompt and friendly--and on a Christmas day. Worth going to if you are in the area.

My husband and I stopped here for lunch and realized we had been here some years ago when it was called Andre's. When we sat down and ordered glasses of the house wine (which wasn't great) we were served some very good cheese puffs. There is a special lunch menu during the week but we visited on the weekend and had chicken paprikash which was served with small noodles and lots of delicious gravy. The portions were very large but try to save room for dessert. I had the Dobos torte which was a multi layer yellow cake filled with chocolate cream and topped with a crispy caramel but there were lots of great looking choices. Service was good even though our server was also working behind the bakery case helping the constant stream of take out customers.

Not much is left of the Hungarian heritage in this part of the Upper East Side, but the Budapest stands out proudly. This looks like a hole in the wall but don't be put off. This isa great place for a good Hungarian meal followed by world class pastries worthy of the best any bakery in Hungary could offer. They have a bakery i Queens which I frequent. I love ot stop at th Budapest or a coffee and dessert when I can. I love their poppy seed roll ( beigli ). I also love their goulash.

there are not that many Hungarian restaurants in the US. so when we found this, we were so excited to go! when we entered and I said hello in Hungarian, the waitresses couldn`t look more bored. konkretan huztak a szajukat. it was a middle aged woman and a younger one, I was trying to exchange a word or so and they were straightup rude. I mean you are halfway through the globe from Hungary and even if you don`t care to see fellow Hungarians, you could still pretend for the sake of your business (even if for some tips). nope. felt really unwelcoming. that was an interesting sign, anyway, we ordered, some main dishes and some desserts. the food was terrible. fatty, no taste, yuk. desserts from cheap ingredients. bad texture. never again, I can cook all these dishes, so not wasting my time on terrible service / bad food.

I took my 10 year old daughter. Being of Hungarian descent I was very excited about coming here on my first night in NYC. The cafe is very small but well-decorated and cozy. I had the Wienerschnitzel with nokedle(noodles) and I thought it was great. Of course, not as awesome as my Hungarian grandmother's but good enough to bring back some memories. My relatives had the chicken paprikas and they loved it as well. The food we all had here was excellent. The service on the other hand, not so much. I felt like I was inconveniencing my waitress anytime I needed anything. One moment, I accidentally elbowed the salt off my table onto the floor just as the waitress was walking by. She leaned down, grabbed the salt shaker off the floor then grabbed the pepper shaker off the table and just took them away. "NO SPICES FOR YOU!!!" Oh, before I forget, NO FREE REFILLS. After a long full day in NYC I was very thirsty. I learned a valuable lesson that night at $2.50 per lesson. :( The food was great though. Had the service been better I would have went out of my way to go back there one or two times during my trip. If you're looking for some pretty authentic ethnic food, I highly recommend Andre's Cafe for an initial visit and then decide for yourself if you want to go back.

Wow...found this place by accident. Excellent Hungarian pastry and authentic dishes. Staff is friendly. Restaurant space is small but adequate. Bathroom was immaculate. They take credit cards. Everything is made to order and very fresh and they have take out. Closed on Sundays. If you are craving some of Budapest....this is the place to go. We will go back from now on when we are in the city.

This was never a gourmet restaurant, but since our last visit, it has turned into a complete disaster. The waitstaff is well intentioned but completely inexperienced , and doesn’t know what’s on the menu. Not one Hungarian in the place. The “kitchen” consists of one short order type who reheats food in a microwave. Nothing on the stove, no food in sight. Never mind, on to the “food”. We ordered goulash soup- out came a thin lukewarm sour tasting vegetable slop, fresh from the microwave. When we told the waitress that goulash soup is supposed to have beef, she told us that the “chef” can cut some pieces of meat into it. No idea. The basket of bread with our platter of cold cuts ( we steered clear of anything else that sounded suspicious) was dry and stale. The coffee was thin and tasteless. Oh, and “we have no milk”. New York has not had a good Hungarian restaurant for decades, but for this dive to pretend that they are serving “food”, let alone Hungarian food, is criminal. A deep personal insult to every Hungarian and every food savvy New Yorker.

Tiny place. I liked the food, but the girls who worked the place were set on not cracking a smile or being particularly friendly. Also, the promised bread (really, what kind of Hungarian would skip bread with juicy food??) and ketchup never materialized. I could see the $15 lunch special of soup/entree/desert being a good deal, but that's only available Monday-Thursday lunch time. We went on Friday..... I don't know what are the running prices in similar places in NYC, but $60 for an adult and a child for one entree, one desert each seems pretty steep to me. On the bright side, the strudel did hit the spot.

