Where to eat in Budapest: my 45 favourite restaurants
Nobody eats well following the tour buses. These are the 45 restaurants in Budapest I'd send a friend to: the cheap neighbourhood place, the one locals keep to themselves, the splurge that's genuinely worth it. No photo menus.
Book a TableNew York Café★ 4 · CaféBilled as «the most beautiful café in the world»: a jaw-dropping 1894 Italian-Renaissance hall of gilded columns, frescoed ceilings, marble and chandeliers. Directions
Book a TableStreet Food Karavan Budapest★ 4.3 · Street foodAn open-air street-food court right next to Szimpla Kert in the ruin-bar district: a cluster of trucks and stalls dishing langos, burgers, gyros and craft beer at picnic tables. Directions
Book a TableCirkusz Café★ 4.7 · Brunch / CaféOne of the Jewish Quarter's most-loved brunch spots: a small, buzzy room turning out excellent eggs, shakshuka, pancakes and proper coffee to a young local crowd. Directions
Book a TableKét Szerecsen★ 4.6 · Hungarian / MediterraneanA long-running, always-lively bistro a step from the Opera, serving a crowd-pleasing mix of Hungarian and Mediterranean plates, tapas-style sharing dishes and good wine. Directions
Book a TableSzabad Bisztró★ 4.7 · Modern HungarianA bright modern bistro doing seasonal, contemporary Hungarian cooking: fresh, well-priced plates that lean lighter than the usual pork-and-dumplings. Directions
Book a TableStika Gastropub★ 4.8 · GastropubA friendly gastropub pairing a strong craft-beer line-up with elevated pub plates. Directions
Book a TableBoutiq Bar★ 4.7 · Cocktail barRegularly named among Budapest's best cocktail bars: an intimate, speakeasy-ish room where expert bartenders mix classics and creative drinks to order. Directions
Book a TableCafé Vian Liszt Ferenc tér★ 4.3 · Café / BistroA relaxed all-day café-bistro on leafy Liszt Ferenc tér, perfect for coffee, cake or a light meal while people-watching from the terrace. Directions
Book a TableNapfényes Restaurant and Confectionery★ 4.6 · VeganBudapest's best-known vegan restaurant and confectionery: plant-based versions of Hungarian classics (schnitzel, goulash) plus a cabinet of beautiful vegan cakes. Directions
Book a TableBamba Marha Burger Bár - Bazilika★ 4.5 · BurgersA popular Hungarian burger chain doing juicy, properly-built burgers with quality beef and fresh buns. Directions
Book a TableZING BURGER & Co. | Király 20★ 4.3 · BurgersOne of the city's favourite burger joints: smash-style patties, good fries and craft sodas, in the buzzing Király utca party district. Directions
Book a TablePizza Manufaktura★ 4.7 · PizzaHonest, well-made Neapolitan-style pizza from a wood-fired oven, at fair prices. Directions
Book a TableGringos Amigos★ 4.4 · MexicanA long-standing, popular Mexican spot doing generous burritos, tacos and quesadillas: a fun, filling, budget-friendly change of pace in central Pest. Directions
Book a TableVegan Garden★ 4.5 · VeganA relaxed open-air vegan street-food garden in the Jewish Quarter: plant-based langos, burgers, gyros and bowls at communal tables. Directions
Book a TableKozmosz Vegan Restaurant★ 4.5 · VeganA welcoming sit-down vegan restaurant serving generous plant-based takes on Hungarian comfort food. Directions
Book a TableElesztohaz★ 4.5 · Craft beer / ruin pubA sprawling craft-beer ruin pub (Élesztőház) in Buda with dozens of Hungarian and international beers on tap, a big courtyard and a laid-back local crowd. Directions
Book a TableRuszwurm Confectionery★ 4.2 · Temporarily closed · Café / Confectionery⚠️ Temporarily closed: check before you go. Directions
Book a TableFor Sale Pub★ 4.5 · €8–€20 · Pub / HungarianA famously quirky pub by the Central Market Hall where the floor is ankle-deep in peanut shells and every surface is plastered with thousands of handwritten notes and cards left by visitors. Directions
Book a TableTwentysix Budapest★ 4.4 · Free · Garden bar / BrunchA hidden indoor-garden bar and bistro near the Opera: a lush, jungle-like courtyard packed with hundreds of plants under a glass roof, a surprise green oasis in the middle of the city. Directions
Book a Table360 Bar★ 4.3 · Rooftop barOne of Budapest's most popular rooftop bars, perched above Andrássy Avenue with a near 360° panorama of the city. Directions
Á la Maison Breakfast and Brunch Restaurant★ 4.3 · Ft4000–14000 · BrunchAll-day brunch on Szervita tér, a minute from Váci utca, and one of the busiest breakfast rooms in the city centre. Directions
