6Centrál Cafe
Centrál is one of the few remaining coffeehouses dating back to Budapest’s golden era before WWI. At the time, the city was swarming with elegant cafés such as Centrál where people spent endless caffeine-fueled hours working and socializing under the sky-high ceilings (today, one of Central's walls is blanketed in framed photos of writers, poets, and editors who were once regulars).
Centrál didn't escape Budapest’s tragic post-war history – nationalization, decay, closure; although the new venue played an important role in the dissemination of rock and roll music in 1960s Communist Hungary. In 2000, Centrál was restored to its former glory. The place wears many hats these days, but it is best known for its grand interior, breakfast all-day offerings, and delicious homemade pastries (Esterházy! Dobos! Pistachio cake!).
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