Restaurant recommendations for Budapest

My fav:
Modern Hungarian food
https://maps.app.goo.gl/8U2xJY5vvhvk5PkE7

Good recs:
Famous for duck or even goose dishes
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7YzCjhjMJ62sa1A77

Jewish Hungarian
https://maps.app.goo.gl/qpRTiQELGzzxn2aaA

Chimney cakes!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/epZAHTQkKBs3kn5N6

I'm with you on 3 out of 4.

TexasTravelMom has a good list as well. Maybe she will chime in.

Interesting location. Do get a 15 day public transportation card. You will be using it often. But it is next to the Corinthia Hotel and Caviar and Bull which is pretty world class dining.

Lunch

Stika Gastropub. stikabudapest.com
https://maps.app.goo.gl/R8DN86jpTQPo31NK9?g_st=ic

Dinner

VakVarjú Restaurant pest.vakvarju.com
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ViUetD9c3DASngva9?g_st=ic

Pörc & Prézli Étterem porcesprezli.hu
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fk9qZ96HsTmKuTSn6?g_st=ic

Dunacorso Étterem dunacorso.hu
https://maps.app.goo.gl/UcqNp2GVi5B491oo7?g_st=ic

Paprika Vendéglő paprikavendeglo.hu
https://maps.app.goo.gl/i8vnqVMLQXBqwMRm8?g_st=ic

Breakfast/Pastries

Artizán Bakery

https://maps.app.goo.gl/YFu3kN5CyKFLC2Lt5?g_st=ic

Pretty sure almost all of these are still open.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/restaurants-in-budapest-october-2022.

You are doing a good stay in Budapest so you can have days of just wanting to go eat someplace you have heard about. A lot of people must eat on the run between sights and sites. Good for you.

My comments on the suggestions (all good suggestions)

Stika Gastropub
Good because it’s not terribly far from your accommodation. And interesting walk at least. Stop at the market nearby and take a look in. Sort of a small Great Market Hall. If you go on the weekend there will be farmers set up outside too. Stika is a breakfast/lunch place and the best part is the Palinka/Raspberry Lemonade. The seating is outside but it can fill up so try and hit it early or off hours like 2pm for lunch.

VakVarjú Restaurant
Nice semi-local place I go to often because it’s near where I live. It’s not particularly close to where you are staying, although it could be something to visit when you are doing District VII or District V. Sort of a Hungarian Chilies Restaurant. Reservation or gamble

Pörc & Prézli Étterem
Nice semi-local place I go to often because it’s near where I live. Its not particularly close to where you are staying, although it could be something to visit when you are doing District VII or District V. Reservation or gamble

Dunacorso Étterem dunacorso.hu
https://maps.app.goo.gl/UcqNp2GVi5B491oo7?g_st=ic
Food is very, very OKAY, but the setting and the view are stunning in the evening. You will be here in the Summer and sunset is 8 and dark is closer to 9 … so save it for a late night dinner if you can. Make a reservation.
And this one is sort of easy for you. One tram ride and one metro ride and about a 4 minute walk. Or save if the 2 Tram day.

Paprika Vendéglő
Very traditional Hungarian cooking, but a bit of a tourist place these days. Lets say 50/50. And this one is sort of easy for you. One tram ride and one metro ride and about a 4 minute walk. Or save it for a trip to Heroes Square, Park, Bathhouse. Reservation or gamble

Macesz Bistro
My favorite Jewish/Hungarian place in town. But not Kosher, its just that a lot of Hungarian cooking was influenced by Jewish cooking. Reservation or gamble

Kiskakukk Restaurant
Never hurts to take a look at District XIII. This is one of the prettiest residential areas in Pest. This place has been open for 100+ years. Some seating outsdie. Had lunch here about a week ago. Good prices for what you get. 7 out of 10 will be locals or at least expats. Not too hard from where you live, One sort of long tram ride and a short walk.

A little on who goes to the restaurants. With the exeception of about a third of Distrct V and the Buda Castle area, Budapest does not have a tourist zone. For instance the streets around the Opera House and up and down Andrassy ut are lined with 5 story neo-classical and electic apartment blocks. Maybe, just maybe, 5% of the apartments are short term rentals, 5% non resident owners and 90% locals who like to eat too. So every restaurant you go into you will hear Hungarian as the principal language.

