You can no longer comment on or add to my post from 2022 - and I have been to new places since then! I would return to any of these listed and probably will - my choices are often determined by location, what I am in the mood for, what time of day it is, time of year, and if anyone with me has a preference. I am sure I am forgetting some places, but this is a lot. Lol.
Feel free to add your own favorite! I am sure I am forgetting some places I have enjoyed.
2022:
Frici Papa: fricipapa.hu
Somewhat cheap and good. Goulash for me - this is not a soup. Choose your side (rice for me, potatoes for the next table). There is often a line, but it seems to move fast.
Paprika Vendéglő: paprikavendeglo.hu
Really cute inside and delicious chicken paprika. Near City Park.
Király100 Gastro Corner: kiraly100.hu
I had been here a couple of times. I love the interior and the food is good.
Tereza Mexican Restaurant: tereza.hu
Sorry, I am from Texas and need my Mexican food after a month of traveling…. They actually had really good soft tacos and fried avocado- and a good house margarita.
Két Szerecsen: ketszerecsen.hu
Reservations wise. A solid choice but not mind-blowing..
Centrál Grand Cafe & Bar: centralkavehaz.hu
This ended up being breakfast for lunch. I ate outside but it was really pretty inside as well.
New York Café: newyorkcafebudapest.com
What a beautiful splurge! Reservations wise if you don’t want to wait. Worth it once for the interior.
Spinoza Café & Restaurant: spinoza.hu
Dinner was part of my klezmer concert night - but food was good and plenty of people were there for only dinner. Reservations looked wise.
Tasting Table Cellar (by Taste Hungary): tastehungary.com
With the included charcuterie board, this ended up being dinner also.
Marischka: marischka.hu
On the Buda side, chosen by my young friends who go there often with family. Bone marrow (a first), stuffed peppers, and cheesecake ice cream (all chosen by my friends).
Hachapuri: hachapuri.com
Where on my last night I drowned my sorrow at leaving in food…. The menu was a bit overwhelming for a solo diner so I basically had my waiter give me a couple of choices each time and he was never wrong. Don’t go if you are in a hurry - it is worth waiting for.
Continued….
2023:
Bajor Sörház: bierhaus.hu
Looking for German sausage and bread in a casual restaurant? Good stop!
SZÉK Restaurant & Bar: szekrestaurant.hu
Right on Andrassey with a good lunch special.
Stand25 Bistro: stand25.hu
A great restaurant and not as splurgy as its sibling, Stand Étterem (where I have not eaten).
TATI Farm to Table: tatibudapest.com
With an ever-changing menu, based on what is in season. Michelin Recommended in 2023, if you care. It now has a completely different menu from my visit (again my young foodie friends took me).
VakVarjú Restaurant: pest.vakvarju.com
This is a chain but I went to the Paulay Ede u. location. A nice dinner without being too fancy with very interesting decor.
Opus Jazz Club: opusjazzclub.hu
I went for the show specifically and had no expectations for dinner - but it was good and not more expensive than any other restaurant! I was a solo diner and was assigned another solo diner at my table. Always a win for me, but some people might not like that.
New for 2024:
Macesz Bistro: maceszbistro.hu
A really nice place. I splurged a little and had the 3 course chef’s menu, with the wine pairing.
Margaret’s Pub and Restaurant: margarets.hu
Pretty wide menu and extremely convenient location off the 4/6 on a drizzly night. For beer drinkers (I am not one), they seemed to have a very large selection of craft beers. I did try the “Sweety” flight, mostly fruit-flavored and a touch sweet. I will go back and stay longer for the live music.
Cork Breakfast and Wine for dinner:
no website, https://maps.app.goo.gl/bxaNeM1NodrRkkx47?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
Borscht and dessert but I would go back for more.
Belvárosi Lugas: again, no website but on Facebook.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/crS15K6cz9EAPVuPA?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
For chicken paprikash or,stuffed cabbage. I mean, good food sitting outside across from St. Stephan’s in perfect weather….
Ferdinánd Monarchia Étterem: ferdi.hu
Czech food in a cellar setting that had a lot in common with Hungarian food.
Le Troquet: https://letroquet-wines.com/pages/menu
I actually went here to see a photography exhibition and stayed for lunch. I had a Croque Monsieur and the bread (well, all of it) was really good.
