Kornél & Bing
Food & Drink in Budapest
Local Dishes to Try
Eat like a local with these must try Hungarian dishes:
- Goulash soup | a hearty, paprika-laced meat stew - Pörkölt | The national dish, beef cooked in a thick paprika sauce, served with dumplings - Chicken Paprikash | Chicken cooked with thick cream + paprika sauce - Kolbász | Cured pork sausage - Stuffed cabbage | Stuffed meat in cabbage leaves - Lecsó | A type of Hungarian ratatouille - Mushroom Paprikash | Mushrooms cooked with thick cream + paprika sauce - Lángos | Deep fried dough served with sour cream and cheese - Cottage cheese dumplings | Cottage cheese (túró) served inside deep-fried dumplings - Palacsinta | Hungarian pancakes served sweet or sour - Kürtőskalács | Chimney cakes served with cinnamon - Strudel | Sweet or savoury layered pastry (usually with fruits)
Ruin Bars
Abandoned buildings revamped into bars for a great night out
- Szimpla kert | A cultural and social hub in the city, with concerts and live theatre four nights a week from 8pm, and a wholesome organic farmers’ market there every Sunday. Food trucks line the alley way next door when you get pekish! - Élesztőház | A place for craft beer enthusiast, with unique ambiance of second-hand decor. Of the 20 (or so) top-notch brews available at the industrial-style multi-tap bar, particularly popular are the Fehér Nyúl IPA and Pils and Hekkelberg Pils. - Kobuci Kert | Where Roman ruins rub shoulders with communist házák (tower blocks), Kobuci is located in the historic Zichy Palota garden with live music or acts on any given night. Also popular are the Táncház folk dancing nights! - Doboz | An the upscale ruin bar famed for its huge red cube in the courtyard and dwarfed by a gigantic King Kong statue hanging from a tree, said to be twice as old as Budapest itself. Themed rooms play Latin pop to hip hop, with in-house DJs Rusty, Revolution, and Soulja appearing every week. - Instant/Fogas | The ultimate party place and Budapest’s largest ruin bar, with 7 different floors, 18 bars, and 2 gardens (yeah, it’s big)! This is the place you come after pre-drinks at Szimpla Kert, a place to settle in and party the night away.
Cafes
Budapest boasts some of the best cafes for coffee lovers
- Művész Coffee House - Budapest Baristas - Lui Cafe - Cafe Muse - Meron - Cape by Hai Nam - TwentySix - Gerbeaud Kávéház
Restaurants
Our recommended restaurants in Budapest:
We recommend taking a stroll down Ráday Utca, a well-known restaurant district where you'll find all sorts of cuisine whether that's Hungarian, Eastern European, Asian or Michelin-starred, you'll be spoiled for choice. However, you'll find a lot of good eateries everywhere you go in Budapest, including the below: - VakVarjú Restaurant | A quirky bistro serving hearty Hungarian dishes in a homey atmosphere with live piano music at night! - Kőleves Vendéglő | Situated in the Jewish Quarter, a popular restaruant serving typical Hungarian food with its own outdoor bar. - Két Szerecsen | A reliably good restaurant in Budapest’s theatre quarter, open from dusk till dawn, where you can tuck into the traditional Hungarian cuisine or opt for something more international. - Gundel | Hungary’s most emblematic restaurant for classic Hungarian and international dishes. - Cafe Kor | A popular all-day spot with impeccable service and typical Hungarian cuisine. - Essência | Will likely hurt the wallet but so would any Michelin star restaurant. This one is a culinary love story, between a Portuguese chef who earned his spurs at Michelin-starred Costes, and his Hungarian wife/co-restaurateur with an impeccable tasting menu.