Restaurants in Budapest October 2022

Frici Papa, Tereza Mexican, Ket Szerecsen, Kadarka, Lions Locker: I think I know what part of town you stayed in; but that one of the charms of the backstreets of VI.

Kiraly 100? I haven’t been in a few years, glad its still good. 20 years ago (the place is over 100) it was the hangout for all the local power bosses.

I remember one night looking at an old gangster looking man with a woman half his age and commenting to my date about the Hungarian Mafia; only to have my date point out that we were sitting facing a mirror.

Auguszt Cukaszda (Cukaszda, remember that word, its Hungarian for pastry shop) is good for the pastries and for the courtyard out back.

DunaCorso should be a requirement for any trip in good weather.

Hachapuri, also my favorite and something you can’t find in the States; and I have some other favorites, but you have to ask me.

I want to buy an airline ticket just for the chocolate/Nutella sour cherry dumplings for dessert!

Ohhhh, and it's 300m from the K&K Hotel Opera. Well that makes it easy! Let's see, flight from Sofia to Budapest ....?

CW, absolutely, and that was the “lighter” choice of the recommendations….. and you and I might make dangerous travel companions. LOL! Sofia to Budapest - might not get any better.

MysterE, you found me….. the absolute perfect location. And if (ok, fine, when) I buy that ticket back, I guess I will be knocking on your door for the secret list…..

Ahhh- “The back streets of the Vl.” Know it well. Some of our favorites- Kadarka Wine Bar & our morning coffee & breakfasts at Lion Locker! The kind owners, staff and food was memorable. I will add another favorite, Cafe Vian. The best Aperol Spritz ever. Great that you enjoyed 2 weeks to enjoy the best of the best cuisine. Thanks for sharing! Bookmarking.

Ahhhh, Lions Locker: Arpi, Magi, Marci, Agi will talk your ear off & Kadarka with yet another Arpi and Zoltan; yes, it feels like home.
I will be sitting in both in two weeks.....

Bookmarked, Janis!

Another recommendation for Italian, which I did not try, was Caffe Gian Mario, not far from Hachapuri. It came on my final night from the couple sitting next to me (from Chicago) working in Budapest. And it was their second time at Hachapuri, so at least I know they have good taste. Lol!

Another two from my young foodie friend that I didn’t get to are Franziska for brunch and Stand25, a bistro for dinner. But wow - her recommendations for Bors and Artizan were on the money….

It was pretty cute to sit at breakfast at Lion’s Locker and watch Arpi train new young staff in how to talk to guests! He is a master!

Also, I did have to walk by and take a selfie at the Paris, Texas Cafe, but it wasn’t open yet. I never found an explanation for the name….. My brothers thought it was funny anyway.

So, MysterE, are you actually considering sharing your list of favorites? It has been a while. I wondered if maybe you were keeping them to yourself so the rest of us wouldn’t overwhelm them. Ha!

“Arpi is a master.” Couldn’t agree more! The staff in 2019 were wonderful as well. Always felt welcome. And the “other Arpi” and Zoltan were great hosts. Will never forget our first night at Kadarka. Zoltan was our server. He was so generous introducing us to their wines. Wonderful wine! The food was excellent as well. Such a fun vibe. Nice introduction to Budapest.

Guys you found the good places in one or two trips that took me years to find.
But since you asked, here are few others for your next visit:

Sir Lancelot: Yup as corny as it sounds complete with sword fights
and belly dancers and eating food with your hands; don’t know why but
I have fun.
Dobolo Wine Bar: Because the prices are a bit higher, the
interior a bit nicer, the canned music a bit eclectic and the live
music each night a bit laid back; the place is an oasis of civility in
a less civil neighborhood (party).

When you go to the next two visit the old Market Hall nearby.

Stika Gastropub: is an 8am to 4pm place
with good house wine, good sandwiches and a great outside patio. A
favorite for my lunch.
Mazel Tov; a building courtyard converted to a
restaurant with a glass roof and plants …. Beautiful. Mostly
Jewish/Hungarian food.
TwentySix: on Kiraly utca not far from the
Udvar. Another courtyard turned restaurant with a glass roof and
plants. The menu is a bit limited and a bit too much on the healthy
side for me; still it’s a favorite breakfast place for me (opens at
7:30).

Then on the upper end of Andrassy ut for unique and totally local:

La Perle Noire Restaurant and Lounge stunning place in good
weather for a special evening.

And one from Buda

FELIX Kitchen & Bar on the riverfront
in Buda. Some of the best food in town and one of the best views from
the outside patio.

Zingburgers in Budapest are simply the best burger and fries you will ever eat. Bar none. There's one on Kiraly A

https://www.zingburger.hu/en/

Note that some of the neighborhood Budapest wine bars require prior reservations if you intend to go and spend the night there. We tried to go to Kadarka Borbar and couldn't get in.

