Even though I live quite nearby, and love classic old cafés, until last night it had been quite a while since I’d stopped in at the Művész Kávéház, one of Budapest’s handful of genuine “landmark” cafés.
At some point within the last year or so, the café got a “light” renovation, meaning no major structural work. Still, there are some big changes. First of all, they seem to have finally figured out how much better the atmosphere can be if you just dim the lights a bit. They also moved the cake window to a less conspicuous corner spot in the back room, meaning the front area is now all glorious wrap-around bar and banquettes. Romantic!
But here’s where it gets weird. The pale gold damask walls now feature lots of black and white photos of obviously non-Hungarian singers, mostly African-American and Latin stars from way back. And at least last night the music oscillated between classic jazz and Latin and more modern stuff perilously close to disco. There is also a pair of candelabra-like lamps in the front windows with deep red lampshades, sort of like what you’d expect to see in a play about a Paris whorehouse circa 1929, and some jarring red neon under the front bar. None of it is terribly bad, just sort of strange, given how hopped-up many Hungarians get whenever a piece of living Hungarian history gets culture jammed like this.
Happily, at least judging from what I tried (a slice each of rich chocolate-orange cake and Esterházy torta) the cakes seemed better than ever. And all that hipping-up seems to have only added 15% or 20% to the prices. Best of all, there wasn’t a giant plastic chef to be seen. Give it a try.
…I think the most jarring thing about this new incarnation is that on weekends they bring in a DJ, playing minimal ambient house and stuff like that. And strangely, it works.
For me, the make over stinks. Hate the DJ crap, too. The extra light helps, but a lot of the newer staff are your standard look good, act aloof types. One or two survived the change and they are great. Most of all I’m just peeved that last year you use to be able to get almost any pastry/cake after 20h00 for 100ft. The changes (new management) brought an to that. Service is as patchy as ever. Despite my griping, it’s a lot better than any other place on Andrassy for coffee (everywhere else stinks – coffee and atmosphere – no matter how much you pay).
like you i’ve not been there for a LONG time despite being just around the corner from them. the service was always very poor (with very few exceptions) it was snooty at best and the pastries are made with gelatin as the cream cakes slice up with a sharp edge, WTF? like a block of cheese rather than cream. i remember when cream cakes were made with cream. MAYBE i’ll give it a try but lately i’ve avoided it as just another tourist trap. really too bad as it is a great location and with the same effort could be a stunning little spot.
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
… [Trackback]…
[...] Read More: chew.hu/muvesz_kavehaz_gets_cool/ [...]…
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Trackback…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Gems form the internet…
[...]very few websites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Cool sites…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Cool sites…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
… [Trackback]…
[...] Read More here: chew.hu/muvesz_kavehaz_gets_cool/ [...]…
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Cool sites…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Tumblr article…
I saw someone talking about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Yahoo results…
While browsing Yahoo I discovered this page in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Digg…
While checking out DIGG yesterday I noticed this…
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Skipflyz2…
Great blog post, saw on…
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
Great article…
You can definitely see your enthusiasm within the work you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart. “In order to preserve your self-respect, it is sometimes…
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this place…
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Looking around…
I like to browse in various places on the web, regularly I will just go to Digg and read and check stuff out…
Its hard to find good help…
I am constantnly saying that its difficult to procure good help, but here is…
Wikia…
Wika linked to this place…
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Wikia…
Wika linked to this site…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here yesterday, so I just took to piddeling around on the internet and realized…
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Gems form the internet…
[...]very few websites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]……
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and accurate information but here I noted…
Dreary Day…
It was a dreary day here yesterday, so I just took to messing around online and realized…
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
Cool sites…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[...]……