And a few of my own.

Margaret's Restaurant and Pub
https://www.facebook.com/margaretsbudapest/
This is about as authentic of Hungarian country food as you can get. Mostly locals. Guaranteed to lead to coronary issues. G-d I love it. A long ride on the tram for you. but almost door to door. Located on the Buda river bank just across the Margret Island Bridge. Reservation or gamble.

N28 Wine Kitchen
https://n28.hu/
Wine and dinner. A limited menu which indicates that everything they do they do very well and yes, they do. Nice wine slections. Nice atmosphere. Nice location for you. I have been here about every 10 days it seems. A tad pricy cause its in the tourist zone. But not terrible and you do find locals there as well. Reservation or gamble.

Cork Breakfast and Wine
https://www.instagram.com/cork_breakfast_and_wine?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
Yes, open for breakfast, lunch, dinner until till 11pm. Owned and staffed by Ukrainians The food is Eastern European with some borrowed from Hungary, some from Ukraine. All very, very, very well done. Wonderful atmosphere. Next to the Opera it attracts a lot of tourists and locals. A walk and one metro stop from you.

Some special things to eat

Goose or duck liver pâté. I think the Hungary has the largest per capita consumption of duck in Europe. Remember the pate is best enjoyed with a sweet Tokaji wine. Pâté is common in restaurants and wine bars. Enjoy.

Mangalica!! Anything on the menu that includes the word Mangalica; eat it no matter the cost. This is the local pig. Its like pig wagu, its amazing.

Thank You! Thank You! Y'all are the best. This is so helpful, and I didn't expect that the y'all would already have the addresses linked to google maps for me! We will absolutely be getting passes for public transportation. I'm a dork, and one of the most fun things for me is riding trains and I'm especially looking forward to the trams. We rented an apartment that sleeps 3 with 2 separate rooms so we could spread out a bit. We got a good deal on it and figured the neighborhood didn't really matter since we plan on being all over the place anyway. Our family joke is "I'm only here for the food". We whisper it to each other often. We are also looking forward to the architecture, art, history, and culture of Budapest. But really, I'm only here for the food. I prepare for a trip by researching the food. My husband prepares by learning (some) of the language. He brought a few books home from our university library last month and said, "I'm going to learn Hungarian real quick". I laughed, but he is actually doing it. He is a professor of languages, and this comes easy to him. But good grief, there are no cognates! And some of the weirdest grammar I have ever seen.

Hungarian is the hardest language to learn. If he's got a grasp of it, he needs to figure out a way to teach it to native English speakers! Okay, on to your questions:

You have excellent advice here, especially my favorite place: Pörc & Prézli Étterem (make a reservation). And definitely try mangalica.

Based on your location, I'd add Menza Étterem és Kávéház and SZÉK Restaurant & Bar to your list. You're also close to Frici Papa. I thnk you're right on the 4/6 tram route and close to a metro station so you'll get anywhere you want to be in short order.

As for Kürtőskalács, which is a must in Budapest, I would recommend the scary looking stall in the Metro station at Deák Ferenc tér. Always fresh and always cheap. :)

Ruszwurm is the oldest confectionery in Budpest and their krémes is the best in town. It's in Buda, but I'm guessing you'll be there at some point. And if you're going to cross the river to Buda and you want something REALLY Hungarian, try Nagyi Kifőzdéje. It's best to look it up online first so you understand how it works, but it's like walking into Grandma's house after you've been aways for a long time and she cooked ALL of your favorite things.

While you didn't ask for it perhaps you might consider a splurge one afternoon or evening. My recommendation is Stand 25. It is behind the Castle Hill on the Buda side. If you are on top of the hill and have a slight break and taste at Ruszwurm Pastry Shop and walk away from the river you will find a tree lined set of stairs you can walk down. On the way there is a cute coffee house/bar on the left. When you reach the bottom you will arrive on Attila Ut , take a left , a short walk will take you to Stand 25. It is part of the new wave in Hungarian cuisine, taking the favorites and presenting them with a twist. Not inexpensive, so make sure you check out the menu beforehand.

