Destination
Type of Restaurant
Type of Meal
Editors Pick
Read More21
Located in the hills of Buda, 21 serves upscale Hungarian cuisine. Adding gourmet flair to traditional specialties like goulash and chicken paprikash, the chef also creates delicious international dishes featuring duck, catfish and roasted foie gras. The restaurant boasts a...
Read More360 Bar
Rooftop bars are having a serious moment in Budapest—one that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The city’s highest is located on the top floor of Paris Department Store, on the upscale fashion street Andrássy Avenue. The striking...
Read MoreBABEL Restaurant
The chef at Babel, Istvan Veres, draws on his Hungarian and Transylvanian roots in his cooking, to create such dishes as roasted lamb with homemade lavender cheese, mashed vegetables and whey.
Read MoreBagolyvár
While Bagolyvar is owned by the folks behind Gundel, one of Budapest’s most sophisticated restaurants, it offers a cozier dining experience with significantly lower prices. Located in a beautiful manor house right next to its sister eatery, Bagolyvar serves upscale...
Read MoreBook Café
This stunning café is worth visiting just to take in the opulent dining room. Located in a historic Art Nouveau and Neoclassical building on the Andrassy Ut, Book Café occupies the second floor of the Alexandra bookstore. It’s great for...
Read MoreCafé Kör
Be sure to make a reservation at this intimate bistro near St. Stephen’s Basilica. The local favorite, which features a small dining room with a vaulted ceiling, faded peach-pink walls and wrought-iron tables, fills up fast, especially during lunch. The...
Read MoreCafé Pierrot
If you’re touring Castle Hill, be sure to stop by this local favorite for lunch. Set in a landmark building that dates from the 13th century, Pierrot opened in 1982 as a coffeehouse, but has since morphed into a fine...
Read MoreCallas
This Art Deco bar and café near the State Opera is transportive, thanks to a great design and Parisian ambiance. The bistro, located on the lovely Andrássy Boulevard, features a huge terrace that practically overflows onto the steps of the...
Read MoreCentral Café
This expansive coffeehouse hails from the height of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (it opened in 1887, and to this day the menu features a selection of Viennese coffee drinks). After closing in 1949, the Café Central was bought in 1997 by...
Read MoreCyrano
Serving delicious French and international dishes, Cyrano is the ideal spot to stop for lunch while traversing Budapest’s shopping streets. In warm weather, the outdoor terrace is prime people-watching real estate. The international wine selection is also very good.
Read MoreDéryné
The book-lined walls of this café/bistro/wine bar create a homey atmosphere where visitors can stop to warm up while walking around the Buda part of the city. Channel the great writers of the historic city and bring your laptop—the café...
Read MoreDuran Szendvics
This sliver of a sandwich takeout shop near St. Stephen’s Basilica is a Budapest institution. You pick from a variety of open-faced canapés, including egg salad, ham and Brie, pickled herring and pepperoni topped with gherkins, that are lined up...
Read MoreGerbeaud
Founded in 1858, Budapest’s most famous coffeehouse sits on pretty Vörösmarty Square, and though it draws tourists, it’s worth a visit if only to sit in the beautifully restored 19th-century space and enjoy a coffee. The most popular pastry here...
Read MoreGerlóczy Cafe
I stumbled upon Gerlóczy Káveház by chance—in a desperate attempt to find an open restaurant around Váci Utca on a Sunday—and ended up returning twice in the course of my weeklong trip. Located on the ground floor of a residential...
Read MoreGOAMAMA Coffee
This small café in the Jewish Quarter serves decadent pastries and a small lunch menu, making it a good place to stop if you’re craving non-Hungarian dishes or something sweet. There are a couple gourmet treats—a chocolate risotto kit and...
Read MoreGresham Bar
If you’re sightseeing in the neighborhood (St. Stephen’s Basilica is nearby), stop by the Four Seasons bar in the Peacock Passage for a cocktail. The surroundings make the somewhat hefty bill bearable: the lounge’s velvet-clad seating areas, under a magnificent...