Thanks, Mister E. I have additional places now duly marked on my map. I know you find new places all the time, so I would not be sad if you came back and told me about more. :) I now have several places to try on the Buda side - which I will need to explore more next time anyway.

David, I looked at my map and I apparently walked right past a Zingburger carrying my soups and croissant from Bors. Sometimes you just need a burger! (I had a massive one in Krakow just before arriving.)

Thanks for the fabulous list. Do any of these restaurants have traditional Hungarian music? If not, perhaps you, or others here could recommend a few places with good food and good music. Will be in Budapest on Nov 16. Very excited.

momof2, of these places, Dunacorso had live music in the evening. They were outside a while, then moved inside. It was a beautiful place to eat after dark with all the lights on along the river.

Spinoza does, but it looks closed on Wednesdays. The New York Cafe also had live (not Hungarian) music, but I wouldn’t say it should be top of the list when you are there a short time.

Mister E, do you have some suggestions? - I have come across a couple of places mentioned, but I failed to write them down and didn’t go. :) This one says somewhere that it does. Next time for me! https://hungarikumbisztro.hu/en/

Enjoy and stay longer next time! Lol!

There are actually a lot with music to choose from.
There was a similar post not too terribly long ago that had a few I hadnt heard of so always learning.
Here are a few more

• My favorite for Gypsy music for first time tourists is: https://www.rezkakasbistro.hu/ Excellent food, really good service (last time I was there) central and easy to find.
• No food, but good music and about as Hungarian as you can get https://www.facebook.com/gieropub/ You wont forget your time there ... promise. Music starts about 10:30 or a bit later.
• Dobolo is a wine bar with wine bar food, but I have eaten "dinner" there numerous times. Lovely staff, the food is pretty good, the atmosphere is excellent and the canned music is some of my favorites from the 60's before the live entertainment begins (usually a keyboard and a violin and a vocalist). One of my favorite hangouts.
• Mazel Tov is sort of Hungarian/Jewish food (which describes most Hungarian food) in an old building courtyard covered with a glass roof. Lovely place.
• Vak Varju is sort of a local "Chili's" sort of place. Good very typical Hungarian (goose, pork, Schnitzel) food, mostly locals, piano music in the evenings. Another good solid meal and nice experience. https://pest.vakvarju.com/
• Opus Jazz Club is a dinner music hall that draws mostly Jazz concerts (Hungarians love jazz). Always a good night out and the food is pretty excellent. https://opusjazzclub.hu/

There are so many they arent hard to find:
https://funzine.hu/en/2022/10/01/have-fun-en/dinner-with-a-tune-5-restaurants-with-live-music/
https://foursquare.com/top-places/budapest/best-places-live-music
https://www.forbudapestlovers.com/en/best/restaurants-with-live-music-in-budapest

Thank you, Mister E! All are going on my list - and several at the top for next time.

Thank you so much... I love these posts and yours is so easy to read! :)

Oh, thank you, Sleight!

One of my favorites for years was Macesz Bistro at 26 Dob u. I don't list it because it closed before COVID. Today I see it has reopened and checking the menu, loos to not have changed. Worth the stop.

Thanks, Mister E! Keep coming back as you find places! (Or I guess you can have your own post…. I probably got most of my places from your old posts anyway.)

Summary: recommended but I haven’t tried yet. (I thought I could compile all the great additions.)

Macesz Bistro: https://maceszbistro.hu/

Rezkakas Bistro: https://www.rezkakasbistro.hu/. Gypsy music, excellent food, really good service.

Mazel Tov: https://www.mazeltov.hu/en. Hungarian/Jewish food in an old building courtyard covered with a glass roof.

Vak Varju: https://pest.vakvarju.com/?lang=en. Typical Hungarian (goose, pork, Schnitzel) food, mostly locals, piano music in the evenings.

Opus Jazz Club: https://opusjazzclub.hu/. Dinner music hall that draws mostly jazz concerts.

Zingburgers: https://www.zingburger.hu/en/. Best burger and fries you will ever eat.

Cafe Vian: https://www.cafevian.com/. Best a perol Spritz ever.

Caffe Gian Mario: https://www.caffegianmarioshop.com/hu/. Recommended for pizza and complimentary limoncello after your meal.

Franziska: https://www.franziska.hu/. For breakfast or brunch.

Stand25: https://stand25.hu/. A bistro for dinner.

Stika Gastropub: https://stikabudapest.com/. 8am to 4pm place with good house wine, good sandwiches and a great outside patio.

TwentySix: https://twentysixbudapest.com/. Courtyard turned restaurant with a glass roof and plants.

FELIX Kitchen & Bar: https://felixbudapest.com/. On the riverfront in Buda - great views.

La Perle Noire Restaurant and Lounge: http://laperlenoire.hu/hu/. Stunning place in good weather for a special evening.

