Best Places to Eat Out in Budapest
If you want a good taste of the restaurant and bar scene of Budapest, it’s best to follow the advice of local foodies. Luckily, we have friends everywhere! Welcome Irina – a beer and food lover that lives in the majestic capital of Hungary. She will introduce you to her favorite places to go there and even provide an interactive map!
Hungarian food
A proper Hungarian meal is usually huge, tasty and not very healthy. In the city center, one of the best places to eat is Frici Papa. Here you can try famous chicken paprikash and goulash soup. Make sure to order a special dessert – somloi galuska (sponge cakes with pastry creams and chocolate sauce). The prices are surprisingly low and they also have a daily menu. On the Buda Side, my personal favorite is Zöld Kapu restaurant that offers about a hundred different kinds of knuckles. The portions are huge so if you are not very hungry you can order one soup and one main dish for two persons. This place is very popular among locals so better check their website and make an online reservation in advance.
As for the street food, at Blaha Luiza tér there is a small Tomi Lángos kiosk which sells the best lángos (a deep fried flatbread) in Budapest. Traditional lángos is served with cheese and sour cream topping. Not surprisingly, it is also huge, so you can split it between two or even three people.
Czech Food and Beer
If Hungarian food is not enough variety for you there are always Czech pubs, as there are a lot of good ones in Budapest. Try Čech In – it has tasty meals and great beers, what else do you need? Hermelin is very good, but take my advice and do not risk with mangalica tal! It is a snack plate with various kinds of lard and deep-fried fat. I’m not kidding, it’s basically pork fat fried in fat. Welcome to Hungary.
Other Food
Of course, there are many other great places to eat. Personally, I am a fan of Asian soups and American burgers. Momotaro Metélt offers delicious traditional ramens and burger lovers should head to Tuning Bar. Their special burger is called Beef Heaven and, well, let me just say it deserves this name.
Now, if you’re full and ready to switch to drinks, Budapest won’t disappoint you! There are tons of bars for every taste. I’m personally a huge fan of craft beers, so let me share my favorite beer places.
Local Craft Beer
Although Hungary is more famous for its wine, there are hundreds of pubs and bars in Budapest where you can try local craft beer. Lagers and imperial stouts, IPAs and fruit beers (usually meggyes ‘cherry’ or szilvás ‘plum’) – here you can find almost everything. After a walking tour of the city center, you can relax in Legfelsőbb Beeróság. It has a large collection of Hungarian craft beers (bottled and on tap). Another great place is right across the street and is called Neked Csak Dezső! Rizmajer is a quite famous Hungarian brewery. They have recently opened a new place where you can not only drink their craft beers but also order huge tasty burgers.
If you want to spend your evening aside from the very touristic routes I would recommend my favorite Élesztő Ház, which is a part of a beer-wine-food garden. And after that, you can check out Pepin Craft Brewery – a small cozy place with a raccoon mascot.
