99 Best Restaurants in Hungary

Splendid food and picture-perfect views across the river are on offer at this gorgeously situated restaurant attached to the baths of the same name. You can make a day of it with a soak and a feast, or come to the restaurant on its own to enjoy the peerless panoramic vista from the fairy-lit terrace, often accompanied by music.

The first European outlet of Wolfgang Puck's celebrated Beverly Hills restaurant, Spago Budapest's eclectic menu reveals a wide range of influences, from Hungarian and American to Mediterranean and Asian. Expect everything from spicy sushi rolls to buffalo steak tartare, corn-fed roast chicken to house-smoked salmon pizza—all immaculately presented and full of flavor. The gorgeous interior includes an open kitchen, allowing you to see the dishes come together, but the best seats are to be had out on the large terrace, which runs along Duna utca. Start or end your meal with a signature Spago cocktail like the Sakura Manga (made with rum, cherry liqueur, mango, and coconut).

The closest you’ll get to a New York-style chophouse in Budapest. Stex oozes old world charm, from its dark wood furniture and soft table lighting to its pared-back menu of aged steaks, grilled fish, and red-sauce pastas. Contrary to what one might think, the name doesn’t refer to its cuts of meat, but to its founder: Alfred Stex, a Hungarian gambler who found success in the U.S. before the war brought him home. Be sure to sample the fresh, unpasteurized Dreher beer, served straight from their massive copper tanks.

Tasty, traditional Buda grub—from beef goulash to pork schnitzel, perch fillet to duck thigh—is the order of the day at this popular restaurant. Expect hearty portions, good prices, and quick service. Save space for a classic Hungarian dessert, from pancakes stuffed with poppy seed to the chocolate-walnut sponge cake.

Real Italian pizzas from a brick oven attract a hungry business crowd during the week. Weekends see just as many people indulging in pastas like ravioli with Gorgonzola and walnut sauce or the "priest strangler"—homemade pasta in tomato ragout flambéed with Parmesan. Rustic tables fenced in by wrought iron, exposed bricks, and hanging plants all give the place a Tuscan patio feel. There's a pizza bar next door, an upscale osteria across the street, plus a popular gelato shop, all from the same owners.

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.

Probably the best burger joint in town, West Kiraly BRGR has a huge menu of perfectly grilled patties, as well as special editions like a beef brisket burger and a pulled pork burger—as well as a "beyond vegan" option. All the burgers are available in three different sizes, according to appetite, while there are also sandwiches and ciabattas available. Everything is delicious but also expensive, especially as sides like fries and coleslaw cost extra. Factor in a few drinks (choose from local wines or Czech and German beers) and you can anticipate a sizeable final bill.

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.