Comme Chez Soi: http://www.commechezsoi.hu/etlap2.html. Very small, Italian/Mediterranean that has been recommended on the forum once in 2017 and once recently.

Pörc & Prézli Étterem: https://www.porcesprezli.hu/en/. Just behind the basilica. Hungarian food, live music, excellent service.

Ruszwurm: https://www.ruszwurm.hu/en/home/. Family run confectioners with a 200 year old cherry wood counter, serving homemade cakes, strudel, and coffee. Best krémes in the city.

Művész Kávéház: https://www.muveszkavehaz.com/en/home. Cafe built in 1898 with high ceilings, huge mirrors & chandeliers, for coffee, cakes & light meals. Try the meggyes pite.

Auguszt Cukrászda: http://auguszt.hu. Another location high in the hills (Sasadi út 190).

“Budapest is still lingering with me.” I am right with you! Thanks for adding Macesz Bistro! I hadn’t included it previously due to the closure after we were there in 2019. We went twice. It was recommended by Mr. E & our guide. Glad to hear they are open again. Nice staff. PS and by the way in addition to Cafe Vian’s “best Aperol Spritz ever,” the food was good as well. ;) **As a side note, the Franz Liszt Memorial Museum is a few minutes from Cafe Vian. It houses his musical instruments. He actually had lived there as well. There were a couple of docents who were very knowledgeable about his pianos, etc. It was a nice stop before lunch.

Hachapuri is a Georgian restaurant - my favorite cuisine!

Tom, I assume Emily was answering you - but she also caught that I neglected to add that Hachapuri is Georgian (I will fix that!). And of the places I ate, I would second that recommendation.

New York Cafe is certainly an opulent place to celebrate!

Places that also appeal to me for a special evening (just from pictures and websites) but that I haven’t been to are Mister E’s mention of La Perle Noire Restaurant and Lounge or the Opus Jazz Club. Different but interesting looking.

Others will certainly have other thoughts!

Rezkakas Bistro and Kiraly 100 .... all depends on what you are looking for. I would have a nasty in my birthday at Lancelots but I am pretty low class.

EDIT. What the.... "nasty" OMG I really typed that wrong. But don't remember what I was trying to say. Has nothing to do with the belly dancer though.

Spoiled for choice in Budapest.

Sounds like someone is homesick ….. but isn’t the world a wonderful place where we can all be so unique? 🙃

Awesome list, TexasTravelmom, thank you so much!

One of my favorites that I don't see here: Pörc & Prézli Étterem, just behind the basilica. Hungarian food, live music, excellent service.

Please don't be upset with me: I'm not a fan of the food at the New York Cafe. The real draw (in my opinion) is the interior. For confections, I second Auguszt (my favorite location is high in the hills and Gerbeaud and will add Ruszwurm (Buda side, hands down the best krémes in the city) and Művész Kávéház (across from the Opera, the meggyes pite is my favorite ).

Oh my word! I just looked up the menu at Hachapuri. Looks amazing. Sounds like a great place for a special occasion. We have a Georgian restaurant in my home town. Haven’t been there YET. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjg7MKF_vb7AhVGHzQIHQWXARsQFnoECD4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fseattlerefined.com%2Feat-drink%2Fskalka-woos-seattle-by-focusing-on-georgian-comfort-food-2022&usg=AOvVaw1CD5mZZlIsPFucwsyLco02

Janis, I wish I were closer!

Christy, thanks for the extra recommendations! I have now saved all these. I streetviewed Ruszwurm and walked right past it when I was there, as well as walking past Művész Kávéház several times. Oh well, I think I ate as much as I could, so it’s probably just as well to save these for a future trip. Lol!

I agree with you about New York Cafe - but the interior is pretty impressive. Not at all sorry I went once (and paid for it) but don’t need to go back. :) I also marked the Auguszt way up (hope it’s the right one) - the pictures looked really charming and not hard to get to by tram. I hope it’s ok I added these to my compilation for easy reading! :)

Ok, I guess it’s time to buy a ticket…..

Ruszwurm is the oldest confectionary in Budapest. It's teeny tiny inside, which makes it all the more charming, and they crank out some of the best pastries in the city.

To get to the original Auguszt, take the 59 tram from Széll Kálmán to the end: Márton Áron tér. It's really out of the way and the other two locations are perfectly fine, but it's kinda special to be away from the tourists. ;)

As for NY Cafe, I'm glad I'm not the only one. It is SPECTACULAR to see, but it's all about the cake and coffee for me.

I'm scheduled again in September and I can't wait!

Christy, I am definitely aiming for the Auguszt up the hill on my next trip. It looks like nice new views of Budapest, with a reward at the end. Lol! I know you usually see family when you go - but I get to just wander and eat as the mood strikes me. A return is fitting into my trips somewhere this year - I just have to decide when (and how many times lol!).