Another very solid spot that is quite contemporary and elegant is a place named "Gleda" in O Buda (Old Buda). It's in a sort of posh residential area.

Finally, a little out of the way spot on Bartok Bela Ut is a coffee house named "Kelet" (east). It is not a tourist spot, the coffee is great and in the evenings they have poetry readings, small talks, sometimes music. A modern, young hangout. Walking distance from the Gardonyi tram stop.

I’ll chime in with Kadarka wine bar. Casual vibe, very good food and knowledgeable wine (by the glass as well) advice.

What has always amazed me, is you can sample before you buy just a glass. And you can sample as many as you want. Nice guys.

I would like to piggyback on this discussion about restaurants in Budapest, hopefully saving some typing or copying and pasting. We are visiting Budapest for only two nights in late October. We will stay at Hotel Moments. Many of the restaurants in this discussion appear to be in the same area as our hotel. Where would you recommend that we eat for the two nights we are there?

Which street food locations do you enjoy? Or what local specialties should we be on the look out for for lunch or a snack?

I am certain that we would like to stop at a cafe for a wonderful pastry. Which cafe's do you recommend and what delicious items should we try?

We may get to Buda also, so what would be your number one choice location and yummy food selection in Buda, for pastry, lunch, or a snack?

Thank you so much for sharing!

You are staying in a convenient location. That is wise.

As far as where to eat, the choices are endless, both close to where your hotel is and a little further afield. There may be “better” public transportation systems in the world, but it’s hard to imagine one better suited for tourism and so the city is your to explore.

But I will throw out a few that I enjoy.

N28 is on Nagymező utca near the Budapest Operett Theater. Small, refined, short well done menu and great wine list. Excellent staff and service. Hungarian inspired cooking. I try and get there once or twice a month. Just a good experience overall.

Hachapuri isn’t Hungarian, it is Georgian. Very close to you on the inner loop road. So when will be your next opportunity to eat Georgian? Take advantage of it. Try the things on the menu that look the least familiar. You wont regret it. Again, good staff, good service.

Margaret's Restaurant & Pub. Okay, this one isn’t close to you. Its in Buda at the first stop of the 4/6 metro after it crosses the Margrit Island Bridge from Pest. You want authentic rural, artery clogging, hart stopping local food? This is where you go. Its all delicious and, again, good staff, good service. So when you do the 2 Tram ride on the Pest side, you hop the 4/6 Tram across the bridge and have lunch.

Don’t be ashamed to be a tourist. Tourism means good food, drink, and in Budapest, Gypsy Music. For that the best is Rézkakas Bistro Easy Terasz a very short walk from your hotel. Very good Hungarian food, special night out atmosphere.

Dunacorso Étterem. Okay the food is “good” but you have to do this for one late dinner for the view alone. There is no better view of Buda and no better way to enjoy an evening. Walk about 10 minutes or take the M1 metro two stops and walk about 4 minutes.

Cork Breakfast and Wine is located on a street along side the Opera House. Name is misleading and it stays open till 11pm. Excellent Eastern European food prepared and served by the nicest group of Ukrainians that you will ever meet. Get the right table and the view of the Basilica down the street behind to the Opera is pretty special. The same area has a number of restaurants and bars. All a bit on the higher end in quality and age appropriateness. Nice place for an evening. And Andrassy ut at the Opera / W Hotel I think is one of the most beautiful places on the planet after the sun sets.

For sweet stuff, you are a tourist so try Café Gerbeaud for the history and Auguszt Cukrászda Belváros for the selection and for a visit to the courtyard.

For street food, well, street food really isnt a thing in Budapest. There is a place that sells Chimney Cake (Kürtőskalács ) across the street from the hotel and there is a place called Street Food Karavan on Kazinczy u. in the Jewish quarter, and its fun, but most of the “food trucks” are representing brick and mortar shops elsewhere in town. But still fun to be able to try several restaurants at once.

And I will send you a PM with a few more.

