42 Best Restaurants in Hungary

Whatever you do in Tihany, don't miss this extraordinary hilltop bakery-café. Not only does it have the best coffee and cake anywhere in town, with many of the brews and bakes incorporating Tihany's signature crop lavender, but its terrace offers breathtaking views across the shimmering blue waters of Lake Balaton. And they don't only do cakes: there's also a great choice of ice creams—including, you guessed it, lavender flavor—as well as light bites from sandwiches to salads. Located just below the Benedictine Abbey, Apátsági Rege is rightly popular, so prepare to wait for a table in high season.

Half hidden behind the Budapest-Tabán Church (the entrance is on that side of the building, not on Döbrentei utca itself), this excellent little cake shop is a popular option among locals for weddings and special events. Luckily, visitors can also get a taste of their freshly baked treats; simply head inside to order your coffees and cakes, then take them to the one of tables outside.

Cheap, fresh, and tasty, Duran's open-faced sandwiches are the ideal quick lunch or snack to power your day. Choose from cured meats or smoked fish, local cheese or vegetable spreads, all on sliced soft white baguette. The family dates its baking history to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and its first Budapest sandwich spot to 1968.

This traditional Viennese-style coffeehouse has one of the most beautiful interiors in Kecskemét, with elaborate wall frescoes, gorgeous mosaic floors, and gold-framed mirrors. Come for the decor, stay for the decorative cakes and pastries, from distinctly Hungarian creations like somlói kocka to French patisserie classics like éclairs and macarons. There are vegan cakes and pastries, too, as well as a small selection of sandwiches and other savory options.

Opened in summer 2023, this small Bartók Béla út gelato place has quickly gained a following for its array of innovative ice cream flavors, including fresh fig and walnut, gooseberry and elderflower, and white chocolate with saffron and lemon. There are also several dessert-inspired cones, including lemon pie and Sachertorte, along with one-flavor classics like pistachio, raspberry, and mango.

This little bakery serves some of the best bread in the city, as well as lip-smacking savory and sweet pastries. It's popular with locals, so don't be surprised to find queues outside at breakfast and lunchtime.

This out-of-the-way bakery and cake shop, a good 20-minute walk from the center, has display cabinets crammed with mouthwatering confections, from honey cream slices to chocolate profiteroles, apple poppy cake to smoked cheese scones. Inside, it appears to be just a small take-out place, but stroll around the back to discover a lovely, sprawling terrace and garden, complete with kids' play area.

This cute little café is within walking distance of the Castle District's top sights, but far enough off the tourist path to not feel or operate like a tourist trap. You'll find warm and friendly service along with delicious cakes and toasted sandwiches. In cooler weather the terrace is a lovely spot to linger with blankets and coffees or mulled wine.

Venture down an unassuming side street off the main square and you will stumble across this tiny subterranean cellar café. It's situated at the bottom of what was once a public well, and the exposed brick walls, vaulted ceilings, and candlelit tables make a lovely setting for sipping a coffee or soda. There are also (very cheap) homemade sandwiches and cookies on offer.

This old-fashioned bakery-café has a loyal following for some of the lightest, most buttery pastries in Budapest. All the classic Hungarian cakes like rétes (strudel filled with sour cherries, apples, or cheese) and dobos torta (chocolate cream cake with caramel) can be enjoyed here, along with some unique in-house creations. If you find yourself near Széll Kálmán tér across the river (on Metro line 2), you can also check out their original, and still active, shop at Fény utca 8.

This cool and cheery spot located halfway up beautiful Pozsonyi út is the place to meet for breakfast in District 13. With a range of breakfast plates available all day and unique and healthy salad and sandwich options, it's rarely quiet. The coffee is excellent and if you’ve got a sweet tooth, be sure to try the fresh-baked pastries before they sell out.

After the arrival of New York Bagel (in the 13th District), it took another 20 years before bagels became all the rage in Budapest and you'll now find decent variations all around the city. But only a few places have come close to offering an authentic bagel—Budapest Bagel is the current leader, getting all the attention for great bagels and service at a good price. Keep in mind, they close at 5 pm. 

This cozy, tucked-away café, just off Templom tér, is a great option for brunch, lunch, or just a quick coffee and cake. You'll find everything from salads and pasta to bagels and nachos, as well as an impressive range of vegetarian and vegan options. On a warmer day, you can sit in the shaded passage or out front, where there are occasional live music performances.

Blending Vietnamese informality with professional service and simple, clean, and elegant Scandinavian style, this trendy café on Bartók Béla út offers both light and dark roasted specialty coffees, the must-try Vietnamese coffee, and specialty teas and smoothies. Before you sample the tasty pastries and cakes, be sure to start with a bánh mì sandwich (available in a variety of flavors and sizes, including a vegan version).

This cute little local-feeling café, just off Batthyány tér, serves up good coffee and great baked treats. A friendly team, who all speak good English, is another plus, as are the street-side tables to watch the world go by in warm weather.