Rézkakas Bistro Easy Terasz: rezkakasbistro.hu
Nice, white tablecloths, live music, good food. Make a reservation.
QUI Restaurant and Bar: https://www.facebook.com/quibudapest/
Asian fusion (like I know what that means). The dumplings and spring rolls were some of the best I have had and the chicken fried rice and Thai red curry were solid. Plus it’s gorgeous inside. Thanks again, foodie friends. Ha!
Cafe Vian: cafevian.com
A wide variety of food and drink, lots of seating both inside and outside. Apparently it’s a popular place to celebrate your birthday - we saw four. Ha!
Places I return:
Menza: menzaetterem.hu
A nice reliable place - I have been several times.
Kadarka: kadarkawinebar.com
I always have to make a stop at least once for their excellent choice of wine (at great prices) and the flatbread with ham and cheese. :)
Porc & Prezli: porcesprezli.hu
A recommendation from Christy - I have been twice and will go back. Hungarian, can’t split the table bill, live music in the evening, make a reservation!
Duna Corso: dunacorso.hu
Almost a must stop for me each trip. The food is good, but eating outside with the views of the river at night and live music makes it even better.
Bors GasztroBár: On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BorsGasztroBar?wtsid=rdr_01teT0614CTz5OPdv&_rdr
Tables outside in season but no place to eat inside. I do take out - a hot soup and a cold dessert soup. Amazing!
Street Food Karavan Budapest: https://www.facebook.com/streetfoodkaravan/
I figure they have other good food, but I have been twice for the langos food truck and will go back.
Continued…..
Bakeries/Breakfast:
Auguszt Cukrászda Belváros: auguszt.hu
Wonderful Esterházy torte and coffee - I pretend cake is breakfast. This one is on Kossuth Lajos u.
Auguszt cukrászda Farkasrét: auguszt.hu (same)
Way up in Buda on Sasadi út. where Tram 59A ends.
Artizán Bakery: artizan.hu
I do not know what I had but it might be the most amazing breakfast pastries I have ever eaten…..
Café Gerbeaud: gerbeaud.hu
Absolutely yes. I combined lunch and breakfast for soup, cake (Gerbaud coffee slice), and coffee.
Lion's Locker: lockerbudapest.com
Great breakfast - lots of food! But they also are open longer in the day if you don’t want breakfast.
Ruszwurm Confectionery: ruszwurm.hu
Up in Buda just past the castle, it has delicious cakes and try for a peek at the 200 year old cherry counter inside.
Franziska - Pest: franziska.hu
(there’s another Franziska in Buda)
I have only been for breakfast food, but it was good.
Stika Gastropub: stikabudapest.com
I love this place. Didn’t make it this fall - hopefully next year!
This is just what I needed since we will be visiting Budapest for the New Year. Thank you!
thanks TexasTravelMom
Brownsville - very much looks like a guidebook. Which of those places have you ever been to? Can you give detailed personal recommendations? What did you eat?
Thank you so much TTM!! I'm headed to Budapest for 4 nights in early December and this will be super helpful. Looks like I will have some difficult decisions to make; it all sounds wonderful!
PQ
Thanks, Nigel. :)
Thanks, PQ and pjmun! You will have a great time! There are so many great places to eat and this is just a list of ones I have been to. I think they are all places that were recommended to me - so no original discoveries I can claim. Ha!
Yes Nigel, those are out of a guidebook. But, there are some excellent tourist restaurants on the list. Tourist restaurants here can be very good and the locals come out for special ocassions (cause they are a bit pricy for locals
And I still have a list of places I want to get to on future trips.
You have been here a few times, havent you?
One thing people should keep in mind is that Budapest is the size of Chicago and has a population about like that of Houston. So, if you went to Chicago would you only eat deep dish pizza? If you went to Houston would you only eat Vietnamese? Of course not, so dont think you are doing wrong to eat Persian in Budapest. I had a Persian friend in town a few months ago and she said the Persian restaurant I had sent her to was the best she had been to outside of Iran.
my list is here, under Travel Notes: https://community.ricksteves.com/users/50322
What a great list, bookmarking for our trip in 2026!
bookmarking it!
