Those with an interest in Hungarian art—both decorative and fine—should visit the excellent Ernst Galéria, adjacent to the Café Central. It’s run by a chic husband-and-wife team, the Greek-born Elena Korani and the Viennese Ernst Wastl (the two met on a plane, naturally), who have been based in Budapest for more than a decade. Wastl, an expert in Hungarian, Austrian and Central European art, is known for making bold bids for pieces that capture his imagination. In 2005, he made headlines when he purchased Lady with a Birdcage I, a haunting painting by 19th-century artist József Rippl-Rónai, for a record-breaking sum and stated his desire to see the work back in a Hungarian collection.

The Ernst Galéria, housed on the ground floor of an elegant Art Nouveau building, is a variable trove of fine and applied arts, including paintings, furniture, ceramics and an acclaimed collection of old film posters (which have been exhibited at the Walter Reade Theater at New York’s Lincoln Center). But it’s the whimsical pieces that truly showcase the humor and passion with which the couple run this place: during my last visit, the gallery was dominated by Milky Way, a life-size cow sculpture studded with more than 13,000 Swarovski crystals. Wastl purchased it during a charity auction (proceeds went to Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp). Closed Sunday.