Paprika Vendéglő is another. This place has become imprinted in the minds of many as "the place" for good Hungarian food and atmosphere. And it is. What is unique is that its not on the beaten tourist path. Actually its a pain to get to, involving about a 10 minute walk off Andrassy ut. BUT, for those coming from around the Opera (or Hotel Moments) it presents an interesting opportunity to play-local and see some more local.

Walk up Andrassy ut to Nagymező utca (first traffic light after the Opera House) and on Nagymező u on the same side of Andrassy ut as the Opera House, you will find a stop for the Number 70 Trolley Bus (the red bus with the overhead electric lines). Make sure you board the bus on the Opera House side of Nagymező utca. The stop on the other side of Andrassy ut, the bus goes the opposite direction. And be sure, the 70 Trolley and not the 78.

Ride it through the local neighborhoods, down some prettty grand streets, until you reach the stop across the street from City Park. Get off and the restaurant in about 200m down on your right. Across the street is City Park which is well worth an hour of visiting the amazing architecture of the Hungarian House of Music and the Museum of Etnography. This is really world class modern architecture that just works so well in the park.

Thank you so much, Mr. E, for taking the time to introduce us to your beautiful home and its delicious food. It will be difficult to choose where to go. I'm certain we will enjoy the adventure of trying several on this list. And we will save the others for our next visit.

EDIT Added a link, fixed the name. If you are in town on a Sunday, then Sunday bruch looks good. 10.400 ft for a buffett brunch with all you can eat and suprisingly all the wine, beer, water and soft drinks you can drink. Really worth the trip and not just for the food. It gives you a chance to visit a new neighborhood in town, or if you are going to the Gellert Bath you are not far.

In District XI, off the beaten tourist path, but still accessible by Tram 49 from Deak Ferenc ter is a place called Hemingway étterem (restaurant). The huge Veranda looks ove an urban lake with a fountain in the center surrounded by enough vegetation to almost forget you are in the city (Buda). The menu is good modern Hungarian served with class and priced for Hungarians. You will be the only tourist in a upper middle income oasis. https://hemingway-etterem.hu/aboutmed.html

I stopped many times for takeout strudel at Strudel Garden, Hajos u. 24. It's two blocks NW of the back side of the Opera, 3 blocks off Andrassy. There's also cafe seating but I never looked at the menu to see whether they offer anything except strudel and beverages. The owner(?) said they make something like 90 different kinds of strudel, depending on what's in season; one day they had chestnut strudel. On any given day there will probably be 8 to 10 options (my guess). Everything I tried was excellent and not over-sweetened. I don't remember seeing any savory strudels.

I believe opening time is 8:30 AM. As I recall, the carryout price was 790 HUF--less than $2.50 US. I don't know whether the eat-in price is the same. If you happen to be staying at the Opera Garden Hotel, you get a small discount. Very highly recommended.

acraven, points out a good place and a good area. One of the prettiest and with a slightly older crowd. Nice restaurants, a couple of civil bars a great views in the evening of the lights of the Opera, the W, the Basilica and Andrssy ut. Just a really, really nice atmosphere. Ten years ago, almost nothing down in that area. Amazing how things change.

We ate at the Hungarikum Bisztro near the parliament in May 2019. I think it had just recently opened. It was good. https://hungarikumbisztro.hu

Hello everybody! We are back from our trip and we had a great time. I enjoyed the food (and wine!) very much and here is a list of some of places and dishes that we really liked:
Kadarka Wine Bar. Wish we could have gone more than once. It was closed the first time, I think because of power outages. They were open the next day, but were still having short outages, but it didn't bother us. Friendly and helpful service. Good prices. Wine was excellent and the snacks were good, too. I don't know what meat cream is, but I loved it!
Macesz Bistro. This was a bit of a splurge, but so worth it. My husband and I each got a "chef's menu" with 3 courses and a wine paired with each course. Wow, it was so good. My husband's main course was a duck leg served with Cholent. He said it might be the best thing he has ever eaten. A bold statement, but there it is. We would have gone back, but we were with our 19 year old son, and it was "too European" for him.
New York Cafe. This was not on my list, but it was just down the street from our apartment and we were walking by one morning, there was no line and we were just going to poke our heads in and look. I was not interested in over priced coffee at all, but our son wanted to eat breakfast there. So we did. The experience is definitely for the setting, not the food. But he said it was his favorite place that we ate and his eggs benedict were the best he had had (pretty sure it was the first time he has had it!). So for that reason, I'm glad we went. Don't need to go back, though.
Langos. We had it twice, once from the stand across from Palatinus pool on Margaret Island. One from the langos guy in the Hunyadi market. Both were delicious.
Frici Papa. Ate here twice and all 3 of us loved it. If we lived in Budapest, this would probably be our most frequented place (along with Kadarka).
Auguszt Cukraszda Belvaros. On our last day we realized we had not eaten enough cake (plenty of gelato, though) so instead of lunch, we had one of each of the cakes here. At least we shared. Did we look like stupid, greedy Americans? Probably. Do I regret it? No. My favorites were the Dombos and the Esterhazy.