Book a TableAnalog Café★ 4.8 · Specialty coffeeA cosy specialty-coffee spot loved by Budapest's coffee crowd: carefully sourced beans, skilled baristas and a relaxed, design-minded room for a proper flat white and a slice of cake. Directions
Anna Café★ 4.2 · Ft2000–12000 · Café · CakesA Váci utca institution with a long counter of cakes and a terrace pointed straight at the busiest pedestrian street in Budapest. Directions
Bamba Marha Burger Bár - Deak★ 4.5 · Ft4000–6000 · BurgersThe Deák Ferenc tér branch of the Hungarian burger chain, right at the metro interchange where three lines meet. Directions
Bamba Marha Burger Bár - Ferenciek★ 4.6 · Ft4000–6000 · BurgersTucked into Haris köz, a quiet passage just off Ferenciek tere and the shopping streets. Directions
Black Swan Budapest★ 4.5 · Ft6000–18000 · Cocktail barA proper cocktail bar on Klauzál utca in the Jewish Quarter, for people who want a drink mixed with care instead of a ruin bar queue. Directions
Brunch Bistro Budapest★ 4.6 · Ft4000–12000 · BrunchBig, generous brunch plates on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út, walkable from both the Basilica and Deák tér. Directions
Cafe Brunch Budapest - Opera★ 4.6 · Ft4000–12000 · BrunchSet on a side street behind the Opera House, this is the quieter address for the same kind of loaded brunch plates the city has fallen for. Directions
Cat Cafe★ 4.3 · Cat caféCoffee, cake and resident cats wandering between the tables, on R évay utca near the Opera. Directions
Cosy Café Budapest★ 4.8 · BrunchOne of the highest rated brunch rooms in Budapest, out on Szondi utca in District VI, away from the tourist streets. Directions
Double Shot Partisan Coffee★ 4.6 · Ft4000–6000 · Specialty coffee · BrunchSpecialty coffee and a short brunch menu on Veres Pálné utca, in the quiet grid behind Váci utca. Directions
GoodBar GoodBurger★ 4.6 · Ft4000–6000 · BurgersKecskeméti utca burger spot near Kálvin tér, popular with the university crowd that lives in this part of District V. Directions
Grumpy Food Bar Coffee★ 4.8 · Ft4000–6000 · Café · BreakfastDespite the name, one of the friendliest small rooms in the Jewish Quarter, on Klauzál utca. Directions
Hard Rock Cafe★ 4.5 · AmericanThe Budapest branch of the global chain, on Deák Ferenc utca in the middle of the shopping district. Directions
Honey★ 4.5 · Ft4000–6000 · BrunchA small brunch and coffee room on Sas utca, the restaurant street that runs beside St. Directions
Jamie Oliver's Diner Budapest★ 4.4 · Ft4000–14000 · Diner · BurgersAn American diner under the Jamie Oliver name on Király utca, at the edge of the Jewish Quarter. Directions
Katakomba - drink & darts★ 4.8 · Ft2000–4000 · Bar · DartsA cellar bar with darts boards on Szondi utca, cheap drinks and a local crowd rather than a stag party one. Directions
Book a TableLeo Rooftop Budapest★ 4.3 · €€€€ · cocktails ~€14 · Rooftop cocktail barThe glamorous rooftop bar & restaurant atop Hotel Clark at the Buda foot of the Chain Bridge: sleek glass walls frame a head-on view of the Chain Bridge, the Danube and Parliament. Directions
Lumen Café★ 4.4 · Ft2000–4000 · Café · BarCafé by day and bar by night on Horánszky utca in District VIII, with tables out on the small square in front. Directions
PASTA★ 4.4 · Ft2000–4000 · Pasta · TakeawayCounter service pasta at Kálvin tér: pick a shape, pick a sauce, eat for the price of a coffee and cake elsewhere in town. Directions
Steamhouse Cafe★ 4.6 · Ft2000–4000 · Coffee · CakesOver on the Buda side at Batthyány tér, a few steps from the square with the postcard view across the river to Parliament. Directions
Tahina Bite Vegan Food★ 4.8 · Ft2000–4000 · VeganA tiny vegan counter on Wesselényi utca in the Jewish Quarter, rated as highly as restaurants ten times its size. Directions
Vega City★ 4.5 · Ft2000–4000 · Vegetarian · VeganLong-running vegetarian canteen on Múzeum körút, next door to the Hungarian National Museum. Directions
ZING BURGER & Co. | Kálvin★ 4.5 · Ft2000–4000 · BurgersThe Kálvin tér branch of the smash burger chain, on the corner where the metro, the trams and the walk down to the Great Market Hall all meet. Directions
ZING BURGER & Co. | Oktogon★ 4.5 · Ft2000–4000 · BurgersSitting right on Oktogon where Andrássy út crosses the ring road, this is the ZING branch to use when walking the avenue between the Opera and Heroes' Square. Directions
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