21 Best Restaurants in Budapest, Hungary

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.

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 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. 

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).

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.

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.

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 tiny spot serves up fresh, authentic Tibetan food and embodies the city’s growing multiculturalism. Named after its founder, Tsewang Namgyal—a political refugee who also happens to be an excellent chef—dishes include cattle meat with vegetables and a variety of soups, accompanied by fresh Tibetan bread.

The friendly staff in this cozy tapas restaurant serve authentic dishes. Pata Negra is not cheap, particularly as you may find yourself ordering rather more than you had planned (it's that good), but it makes for a quality meal out. There's another branch in Pest.

An extremely cute and colorful little café where the focus is on elegant, delicately constructed cakes, along with other desserts, pies, puddings, and cookies. The sweet treats are baked daily by the owner and make for fun energy boosters for weary travelers.

With the Italian Cultural Institute down the street, you can bet this spot knows how to make a good focaccia sandwich. The interiors are hipster-sparse and the menu humble, but like the best Italian dishes, simplicity often yields the best results. Here, it’s generous focaccias filled with quality Italian meats, cheeses, and veg—the vegetarian caprese is particularly good, as are the grilled varieties.

This popular hole-in-the-wall vegan street food joint sometimes has lines all the way out onto the street, a sure sign that you should get on that line. Healthy salads and soups are on offer but it's Tökmag's burgers that have people raving and coming back. Be sure to order a side of tasty deep-fried veggie chips, too.

With its focus on goulash and rich meats, Budapest hasn't always been the most welcoming place for a vegan—but this gem is one of the places helping to change all that. A perfect, quick refueling restaurant with such good vegan and veggie burgers, hot dogs, and salads that even committed carnivores are tempted.