If you looking for getting to know how good hungarian food tastes like, definitely go there. The entrées were big enough to sure - we had to take home the leftovers - more than half of each. It was a very good experience! I recommend trying the geztenyepüré for dessert.

it used to be a good place to eat before pandemic, not any longer. food is very bad and does not even resemble Hungarian cousin.

Found this little Hungarian place here on TripAdvisor and the reviews don't lie! The food was amazing! My wife and I have been looking for a Hungarian restaurant ever since we moved back to the US and this place did not disappoint. It's a short walk from the subway station on 86th, and the inside is real nice. They have old time pictures of Budapest right beside what that same shot looks like today. The menu isn't limited to Hungarian food, but why else would you go to a Hungarian restaurant? They have some real good Hungarian wines as well! We had the Egri Bikaver (Bulls Blood) and the Kefrankos (might have spelled this wrong, but its close) and both were superb. For lunch we had the stuffed cabbage and once again, they did not disappoint! Highly recommend you try Andre's. Hungarian food is extremely flavorful and will surprise you just how good it is. I'll admit I was a little worried to try it when we were in Budapest, but now I love it!

I returned to this restaurant for the first time in years, and I don't know what happened, but this time the food was awful. Almost inedible. I'll never go back. I was sad to see the decline, but also a little annoyed that they're still in business given how much the place has gone downhill.

We had dinner at Andre's last night and had great service and great food....good wiener and great stuffed cabbage....nice selection of palinka's and a dry hungarian wine! Our waitress ( Jutka) was very attentive even give us some tips where to find hungarian sausages!! The poppie seed strudel was delish also.....if I find something wierd it was the Hortobagyi palacsinta....it looked like a large burrito....but the taste was good.....highly recomended for a casual but good dinner with great prices....

Totally unkind staff, especially the waitress (old lady), the minimum order is 10$/person, terrible experiance.. I don't recommend this place to anyone.

On few occasion I purchased babka and strudels that were stale. Don't trust the sales people as they pushed old baked goods claiming that it was delivered that day..

The place is totally authentic Hungarian. It's one of 3 branches in the city; the main restaurant is on Queens Blvd in Forest Hills. It's a small restaurant, maybe a dozen tables. Spotlessly clean. Presided over by an engaging Hungarian matron. We were 3 people, had 3 entrees, drinks, 2 desserts. Total bill, incl tip, was $70. All the entrees were very good to excellent. Wiener schnitzel with mashed potatoes was really good, with a fine crumbly crust, not very spicy. Stuffed cabbage was excellent, the meat filling peppered perfectly, not hot, but very tasty; comes with some sauerkraut, also a sour cream on the side. Cabbage strudel was perfect, as usual- maybe just a little greasy. For dessert the chestnut roulade is to die for. Service was swift, efficient, encouraging, attentive. Six months ago the name of the place changed from 'Andre's' to Budapest Cafe. I asked the matron why; she said it was so that people would know it's Hungarian food.

My husband is Hungarian and was thrilled to find this restaurant. We went for lunch on a Monday. It is a very small restaurant. Luckily it wasn't too busy so we didn't feel confined. There was only one waitress who was handling the bakery area and the tables. She was very efficient however. We ordered the lunch special which included soup or salad, entree, and select dessert for $14.95. I order the layered potatoes and my husband ordered the noodles with bacon, farmers cheese, and sour cream. They didn't have the salad available so we had to order soup instead. We both had the cauliflower soup. I enjoyed it but my husband did not. We both enjoyed our meals though. For dessert we ordered the apple strudel but it was a little overcooked. Glad we came for lunch instead of dinner. Would probably return to try some other dishes.

I asked to buy 4 cookies - they said I had to buy a 1/4 lb - I told them I would pay for the 1/4 pound but only wanted 4 cookies - they would not sell them to me. I guess they make so much $$$ they don't want mine.

We were a party of 4. Arrived and asked for a table and there were 3 empty tables of 2 each. We suggested to break our party and the waiter refused to give us the tables while the lady at the counter said she could accommodate us. Then when we asked our order of coffee and cake the waiter refused to serve us the order alleging that we needed to spend at least 10 dollars each, which would have been the case according to the prices in the menu. At that point we stood up and left in disbelief of her rudeness and her discriminatory attitude.

My daughter, studying for six months abroad and visiting many European capitals in her spare time, had a craving for Hungarian goulash. Where to go but the upper East Side (and German-town) and Andres Cafe. We weren't disappointed in the ambiance, service, and above all the food (and that includes the outstanding assortment of desserts (including a delicious Sacher torte) and especially streudels). My daughters goulash was excellent as was my wife's stuffed cabbage. My wiener schnitzel was quite good if a bit dry (but I will definitely be back for another go). As will we all!