In a country that isn't always easy to navigate with strict dietary requirements, this canteen-style bistro caters to several of them. Not only is every dish on the menu entirely vegan, from the leafy salads and fresh pastas to the thick soups and hearty stews, but many are also sugar-free, fat-free, gluten-free, and preservative-free. In the warmer months, sit out on the terrace to watch the world go by. It's only open from 10 am to 7 pm (5 pm on Sunday), so a better option for lunch than breakfast or dinner.

Traditional street-food sweets, the Kürtőskalács (chimney cake)—made the traditional way: over fire—are impossible to resist, as is everything else at the Sweet Teddy Bear Chimney Cake Confectionery.

This attractive place is a great stop for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner or just a takeaway coffee and ice cream. Enjoy an international menu of soups, salads, pizzas, panini, and burgers (along with a few local specialties) in the simple Scandi-style interior, or else sit outside on the pleasant street terrace. El Gusto also has an outlet Sopron Plaza, on the northern edge of town, as well as a handful of swanky apartments to rent right by El Gusto Gourmet.

For a quick, cheap, vegan fix, it's hard to beat this fast food burger place on Királyi Pál utca. Order from a screen and your food will be with you in a jiffy; you can sit inside or take it to go. As well as a good choice of burger fillings, there are also vegan tortillas and salads.

There are a few ice cream parlors in Budapest worthy of mention and Fragola is one of them. A locally owned shop featuring 120 original homemade flavors, Fragola is famed for the the quality of the ingredients. With several locations in town, you don’t have to venture to Szent István Park to try it but if you are in the neighborhood, don’t pass it by.

This place may not look like much from the outside, particularly among the newer, trendier spots on Bartók Béla út, but it serves some of the most delicious authentic Balkan food in town. A Bulgarian known as Bárni is the proprietor, living out his dream of showcasing the chargrilled flavors of his childhood. The menu is very meat heavy, but the salads are good and there are tasty sides like peppers stuffed with feta cheese.

At the swankier end of the coffeehouse spectrum, Hadik is a looker, and knows it: all bare brick walls, beamed ceilings, grand chandeliers, church door-sized windows, and a mezzanine layer of seating. At least, that's what you'll see when you enter through the corner door: a spruced up grand café dating back more than a century. But keep walking through to your right and it's all change, as the classic decor gives way to a ruin-bar-style mishmash of colorful wall paintings, quirky lighting fixtures, and random knickknacks hanging from the ceiling. It's all part of Hadik, so simply choose the atmosphere that suits your mood then order from a menu of excellent coffees, delicious "literary" cocktails (inspired by famous Hungarian authors, some of whom used to drink right here), soups, salads, burgers, and sandwiches.

This Hungarian Middle Eastern fast food chain is the city’s go-to for hummus. The first restaurant opened up in 2005 and the chain has been a local favorite since. Its laid-back vibe and upbeat chickpea-loving theme say it all. For a vegan dish, go for the crispy, light falafel. Venues are all over town, including four branches in this chapter's area alone, but Október 6 utca is the only one that serves up freshly made laffa.

Need something to take the taste of Kossuth Spring water out of your mouth? Stroll to this nearby café and patisserie, once a popular haunt of actress Lujza Blaha (who lived opposite), to sample its fine selection of homemade cakes, pastries, and pies. As well as offering excellent coffee and baked goods, Kedves is also a popular spot for breakfast and brunch; try the fried bread with blue cheese and pears. In the summer there's a lovely tree-shaded terrace that blocks almost the entire sidewalk.

Walking up from Víziváros to Várhegy from the north side? Then pop into this delightful ice cream and frozen yogurt parlor to cool down. There is a range of interesting flavor combinations available, like vanilla and sour cherry, and honey and cinnamon.

You will need to climb a steep path to reach this old-fashioned café at the foot of the Elizabeth Lookout tower, but the panoramic views are more than worth it. And that's also true for the mulled wine and the charmingly surreal hunting-lodge-inspired interior.

Kürtőskalács (chimney cake) is a traditional Transylvanian spit cake and popular street food, as pervasive in Budapest as Belgian waffles in Western Europe. This charming little shop offers tasty homemade kürtős kalács and classic sweets from an adorable gazebo-style shop in the middle of the park.

As life in Budapest becomes increasingly mobile and fast-paced, this fast food restaurant caters to on-the-go locals with no time to dither by specializing entirely in soup. While the menu is limited to soups, it is not limited: there are soups of all flavors and origins on the always-changing menu. It's a good spot to dine in or get lunch to go.

This is the place to try a traditional Transylvanian "spit" or "chimney" cake, a cylindrical pastry made from sweet yeasty dough. It's cooked over a charcoal fire then sprinkled with sugar. You can also add your own extras, from almonds to poppy seeds, and get it served with an ice-cream filling.

This branch of the small chain, which means "Granny's pancake house" in English, is a decent stop for a very affordable Hungarian-style pancake any time of day or night. The location by Batthyány tér is pleasant compared to other branches, and there are tables outside in summer. The only downside is that the pancakes aren't made fresh, but bulk-cooked in advance and then warmed through.