18 Best Restaurants in Hungary

A favorite of early-20th-century Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy, the Golden Dragon restaurant has been welcoming locals and tourists for decades. Set within a small, sloped-roof house, it's known for its charming Hungarian decor and its meat- and fish-heavy menu; highlights include the velős pirítós (bone marrow on toast), sárkányerøleves (dragon's bouillon) with quail eggs, and mézes-mázas libasteak (honey-glazed goose steak). The extensive wine list offers the inquisitive palate a good sampling of local Hungarian viniculture.

A classic turn-of-the-20th-century gathering spot for Hungarian writers of the Nyugat (West) magazine, this coffeehouse has endured two wars and a communist closure. For 19th-century grandeur in 21st-century comfort, this popular café can't be beat. Coffees are served on silver trays with glasses of mineral water just as in the old days, but these days they are enjoyed in air-conditioned comfort. The menu includes substantial dishes like hortobágyi palacsinta (meat pancakes with paprika sauce) and borjú paprikás (paprika veal stew) all day. Don't miss the excellent cakes and pastries, on view in a glass display case.

An aura of calm permeates this excellent, long-standing Japanese restaurant in the affluent Rószadomb district of Upper Buda. Comfortable club chairs and big windows make you feel miles away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Pest. Tables are set a comfortable distance apart, so that you can watch the Japanese and Hungarian chefs work their craft in this full-service restaurant. Sushi and sashimi are expertly prepared, as are other Japanese specialties such as teriyaki tenderloin with sesame and mushroom tempura. There's even a separate dining room where you can eat at low tables, in traditional Japanese style.

The wicker chairs and café tables of this elegant brasserie, on a quiet and leafy square tucked behind Váci utca, are reminiscent of a scene out of a French movie; the summer terrace is about the prettiest location for lunch in Budapest. At other times of year, visitors can still enjoy the seasonal Hungarian favorites, like sült libacomb (crispy goose leg) in winter and asparagus soup in the spring, in the Parisian bistro-style interior.

For substantial German-style cuisine and frothy beer, head for the popular HBH Bavarian Brewery, which has a great location just off Dobó tér. The cuisine ranges from traditional Hungarian fare such as veal paprikash to Bavarian-style knuckle of ham. Any of these will go down smoothly with a glass of Bull's Blood—or perhaps a Munich Hofbräuhaus, the beer that gives the restaurant its initials.

This pricey but laid-back, sepia-toned neighborhood tavern is on a hard-to-find street near the Óbuda end of the Árpád Bridge. Practically all the food here arrives in huge servings, which was just the way that Hungarian writer Gyula Krúdy (to whom the restaurant is dedicated) liked it when he was a regular customer. Dishes like the hot pot with marrowbone and toast, or lecsó (a stew with a base of onions, peppers, tomatoes, and paprika) are great comfort food on a cool day, and Romani music livens up the place in the evenings.

There are only three tables and a counter at this tiny homestyle restaurant not far from the basilica. It gets a lunch crowd early and bustles well into the evening with downtown professional types. Dishes Hungarian grandmothers make, including goose-dumpling soup and stuffed cabbage with pork, elicit smiles from most patrons.

This hip little cellar establishment, adorned with funky wall (and ceiling) art from Dalí prints to cigarette packs, is the place to have your fill of Hungary's famous rolled-up pancake, the palacsinta. You can choose from any of more than two dozen varieties, from the "Boss's Favorite" (with a filling of pork knuckle, beans, cabbage, and sour cream) to the "Spring Pancake" (sheep's cheese with dill and chives), to banana pancakes with vanilla cream. Servings are lavish and prices quite reasonable. If you order a meat- or vegetable-filled palacsinta, you might ask them to take it easy on the salt.

Meat lovers will be spoiled for choice at this dedicated steak house specializing in imported Argentine beef, where cuts difficult to find in Hungary (like rib eye and New York strip) are aged and lovingly grilled. Steaks can be ordered by weight and come with classic side dishes like jacket potatoes and creamed spinach. The mostly Hungarian wine list is affordable and well-suited to juicy beef dinners.

This restaurant, which has an excellent wine list and specializes in fish and game dishes, is practically on Fø tér. Lace curtains, antique knickknacks, and lovely old paintings give the small upstairs dining room—which is air-conditioned and no-smoking—a homey intimacy; and, perhaps, the restaurant its name: Old-Fashioned (in the best sense, mind you). The downstairs dining room also has a certain antiques-induced charm to it, while the comparatively colorless seating out front carries only the advantage of allowing you to people-watch. The summer terrace, likewise upstairs, is a delightful place to dine alfresco and look out over the red-tile rooftops.

Real Italian pizzas made to order in a brick oven attract a hungry business crowd during the week. Weekends find just as many people enjoying pastas like ravioli with Gorgonzola and walnut sauce or the "priest strangler"—homemade pasta in tomato ragout flambéed with Parmesan cheese. It makes quite a spectacular presentation. The seating here has rustic tables on many levels fenced in by wrought iron. Exposed bricks and hanging plants give the place a Tuscan patio feel.

Visiting Italians tell us this popular trattoria feels pretty authentic, with its bustling waiters, rustic interior, and wooden tables filled with families on Sunday. An antipasti bar in front overflows with marinated artichokes, white-bean salad, and other classic Tuscan treats, and there's a well-worn brick pizza oven in back. The extensive menu boasts some of the best fish in town, including several sea bass options. The little understood mozzarella ventigli pasta with San Marzano tomatoes and fresh oregano (homemade cheese-filled ravioli with garlicky tomatoes and lots of oregano) is a dish to die for.