Discovered Andre's Cafe on a recent visit to NYC with my Hungarian friend. She was anxious to find a Hungarian restaurant, and this being on the upper east side was convenient for us after visiting the Frick. What a find! We arrived just in time to take advantage of their lunch special, where for a fixed price we dined on Cucumber Salad, Cauliflower Soup and Chicken Paprika. We finshed up with an Apricot/Walnut Crepe and a cheese pastry (the front is a pastry shop) as well as a glass of Palinka (fruit brandy). Food was excellent, service friendly and this restaurant is now on my list to return to on my next visit. It is small & casual ... perfect for lunch.

Andre's is now the Budapest cafe. We discovered this place a few years ago. The pastries are authentic. The poppy seed pastry is very different than most pastries you get at a typical pastry shop. This time I visited the pastry shell was lighter and almost a phyllo dough. They served a giant piece and warmed it up. The pastry had a different flavor warmed up. The poppy seeds were slightly acrid and were pure, did not look like they were mixed with prune, but perhaps they were. The waitress did not rush us. The coffee cup was small but very strong coffee, which I like. I have eaten dinner under the old name Andre's cafe. It was really good then. I am not sure whether it is under new management. I did not have dinner because I really wanted to eat the pastry. The other pastries looked great too. I would like to try cherry or apple. Also, would like to try authentic Hungarian liquor after dinner drink. The price was reasonable. Honestly, it is hard to find a pastry shop anywhere that lets you sit so long. The only criticism is that once I tried to drop in for lunch one day this Winter on a fairly warm day. They were not open at 12:00 and told me I would have to return 1/2 hour later. It did not look as welcoming as the first time. Another issue was the air flow. It was hot when my friend and I visited. They had no fan on and no A/C.

This is a great palace to go with a small group of friends. Place is very tiny -- about 8 to 10 tables. I grew up in a Hungarian family with all the traditional Hungarian dishes made with paprika. Hard to find real authentic Hungarian food in NYC. All the shops, cafes, such as Mocca, and bakeries are gone. This place has wonderful pastries which are not to be missed. Better than the Hungarian Pastry Shop on Amsterdam Ave. Also, cafe has a small, but well chosen selection of wines that pair well with rich flavors of Hungarian food.

I visited Andre's Cafe with two friends who make yearly trips to Hungary and swear this is the most authentic Hungarian food they've had in the U.S. This is a small, homey place that serves very good food at a reasonable price. Despite being busy, we were not rushed and were free to enjoy our coffee and desserts after the meal. If you aren't interested in a full meal, the teriffic selection of Hungarian pastries and cakes make this a great bakery stop as well.

This cozy hungarian-themed restaurant is run by a friendly waitress, and she's also the cashier at the same time. Unfortunately, nobody there speaks Hungarian, but she offered us kind service and good lunch.

If you don't go for breakfast or coffee time, or you don't buy a tray of pastries for home, then you might have a problem: the menu is limited and, sometimes, typical dishes are not available. The service is indifferent, as are some of the menu items: for instance, I expected traditional Hungarian bread or traditional Hungarian cheese but got neither. The wine is served in glasses thick as vases, so the price becomes rather high for the actual quantity in the glass. My expectations may have been too high due to the experience at other ethnic cuisine restaurants. In the end, Cafe' Andre' remains just a neighborhood cafe'. Not a bad thing, if what you're looking for is simple cafe' fare.

We have passed this cafe many times and ogled the pastries in the window. It's hard to find a good bakery in this area, and this one supports that observation. I popped in to buy some pastries for my husband and me to have with coffee this afternoon. I bought a chocolate rum cake (a small, single serving mousse covered in chocolate) and a piece of poppyseed strudel. Both were overly sweet and lacking in any distinct flavors. The chocolate rum cake was gummy mouse with a hint of rum flavor and covered in a sort of very sweet chocolate ganache. The poppyseed strudel was also overly sweet, and there was a minimal amount of the flaky, buttery pastry that allows strudel to present such a rich filling. The poppy seeds were not ground but rather used whole, which doesn't release the richness of this flavorful seed in a filling. The two pieces were very expensive, clocking in at $7.00 for a 3.5" by 4" piece of strudel and $6.00 for a single serving of chocolate rum cake. Nothing about either of these pastries made us want to return to sample others.

Egan This place Is nice. Lovely patties. You should visit Can't wait to go back Delicious Yes We are going soon