Read MoreGundel
Budapest’s most famous restaurant is a bit touristy, but definitely worth a visit. The fine-dining spot occupies a picturesque spot in City Park, and the food and service is reliably excellent. A less expensive offshoot, Bagolyvár, is next door.
Read MoreHalászbástya
With fantastic views of Budapest, Halászbástya offers an unforgettable dining experience and is the perfect spot for a special occasion, whether it’s a romantic dinner for two or a birthday party for dozens. The restaurant has multiple dining rooms and...
Read MoreInnio
Steps from St. Stephen’s Basilica lies this casual wine bar, perfect for a low-key evening with spectacular vintages and tasty tapas (each night’s menu also offers two entrée-sized options). All bites, like truffled potato mousse and paprika sausage, come with...
Read MoreLobby Café & Bar
The Hilton, one of few hotels in the Castle Hill district, has a lovely bar with floor-to-ceiling windows. It offers breathtaking views of Pest as well as the well-preserved remains of a medieval Dominican churchyard that the hotel kept intact....
Read MoreMacesz Huszár
From lamb goulash and goat cheese-spinach soufflé to its roast goose platter for two and a beef-laden bowl of mouth-watering matzo ball soup, Macesz Huszár fires on all cylinders. Despite the mostly traditional menu and white-lace tablecloths, international inspiration comes...
Courtesy MáK RestaurantRead MoreMáK Restaurant
Touted as one of the best restaurants in the city, Mák serves a sophisticated degustation menu but in a rustic, relaxed setting with whitewashed brick walls.
Read MoreMenza
Young, fun and inexpensive, Menza is right on buzzing Liszt Ferenc Tér and draws a 20- and 30-something clientele with its modern and traditional Hungarian fare. It has two levels (for a quieter dining experience, ask to be seated on...
Read MoreMúzeum Café & Restaurant
For authentic Hungarian food, try this local favorite, which is near the Hungarian National Museum. Meals are served in a dining room with a gorgeous frescoed ceiling.
Read MoreNew York Café
One of the city’s most famous coffeehouses, the New York Café was the preferred meeting place for intellectuals and artists in the early 1900s. Closed on and off since World War II, it was reopened for good in 2006. It’s...
Read MoreOnyx Restaurant
The atmosphere and food are both neo-Baroque at this Michelin-starred Hungarian restaurant. The “Hungarian Evolution Menu” showcases seasonal, local ingredients prepared in a traditional style with contemporary twists. The chic black, white and yellow interior is cozy and refined and...
Read MoreRosenstein Vendéglö
Locals adore this venerable restaurant, on an unassuming street near Keleti Palyaudvar train station. It’s a bit out of the way, but the hearty, traditional Jewish-Hungarian fare is spot-on.
Read MoreRuszwurm Café
Located in Buda’s Castle Hill district, this venerable café—the city’s oldest—is considered by many locals and loyal visitors to be the best in the city. It’s certainly the most charming: the small patisserie has original cherry wood paneling that dates...
Read MoreSpoon Café & Lounge
Moored on the Pest side of the Danube, right in front of the InterContinental hotel, this riverboat restaurant is a terrific spot for an aperitif or a glass of wine, especially after sunset, when the lights come on in Castle...
Courtesy Stand25Read MoreStand25 Bisztró
Two chefs from Onyx opened this joint in 2017 and shocked everyone when it turned out to be in a food court. The dishes, which are updated takes on classic Hungarian cuisine, are excellent.
Read MoreSzimpla Kert
The oldest and most famous ruin bar in Budapest, Szimpla Kert is a must for all first-time visitors. From the outside, it is little more than a dilapidated building, but the gritty-chic interior is a wonderland of creativity and Wonka-esque...
Read MoreTerminal
Since opening in 2014, this airy eatery in Elizabeth Square has been a go-to spot for serious foodies. Located in the Design Terminal (a former bus station turned state agency that fosters Hungarian creative industries), the spacious restaurant features streamlined,...
Read MoreTom George
If ever there was a restaurant that launched a thousand fusion eateries in Budapest, it’s Tom George, a lively hot spot that opened in 2002. The retro-chic dining room continues to draw an enviable mix of sophisticated locals and stylish...