Thanks for reporting back LAB! We have a 2 week stay and all these recommendations are very helpful!

LAB thank you so much for reviewing where you ate. It's so hard to narrow down just a few places for my upcoming trip, especially the cakes/pastries.

And LOL @ "On our last day we realized we had not eaten enough cake"

Ok, LAB, not enough cake and looking like greedy Americans made me laugh. At Christy’s suggestion, one time I took the bus to the end of the line for Auguszt cukrászda Farkasré. Due to my lack of Hungarian and the English of the sweet girl who took my order (better than my Hungarian), I wound up with 2 pieces of cake all by myself! There was no way I was going to make it look like either of us made a mistake (choosing instead to look greedy) so I cheerfully (and not reluctantly) ate them both. Ha!

And the chef’s menu at Macesz Bistro sounds great! I am already making decisions for October.

Agreed on both Kadarka and New York Palace. :)

Somehow you hit all of my favorite places. So you really couldnt go wrong.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you to everyone that has contributed to this post. I will be in Budapest in late October on a tour (not RS) and 2 of our lunches and 2 of our dinners are on our own. I have taken copious notes. Many of the restaurants are within a 15 minute walk of the hotel we will be staying at. I will be thinking of you.

Thanks to all of you who have posted on this informative thread. I've learned so much! We'll be in the city for four days prior to a river cruise. Our travel agent booked us into the Barcelo Hotel which seems like a good location. I've been studying maps of the city. Are any of the restaurants referenced above close to this hotel?

I keep seeing Kadarka wine bar recommended, so I looked it up on Google maps and it's about three blocks from where I am staying this weekend. I'll take that as a sign that I need to go.

We'll be in the city for four days prior to a river cruise. Our travel
agent booked us into the Barcelo Hotel which seems like a good
location. I've been studying maps of the city. Are any of the
restaurants referenced above close to this hotel?

The hotel is in District VI, but the opposite side of the street is District VII where the WWII Jewish Deportation Ghetto was located. In the day time District VII is fascinating for its Jewish history and holocaust sights; in the evening District VII is the biggest party district in town so be certain that the hotel knows you want a courtyard facing room so you can get a good night sleep. The lower part of District VII and the Vaci utca area are the two tourist hot beds in town. Interesting about Vaci utca, is there is nothing much to see there, but its been a tourist destination since communist times.

There are some good restaurants in District VII, Macesz Bistro comes to mind (listed above). Don’t worry about how close they are. Use your TravelCard together with some short walks through the beautiful city and everything is easy to reach. I will send you a PM

I keep seeing Kadarka wine bar recommended, so I looked it up on
Google maps and it's about three blocks from where I am staying this
weekend. I'll take that as a sign that I need to go

That’s because its my neighborhood hangout and I talk too much. It really is nice though. With the cool evenings that are starting to roll in sitting outside with a glass of wine and a little food is always enjoyable. Talk to the staff and enjoy.

kayla.p, I start with one glass at Kadarka and usually wind up with 2, because they make such good choices for me. But I also usually have to have their flatbread for dinner at least once per trip.

Another place I like, not far from the Barcelo, is VacVarju. It’s just a nice interesting place. There are other locations, but I haven’t been to those.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4qQPwJTd1NH3FaMD8?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy