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11 of the best restaurants and cafés in Budapest

Gerlóczy is a real local favourite, offering the closest thing you'll find to peacefulness at the centre of Pest.
Gerlóczy is a real local favourite, offering the closest thing you'll find to peacefulness at the centre of Pest.

Until relatively recently, many restaurants in Budapest seemed to 'suffer' customers rather than welcome them. Hungary's proud culinary tradition withered on the Communist vine, and in the immediate aftermath the food remained stodgy and the waiting staff sullen. But all that has changed. Now you'll find restaurants catering to all tastes and budgets. Menus are imaginative, service is good, there is a sprinkling of Michelin stars, and vegetarian options go beyond breaded mushrooms and cheese fried in animal fat. Raise a fork and get stuck in.


Castle District 

Déryné Bistro

Déryné, located beyond the western side of Buda's Castle Hill, offers a bustling, atmospheric blend of influences. It opened as a patisserie in 1914, and the yesteryear café feel remains strong (indeed, Déryné still has its own bakery), with its big clock, plush drapes and spreading ferns. But in the 1950s it was a popular night spot too, and this musical tradition remains a feature, with regular live gypsy players and jazz played through the speakers. The food – primarily French, with some Hungarian – is not only excellent but served in very decent portions (including a schnitzel the size of a tractor wheel), and the staff are helpful and friendly.  

Contact: 00 36 1 225 1407; bistroderyne.com
Opening times: Mon-Thu 7.30am-12pm; Friday 7.30am-1am; Sat 9am-1am; Sun 9am-12am
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££

Déryné Bistro, Budapest, Hungary
Déryné opened as a patisserie in 1914, and the yesteryear café feel remains strong

Pierrot

The building housing Pierrot was a bakery during medieval times. It looks very different now, with whitewashed walls, a piano for evening entertainment, and a photo gallery of famous clientele, among them Salman Rushdie and Jason Statham (who presumably weren't dining companions...). You're in safe hands here; Pierrot is run by the Zsidai Group, which is responsible for several well-regarded restaurants in the city (including nearby 21 and Pest-Buda). The menu has Hungarian and international (especially French) dishes, from pan-fried pike perch to chocolate soufflé, and service is excellent. Furthermore, the shady garden is a pleasant, peaceful spot.

Contact: 00 36 1 375 6971; pierrot.hu
Opening times: 12pm-12am, daily
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££

Pierrot, Budapest, Hungary
Pierrot's menu serves Hungarian and international (especially French) dishes, from pan-fried pike perch to chocolate soufflé

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Downtown

Babel

At Babel, Chef István Veres creates earthy, imaginative – at times even quirky – taster menus inspired by his roots in Transylvania. A plate of beef short ribs with red cabbage might follow thinly sliced Jerusalem artichoke with burnt apple ash, while the star of the show is egg galuska, a dumpling recipe that István makes more rock 'n' roll with a truffle foam. There are stripped-brick walls and food is served on materials like bark and hemp sack, echoing the 'organic' focus. Take the advice of sommelier Péter Blazsovszky, whose recommended wine pairings are both surprising and utterly inspired.   

Contact: 00 36 70 6000 800; babel-budapest.hu
Opening times: Tue-Sat, 6pm-12am
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££

Babel, Budapest, Hungary
Food at Babel is served on materials like bark and hemp sack, echoing the 'organic' focus

Gerbeaud Café

Budapest's best-known café caps the northern end of Vörösmarty tér, placed well for a sugar hit after a stroll up Váci utca. First opened in 1858, it is named after the Swiss patissier Emile Gerbeaud who took over in the 1880s and became renowned among Europe's sweet of tooth. He was particularly fond of walnut, apricot and chocolate, and these ingredients feature in many of the café’s cakes. Try a Gerbeaud Slice, which was one of Emile's classics. The interior hasn't changed since 1910, with chandeliers and a pink-veined marble floor, while the terrace is a perfect people-watching spot.

Contact: 00 36 1 429 9000; gerbeaud.hu
Opening times: 9am-9pm daily (patisserie); 12pm-10pm daily (bistro)
Reservations: Recommended for bistro
Prices: £££

Gerbeaud Café, Budapest, Hungary
Gerbeaud Café's interiors have remained the same since 1910, with chandeliers and veined marble floors

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Gerlóczy Café

Gerlóczy is a real local favourite, offering the closest thing you'll find to peacefulness at the centre of Pest. It's just a short hop from Váci utca, and yet a world away, settled inconspicuously in a small square beneath a spreading tree. The décor and atmosphere are distinctly Parisian and romantic, with monochrome patterned floor tiles, and smart waiters dressed in black and white. This is a place popular both for a fresh croissant and coffee at breakfast, and for a light lunch or dinner of French-leaning dishes like black mussels with aioli and a sourdough baguette.

Contact:00 36 1 501 4000; gerloczy.hu
Opening times: 8am-11pm, daily
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££

Gerlóczy Café
Gerlóczy Café has a French-leaning menu

Onyx

Onyx is currently the city’s most-feted restaurant, the first in Hungary to receive a coveted two Michelin stars. Its success has been driven by the impossibly youthful chef Ádám Mészáros, who has compiled two six-course menus – a ‘Within our Borders’ option, focused on traditional Hungarian ingredients, and ‘Beyond our Borders’ with a more international flavour. From a water buffalo tartare served with a mushroom and caper crisp, to a veal loin on mint-pea purée, the creations are delicate, well-balanced and imaginative. The wine pairings are creative – at times unexpectedly so (a raspberry wine offered with dessert, for example) – but always spot on, and the service is as good as it gets. A meal here is unlikely to disappoint, but if you want to be sure of a table you’ll need to book a few weeks ahead.  

Contact: 00 36 30 508 0622; onyxrestaurant.hu
Opening times: Thu-Sat, 12pm-4pm (last arrival 1.30pm); Tue-Sat, 6.30pm-11pm (last arrival 8.30pm)
Reservations: Essential
Prices: £££

Onyx restaurant, Budapest, Hungary
Onyx was the first restaurant in Hungary to receive two Michelin stars

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Stand25 Bisztró

Eating at Stand25 isn't about getting away from it all. Based in the bustling Hold utca market hall, with its vegetable stalls and painted girders, this is an open-sided restaurant that’s staked out a position right at the heart of the action. When the market is in full flow, it’s wonderfully atmospheric. But Stand25 doesn’t serve the typical food-on-the-run you might expect. The chef was once of the Michelin-starred Onyx, and – while he puts together hearty Hungarian classics like mangalica pork or Somlói galuska (a traditional sponge cake) – he does so with a refined hand. The menu comprises two- or three-course set-price lunches and a four-course dinner.

Contact:00 36 30 961 3262; stand25.hu
Opening times: Mon 11.30am-5pm (last arrival 3.45pm); Tue-Thu 11.30am-6pm (last arrival 4.45pm); Fri-Sat lunch 11.30am-4.30pm (last arrival 3pm), dinner 6pm-10pm (last arrival 8pm)
Reservations: Recommended for lunch, essential for dinner
Price: ££

Stand25 Bisztró, Budapest, Hungary - Credit: Fekete Antonio Designfood.hu Copyrights
Stand25 Bisztró is an open-sided restaurant that’s staked out a position right at the heart of Hold utca market hall Credit: Fekete Antonio Designfood.hu Copyrights

Bistro Fine

Bistro Fine (part of Hotel Moments) is a contemporary restaurant offering not only an à la carte menu of Hungarian and international food, from mangalica pork cheek stew to seafood risotto, but a bar snack and tapas selection. There’s an informal, buzzy atmosphere about the place. The metro line running beneath the broad Andrássy út was the first in continental Europe, and the restaurant celebrates this with white tiles typical of the stations and train headlamps set into the bar. The management is especially proud of the enomatic wine dispensing device, which means you can choose from a large range of vintages by the glass rather than bottle (mainly Hungarian, but some French and New World thrown in too).

Contact: 00 36 1 611 7090; bistrofine.hu
Opening times: 12pm-12am, daily
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: £££

Bistro Fine, Budapest, Hungary - Credit: www.tamaspal.hu/TAMAS PAL
Bistro Fine is a contemporary restaurant with an à-la-carte menu of Hungarian and international food Credit: www.tamaspal.hu/TAMAS PAL

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Klassz

Klassz is not new, but it is revived. For a while, the quality tailed away at a restaurant that was once among the city’s best. With a recent overhaul, the spark is back. A new kitchen team brings a determined focus on simple dishes of local ingredients sourced from small suppliers. The menu is refreshingly short, and features international cuisine with a Hungarian vein running through it – smoked chicken from the region of Bátaszék, for example, served with a cauliflower cream. A reasonably priced two-course lunch menu is designed to entice people back, and the wine list is top drawer – as you’d expect from a restaurant owned by the Hungarian Wine Society.    

Contact:00 36 1 599 9490; klasszbudapest.hu
Opening times: 11.30am-11pm, daily
Reservations: Recommended
Prices: ££

Klassz
Klassz, once one of the city's best restaurants, has got its spark back

New York Café

New York Café claims to be the world’s most beautiful café; it certainly has décor to wallop you in the eyeballs. During the 19th century, it was the regular haunt of some of Hungary's leading artists and poets, but they must have struggled to concentrate when surrounded by such bling. There are ceiling frescoes, sculpted cherubs, railings upholstered with red velvet, gilded columns and other fancy trappings that attract as many selfie-takers as coffee drinkers. Drop in for an afternoon tea and cake or sit down for something more substantial, the menu ranging from burgers to roasted pike perch.

Contact: 00 36 1 8866167; newyorkcafe.hu
Opening times: 8am-12am, daily
Reservations: Recommended for busy periods (lunchtime/dinnertime)
Prices: £££

New York Café, Budapest, Hungary
During the 19th century New York Café was the regular haunt of some of Hungary's leading artists and poets

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City Park

Gundel

There’s no-one in Hungary who hasn’t heard of Gundel. It’s the restaurant with the richest history (dating back to 1910) and the longest line of famous diners, from Olympic champions to Queen Elizabeth II. Goose liver is a speciality, and the signature Gundel pancake – a crêpe with walnuts, rum and chocolate sauce – is unmissable. Prepare for a flamboyant experience in the evening, with dickie-bowed waiters flourishing plates from below silver cloches and musicians playing with gusto in the sumptuous dining room. Things are more laid back at lunch time, when a decent-value set menu and terrace with sloshing fountain attracts visitors to drop in from City Park.  

Contact: 00 36 1 889 8111; gundel.hu
Opening times: Mon-Thu, 12pm-11pm; Fri-Sat, 12pm-12am; Sun, 7pm-11 pm; Sun brunch, 11.30am-3pm
Reservations: Recommended for Sunday brunch, essential for dinner
Prices: ££/£££ (lunch/dinner)

Gundel
Gundel has the richest history of any Budapest restaurant