The Hungarian Pastry Shop — Restaurant in New York

BEWARE: "Poor business ethics" The female manager, with the Euro accent, possibly Hungarian, I'm assuming, is not a well polished manager/owner with true consumer oriented business ethics.

BACKGROUND: We called before entering, to ask if it was OK to bring in bagel sandwiches purchased close by at the Absolute Bagel Shop. Our intent was also to purchase and enjoy their coffee and pastries. Whoever responded over the phone said it was OK and that there would be no problem. When we got there, we purchased two coffees and a chocolate pastry which honestly were decent. When we proceeded to sit down and enjoy the pastries and sandwiches, we were informed by a young blondish haired woman with tattoos on both arms that it was not acceptable to bring food in from the outside. I explained that we got it cleared with someone over the phone that it was OK to bring sandwiches from another venue. I then proceeded to appeal the situation to the manager who flatly denied our request just the same. She could've reconsidered and warned us that it was OK this time, but not to do it again, but didn't. We are a well groomed family visiting from California with a child. We should've been given the benefit of the doubt, but weren't. In fact, one older gentleman sitting next to us was nodding his head in disgust that we were being basically tossed out of the establishment for a reason that was in fact flimsy and not consumer oriented.

POSSIBLE RAMIFICATIONS: I am a 67 year old visiting from out of town as indicated with a wholesome appearance and family. We are not scalawags or dirtbags from off the street. The weather outside was atrociously hot, 90 degrees to be exact, with an air quality alert. The heat was comparable to what I would say would be a very high desert heat, probably due to the humidity. People in my age range, under those conditions, have been known to suffer heat stroke with debilitating aftermaths and even death. Luckily, this did not happen, but had it, their decision would've definitely left them open to legal liability and action. I will not be returning and I will tell all those I know, who come frequently to visit this area, to stay away and not give them business. ... And believe me, I know plenty of people in high standing in...

We went to check out this spot, popular among any and all writers, for some sweets. It was crowded, but we managed to find a small table.

All the pastries looked interesting and tasty, but you can’t really tell which one is what, as they don’t have any signage. It is also not easy to take a look at all of them, as people line up in front of the show windows to order and pay.

The first item we tried was a slice of Lemon Cake. It had coconut crust on the bottom. Nice flavor combination of tart lemon and sweet coconut.

Then we tried chocolate cookie sandwich? I believe it is Ishler. It was described as “two hazelnut cookies with bittersweet chocolate cream.” It tasted more like ginger cookies… It had loads of chocolate in the middle that was tough and hard, I wouldn’t call it a “cream” by any means… A bit messy to eat, since you have to bite into it, as the filling is too hard and thick to cut with knife. It was still way too much sugar and too sweet.

The last item we tried was Éclair. This was the only item that I could say “light” or maybe it tasted light in comparison to the other items??? It had chocolate cream and Bavarian or custard cream?

There were many customers with their laptop, and you could tell they have been there for a long time… And they seems to NOT care about others looking for a seat. I saw a couple using 3 tables (6 chairs), with their personal items spread all over so that no one can share the table.

The pastries were nice, but all too sweet for my taste buds… It will be perfect for super sweet teeth...

Great cosy atmosphere, with lots of students on their laptops.

4 Oct 2019: Arrived at 10.30pm, and it was still crowded despite it being 15min to closing time. Nabbed a table as other people were leaving and stayed to have an almond half-circle thing which I don’t know the name of (whoops!) which tasted like Amaretto biscuits, as well as a hot chocolate (nice and warming, I think it was the version without added sugar - they asked if I wanted it with sugar) and a latte (apparently also very nice). Bought a cream cheese and cherry strudel to have at home - the cream cheese part was great, the cherry bit not quite to my liking but would appeal to people who want their cherries sweet rather than tart.

5 Oct 2019: Walked past in the morning and popped in to buy a few things to take away. I had the hot chocolate again, with sugar this time I think as it seemed a lot sweeter, still good though. Apparently the cappuccino was great except that we accidentally ordered it with sugar, which wasn’t everyone’s favourite but was our mistake. Also shared an almond croissant - I imagine that if you like croissants to be quite crunchy outside and fluffy inside this may not be your cup of tea, as the outside is relatively soft, but personally I loved it - possibly the best almond croissant I’ve ever had, with the almond paste and pastry blending together wonderfully.

Quick warning that it’s cash only, but there’s a bank a block away.

Food: 5/5 Ambience:...