A writer’s Cafe | Hungarian Pastry Shop, Morningside Heights, NYC
A small short film dedicated to my favorite pastry shop in New York City you should definitely visit when you’re here! Introducing a long time neighborhood staple, Hungarian Pastry Shop.
If you know me, you know the second I move to a new place I hit the ground running for the coffee and pastries. I’m mostly a cappuccino and doughnuts kind of girl, but when I discovered Hungarian Pastry shop just around the corner from my apartment, I knew I’d have to start letting in more than just dougnuts: peach stuffed custard croissants, almond horns, napoleons (that you’re supposed to flip upside down to eat- don’t forget!), and whip cream pastries that taste just as decadent as they look.
It’s not just the dessert that keeps the line long and down the corner. It’s the vibe, the history. This shop is over 60 years old. It’s one of the longest standing in the neighborhood. Famous authors have sat in the low lights of Hungarian Pastry Shop and written their New York Times Best Sellers. Don’t believe me? Just check the frames on the walls honoring books that are now published that were written there. Tables are almost always crowded and you’re almost always tucked in next to a man reading a newspaper, a student writing a paper, or a young family noisily eating dessert for breakfast.
Not only do I love it’s history, I love the space it has created for me as an artist. Sometimes in the winter I sneak up there early in the morning, just as their opening and just as the sun is rising— so I can get a warm cappuccino and write a bit while it’s still quieter. Sometimes in the summer I’m sweating at the tables outside, wondering why I’ve order a cappuccino when it’s 85 degrees outside. But I’m there because I feel that writer’s camaraderie and I need something sweet in my mouth always.
When we first moved to New York City in 2019, cash was a more common use of payment, and I would save every quarter I had for an almond horn. We barely had an income (an artist and a PhD student) back then, so saving quarters was the only way I could grab a little treat at Hungarian. I’ll never forget walking in after a long day, the yellow lights glowing and the sugar still sweet in the air, laying all my quarters on the counter.
I even started hosting AirBnb photography Experiences in Central Park in 2021 and promised I would bring dessert from my favorite local shop— there’s nothing better than watching someone else also enjoy the pastries you’ve sold your soul to. I booked so many sessions, I made it a goal to try every pastry they offered. And I did! They are all fabulous.
I created this short film as the smallest of odes to my neighborhood staple. To me, it portrays that chaotic cafe energy. It’s an ode to the place I wish I could go write every morning. The place so many of my neighbors go to watch the day begin or end (maybe someday when I make it big time as an artist, I really will be writing my Morning Pages there every morning?!). Until then, can I convince you to make the time to grab a pastry there when you’re visiting New York City? If you can stand in this line, you can stand in any line in New York City. While you’re there, check out The Cathedral of St. John just across the street.
