Budapest's Finest Eateries: A Food Guide

Budapest is scattered with great food generously. I could go on and on about these. The Hungarians do not take bullshit when it comes to food; it is evident. You’d think the city would eat dishes with unpronounceable names, but you’d be in the wrong because take my word, you wouldn’t come back from Budapest with low sized bellies. You get the finest of Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Belgian, French and of course, Hungarian cuisines. This post will give you a comprehensive outlook on the restaurants and cuisines in Budapest. Here are 11 of the best of the capital.

1. Chef Cafe:

Hungarian Food — **Image credit – Unsplash.com**

Wouldn’t you be surprised if you go to a cafe named Chef Cafe and it turns out to be a restaurant? Head to Chef Cafe for delicious home-cooked Hungarian food. The service is good, the staff knowledgeable. They speak English and would be delighted to help a foreigner. The wines available here are Hungarian in origin too. They serve wonderful beef goulash (Hungarian national dish) and apple strudel is a speciality. The whole setup is romantic too.

2. Hungarikum Bistro:

Paprikash — **Image credit – Flickr.com**

Everything in this restaurant yells ‘Hungary’. You can confidently order the recommended dishes because everything is a signature. It gives out a cozy warmth owing to the hot bowls of broths served here. Great music is also a contributing factor. Look out for the smoky pork, dumplings, paprikash and goulashes. The restaurant staff bring out tablets with pictures of the dishes so we can choose from it.

3. Indigo restaurant:

As the name suggests, this restaurant serves Indian food. With great interior decor, it is a place that you’d never forget. Unlike a lot of other Indian restaurants found in Europe, this one makes authentic Indian food unchanged. Biryanis, tikkas, naan, curries- all intact. The staff is all Hungarian but is extremely well versed in Indian food.

4. Cirkusz:

Cirkusz is a wonderful European cafe with a Bohemian touch to it. Comfort food is their motto and they do it very well. Budapest’s downtown is full of talk about this place. The items are cheap and the place is a go-to if you need a place to cool off after a long day of travel. A lot of people try this place out and stick with it for breakfasts throughout their trip. Vegan choices are available too.

5. Molnár’s kürtőskalács:

Kürtőskalács are the bomb desserts Hungary presents to the world. This delicious Translyvanian sweet was initially served in festivals, hence the hype around it. Called rightly as chimney cakes, these are made in peculiar ways. The dough is pulled into strips and wrapped around a pipe and rolled in sugar. It is then placed in a chamber of burning coals. They slowly caramelize after generous applications of butter, to form a crisp sugary crust. At first, made primitively, kürtőskalács have been varied greatly. They come in all flavours coated with caramel, sugar, cream, almonds etc. Molnar’s kürtőskalács are the best in the business. You should definitely check out this place if you’re in Budapest. You will always crave their poppyseed, walnut and vanilla kürtőskalács thereafter.

6. Cafe Ruszwurm:

Ruszwurm Cafe and their picturesque food are beloved to the people in Budapest. Run by sweet families, they serve homemade food that will warm your heart. This place bears history in confectionery dating back to centuries and is situated in the main area of Budapest Castle district. Sitting down with a coffee and a plate full pastries (Strudel), you could fall in love with Budapest all over again. Be sure to check out the 200 years old cherry wood counter too.

7. Comme Chez Soi:

French Cuisines — **Image credit – Unsplash.com**

Comme Chez Soi is a food lover’s favourite and critic’s rave restaurant. The service here is the loveliest in all of Budapest with complimentary champagne, appetizers, wine and wait for it, a box of Belgian chocolate. When you enter this cute apartment, you are already happy with the uber-cool facade. Delicious aroma is wafting towards you, you get pulled in and sit down, order food and the rest of the day is all fireworks. Gourmet French and Bulgarian food are at its best in Comme Chez Soi. Do not miss the soups, pasta, salads and coq au vin here.

8. Taverna Dionysos:

Greek Salad — **Image credit – Pexels.com**

Head to Taverna Dionysos for the best Greek food in town. The sleek Mediterranean class oozes out in every part of this restaurant. Terrace views, great music and amazing food are somethings that stand out here. Sour cherry soup is a speciality here. So are the pitted olives, platters and Greek salads.

9. Street Cakes:

Waffles street cakes — **Image credit – Unsplash.com**

Street Cakes are Instagram’s food love. With glorious icecreams, rose cones and waffles to kill for it is a joint that you should never miss. With yummy desserts that look like a million, this is a very popular place on social media. The kürtőskalács are filled with delicious materials that spoil you for choice. Icecream filled kürtőskalács, KitKat kürtőskalác, bubble wrapper waffles are famous delicacies that teleport you to wonderland.

10. Mazel tov:

Mazel Tov looks like a place out of Sex and the City. With fairy lights and green hanging plants decorating the rock walls, it has a glass ceiling that like the Hogwarts castle, gives you a grand picture of the sky. The whole place looks like an extremely fashionable tavern. Moving on to food, Brunch is the best time to dine here. The food has hints of Israeli cuisines but their contrasting menus are full of sausages, creamy soups, hummus, breakfast smoothie bowls, shawarma, paprikash and a lot of rice. Go prepared for some intense food coma.

11. Trattoria Gozsdu:

This place is a tiny piece of Italy wrapped up in a restaurant. It serves Italy’s finest in Budapest. Beautiful looking home crafted pizzas that contain worlds of ingredients are served here. Gooey plates of pasta, Risottos and milkshakes are famous. In addition to that salads, burgers and brownies are eaten here too.