There is a restaurant organization in town that organizes special dining weeks. Those that participate vote on the experience. I would suspect that the majority of those that participate are local which is a good thing if you want a good perspective on local dining. Here is the link of the results from the last event. https://www.etteremhet.hu/lang/hu/cities
The first-place winner from the most expensive category is The Great Hall Restaurant & Bar at the Mystery Hotel. Every once in a while a place comes along that just defies the norm and this hotel does that, and apparently the restaurant does too. The restaurant has a very limited menu (which often means very good) and I think a lot of what works here is the atmosphere. I walked through the hotel earlier this year and it is old world beautiful. The trouble with the hotel is the location, but for a second or third trip to Budapest, after you have learned your way around a bit and how to use public transportation …… yes!
If you look beyond the restaurants in the southern half of District V, and in VI and VII, you will see a lot of choices that tourists don’t usually find; and quite a few look pretty amazing. (look at the postal codes for general locations. (1062: 1 is Budapest, 06 is District VI, 2 is a postal subdivision of District VI)
We got snow last night so I thought that would be a good excuse to try a new place. I had spotted this place a few months back but never go to it. It’s in District XI down the road from the Gellert Hotel & Spa (soon to be a Mandarin Oriental Hotel).
I was lazy so I took the M1 to the 47 tram to the second stop in Buda and walked about 100m to the place on a side street. Trip from Opera to the restaurant under 20 minutes. Very little walking but excellent neighborhoods for seeing the culture of the city.
Walked in and the entire ground floor was about the same size as a Motel 6 single room. Guy behind the counter nice enough and good English as he fumbled a bit trying to find an English menu for me. https://borpatika1986.hu/album#nanogallery/nanogallery2/0/10 I told him, my issue for not learning Hungarian.
Anyway the menu was way too long, and I figured with me and 2 other people in the place if I went for anything too cooking intensive it would take too long so I ordered soup and a glass of wine. The guy behind the counter went outside and got the cook (smoking). And gave me the bill for 2090 ft. Thats a bit less than $5.50. Then he poured about 2dl of wine from a bottle. I noticed that he had other wine in milk jugs on the bar that others were being served from so I presume I got the good stuff. I am going to guess a Kékfrankos blend. I could drink it all night. Good stuff.
Then after about 15 minutes the soup came out. Beans, ham, sausage, spaetzle, some slices of hot Hungarian pepper. Smokey tasting as all get out..... and in a bowl that I am going to guess was not less than 1.25L. A full meal and pretty delicious. Did I mention I got this and the wine for less than $5.50? This is what Frici papa was before it ended up in every guide book published since 1991.
The dining table was a bar bolted to the wall. Maybe 10" deep and a stool. https://borpatika1986.hu/album#nanogallery/nanogallery2/0/4 The ground floor might sit 9 people but there were stairs up and down that I did not check out but photos on the website show real tables. While I was there they had maybe 6 customers (between noon-thirty and 13:30); all working stiffs.
Great lunch. I will return. The name? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I remember how places have been ruined by tourists ...... But this one is not in the tourist zone and most tourists are too lazy to go a few blocks out of the way ... so .... https://maps.app.goo.gl/5cbVRN4EyHK3CFcQA
I think the place qualifies as an Eszpresszó, or Presszó which is a Hungarian version of a proper English public house; restaurant, bar, meeting place.
Tomorrow, if all goes well, there is a wine bar with food about two blocks from this place that opens at 4pm. Worth the try.
This is the problem. Too many good places to eat……
Divin Porcello. I try to avoid eating in the lower half of District V, but this place got good reviews from locals. It's directly behind the Marriott, so you would expect it to be crowded with the type of tourists that stay down here. But it's empty at 13:30 on Sunday.
Very good pork loin, decent wine list and remarkably good prices for the area. I will get out of here for less than $20. Service above average as well. Very nice atmosphere. The sort of place I would take guests.
So, a group of 10 under 30 Italians walked in and the noise level increase quite a bit. To the Great credit to the staff, he offered to move me. I'm good with young people, I was one in another century, so I stayed.
It's directly behind the Marriott, so you would expect it to be crowded with the type of tourists that stay down here.
Very funny. Can we assume that the "type" does not refer to Rick Steves travelers?
Nope..,.....
The area is very strange. It's close to where the river boats dock, so you get those. It's close to two 5 star hotels that attract high-end package tour types. It's historically the cold war rich commie shopping area for Eastern Europe. The first McDonalds behind the iron curtain is here. The architecture is as good as most of the city, but beyond that it's just tourist traps with little historic or cultural value. But it does stay full with tourists.
