The Hungarian Pastry Shop

The Hungarian Pastry Shop: 1030 Amsterdam Ave, NYC

My dear, busy boyfriend is working today (not just on a Sunday, but on a Sunday that is also Halloween!), so I ventured out on my own again. I got paid on Friday, so I thought I'd hit up an ATM and return to the Hungarian Pastry Shop, where my lack of cash prevented me from buying breakfast on my Thursday morning walk. I'm told the Hungarian Pastry Shop is a local institution. It certainly was packed when I wandered in this afternoon, so full of escapees from nearby Columbia University that I wasn't sure I'd find a seat. Stickers on the door told me the shop is Zagat rated and recommended by City Rover and Let's Go!, so my expectations were high as I placed my order for a slice of carrot cake and a small coffee. The service is the kind of brusque I expect in NYC (is that just a Midwestern prejudice?): the woman behind the counter seems mildly irritated by my attempts to pay and motions me to have a seat in the small, crowded room. Apparently, they will bring me both my food and my check.

The atmosphere is the kind I look for in a coffee shop. It's dim and funky, with walls covered in random posters and mis-matched art, big plants in the windows, and vintage light fixtures over the tables. Now that I've found a table, I like the crowd. It's amusing to eavesdrop on the studying undergrads and the constant, loud hum forms a protective barrier – I could sit here all day and no one would bother me. There's no wireless available – it's always a downside when you can't work in a cafe – but this would be a pleasant place to hang out or a good place to suggest you and your secret crush go for coffee.

When my carrot cake arrives, however, I'm underwhelmed. I come from a family of exceedingly talented cooks and bakers (is this a gift or a curse?), so it's hard to impress me with food. The carrot cake is nice, but I'm not blown away – I'd rather have my aunt's carrot cake any day. I feel slightly guilty that I didn't order the shop's “specialty” - I didn't even ask what it is – and maybe it isn't fair to judge the Hungarian Pastry Shop against a beloved family recipe. Still, my current impression is that the pastries here are a step above standard coffee shop fare, but nothing to write home about. Though it is nice to see Eastern European specialties like sacher torte on the menu.

My carrot cake may be so-so and my coffee only fine, but it's still a pleasure to sit here, listen to the two girls beside me studying Bourdieu, and write this review. Given that there aren't many independent coffee shops in the near vicinity, I would probably come back, but not before I had explored what else the neighborhood has to offer.

Food: Average

Atmosphere: Dim, cosy, crowded

Price: Inexpensive (coffee and carrot cake for $6)

Bottom line: Go if you like crowded, funky coffee shops - the food isn't the draw

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding