How To Dine and Drink in Style in Budapest

While always known for its electric nightlife and stunning architecture, Budapest’s gastronomical scene has long been overlooked. For many years, your options were limited to Hungarian classics served in shabby canteens – fuel for the working masses and not much – or fancy cuisine served in stuffy restaurants.

However, in the last few years, a foodie culture has descended on the city, as a new wave of chefs mix influences from near and far in new cafes, bars, street food and restaurants that are opening up – and thriving – all over the city.

For visitors to the city, this is an exciting time, and we want to be your guide to what’s available.

Breakfast in Budapest

Photo: facebook.com/stikabudapest

Every good day starts with a good breakfast, and Budapest has lots to offer in this respect – particularly in the city’s Jewish Quarter, the veritable hub of culture and cool in Budapest.

One of our favorites is Stika, a breakfast joint that tries to emulate the hip barebones style that’s popular in NYC right now and also moonlights as a wine bar. On the menu, you’ll find breakfast classics like poached eggs with crispy bacon, as well as more lunchtime appropriate options like their “dirty love” cheeseburger.

Fekete

Photo: facebook.com/feketekv

Another place worth checking out is Fekete – which means black in Hungarian – and serves as a perfect escape, being secluded inside the courtyard of a charming old building. Apart from great coffee, one particularly worth-trying dish is the croque-monsieur.

Zoska

Photo: facebook.com/zoskabudapest

Meanwhile, just around the corner lies Zoska, slightly off the beaten track, and decorated to feel a little like an old English tea room. The tea is, as expected, great, as is their sumptuous selection of cakes which are made fresh daily.

Szimply

Photo: facebook.com/szimplyfood

Finally, no breakfast guide would be complete without an honorary mention for the new kid on the block Szimply. Following the trend of breakfast places that seclude themselves from the masses, Szimply can be found nestled down a small passageway just on the edge of the Jewish Quarter. Be sure to try their avocado toast topped with arugula, figs and goat cheese.

A stop for coffee and cakes

Budapest is a city built for wanderers. Head off in any direction – and you will – and you’ll find grand squares, charming side streets, and cute boutique stores. You’ll also find coffee shops, to which we’re devoting the next section of this guide.

New wave coffee hit Budapest hard. For a population used to being served their caffeine black and without the smile, coffee shops that looked more like bars and that served a coffee you could actually linger and enjoy were a hit.

Hopaholic

Photo: dailynewshungary.com

Or, there’s Hopaholic which, as the name suggests, caters to those with a real taste for good craft beers – it’s located just a little away from the action of the Jewish Quarter, and it’s a big place with plenty of nooks to sit and relax in. And, if you like drinking in a cellar, head down inside Léhűtő – a small place with some big name craft beers and a relaxed atmosphere.

Doblo Wine & Bar

Photo: budapestwine.com

And, this wouldn’t be a worthy drinking guide if we didn’t give a shout out to Doblo Wine Bar. Enter speakeasy-style through some curtains that shroud the door and feel like you’ve entered a cozy cellar – complete with dim table lighting and an enticing floor-to-ceiling wine rack behind the bar.

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