Nestled next to the Danube and in the heart of the fertile Carpathian Basin, it’s no surprise that Budapest and its enchanting imperial streets are home to some of the best food to be found in Europe. The Hungarian capital proudly showcases what the nation’s food has to offer, from hearty traditions like ginormous lángos and rich paprikas to daring Michelin-starred innovators. Budapest is very much a foodie’s city with an awful lot to offer. In no particular order, here’s our top picks.
Lángos Papa
This cosy restaurant on the sprawling boulevard of Andrássy Avenue in the city centre dedicates itself to the lángos – Hungarian deep-fried bread. If you’ve never had it, this is comfort food at its most decadent and Lángos Papa is a good spot to try them. They do reasonably priced three-course menus (for about 10 EUR – including dessert lángos). We recommend trying a chicken paprikas lángos. While theirs are good, it can feel a little touristy and the service isn’t great. In fact the best place we had lángos was a garlic lángos at a stand in Keleti station on our way to Vienna.
Read more on their website here.
Fülemüle Étterem
Fülemüle Étterem (meaning, I believe, Nightingale Restaurant) is a traditional family-run restaurant in the city’s trendy Jewish Quarter that blends both mouth-watering Jewish and Hungarian specialties, leading to very rich and hearty results. The restaurant also stocks a good wine list. We highly recommend their goose and latkes for a main course with their chocolate matzas to finish.
Read more on their website here.
Street Food Karaván
Right next to the iconic ruin bar Szimpla Kert on Kazinczy Street (you can read our guide to the city’s ruin bars here), Street Food Karaván is a bustling outdoor food court that’s home to several of the city’s street food movers and shakers. This is a good spot to try Hungarian lángos, chimney cake, goulash in bread bowls or Hungarian sausages, but there’s a few non-Hungarian cuisine pop ups there as well if you fancy something else.
Read more on their website here.
Menza
Arguably our favourite restaurant in Budapest, this restaurant just off Andrássy Avenue reinvents the cafes of the city’s socialist past and serves a great selection of Hungarian and non-Hungarian dishes that are always cooked to perfection with an innovative approach. Their lángos with garlic soup is fantastic, as is their extensive wine list and bar. Menza is also a good spot to sample a Hungarian spritzer, known as a fröccs (you can read more about Hungarian wines here). You can read our review of Menza here.
Read more on their website here.
Rosenstein Vendéglő
Just around the corner from the aforementioned Keleti station, this restaurant serves up a mix of Hungarian and Jewish dishes with superb results. Although it’s a little further out of the city centre, its Mangalica pork alone is worth the trip – not to mention their wines, their goose or Mont Blanc. Odd that we had the best pork of our lives in a Jewish restaurant, but Rosenstein’s garlic Mangalica proves why it has a reputation as the Kobe beef of pork. Read our review here.
You can read more about them on their website here.
Borkonyha
With its name being the Hungarian for ‘Winekitchen’, Borkonyha suits this place perfectly. The restaurant stocks hundreds of Hungarian wines with their staff being more than happy to provide tastings and recommendations. It focuses on traditional Hungarian ingredients and flavours, yet always with a fascinating twist that is both a visual and gastronomic delight. Despite its Michelin Star, it feels laid back and the prices are perfectly reasonable with around 10 EUR for a main and 70 for a tasting menu. You can read our review here.
Read more on their website here.
Chez Dodo
Just a few doors down from Borkonyha on Sas Utca, just around the corner from St Stephen’s Basilica, Chez Dodo is home to Dóri Szalai’s remarkable and inspired macaron creations. Constantly experimenting with flavours, Chez Dodo’s macaron menu is ever changing but constantly delicious.
Read more on their website here.
Napfényes Étterem és Cukrászda
Hungarian cuisine can be very meat heavy, which poses something of a barrier to vegetarian and vegan visitors to the country when wanting to explore its food traditions. This is where the likes of Napfényes in Budapest come in, showcasing Hungarian and international cuisine that’s not only entirely vegan but also caters to range of other dietary requirements like low-carb and lactose-free diets. Oh, and they’re a bakery too. Read our review of this friendly establishment here.
Read more on their website here.
Buddies Burger
With a couple of spots in Budapest, this city burger chain’s burgers are among the best we’ve had with a great price to match. Try their Marmite burger with a local craft beer (you can read more about the Hungarian beer scene here).
Read more on their website here.
Aragvi
Should you want something a little different, head to Aragvi to sample a few traditional Georgian dishes and wines. With an interior that reminded us of a parallel universe Indian curry house in the South Wales Valleys, Aragvi is a little out of the way but its hachapuri, walnut chicken and peppermint cheese (kind of like halloumi) more than make up for it. Try a glass of Rkatsiteli too. If Aragvi is a little too far out, head for Hachapuri in the city centre for more Georgian food.
Read more on Aragvi’s website here.
Sugar!
This confectionary and sweet shop on Paulay Ede Street creates experlty crafted delicious cakes and sweet treats that will have you breathing heavily for a good hour or two afterwards. If you fancied something small, try one of their macarons or cupcakes and if you feel like you deserve it, treat yourself to a flowerpot or unicorn cake.
Read more on their website here.
Cat Café
The Cat Café on Revay Street is more worth a trip because of their friendly, fluffy cats than their cakes or coffee, but they’re still pretty good – I think, I was distracted. This is a brilliant place to unwind in the city centre with a strong cup of Hungarian coffee and a cat sandpaper-licking your hand.
Read more on their website here.
Gelarto Rosa
Just a short walk from Chez Dodo lies Gelarto Rosa, an ice cream parlour in the heart of Budapest on St Stephen’s Square. Not only is their ice cream fantastic, they also serve it to you in the shape of the rose. Great for a hot summer’s day in Budapest.
Read more on their website here.
Street Cakes
Kürtőskalács (Hungarian chimney cakes) are a sweet staple in the region, but this place on Andrássy Avenue make them an artform. They customise your chimney cake exactly how you want it, filling it with everything from ice cream to Túró Rudi as they make it before your eyes.
Read more on their website here.
Pesti Mese
This traditional Hungarian restaurant on Andrássy Avenue was essentially next to where we stayed in Budapest and we probably wouldn’t have gone in otherwise, but we’re glad we did. Their cheese and meat platter – especially their Mangalica bacon – was superb, as was the Hungarian catfish paprika soup we had afterwards.
Read more on their website here.
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