Budapest, Hungary — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Budapest, Hungary
Restaurants
Expensive
Fausto
Fausto is considered by many as Budapest's finest Italian restaurant. The setting here is elegant, with antique furniture and large round tables covered in crisp white linen, and the food is first class. The menu includes a variety of soups and traditional Italian starters, followed by primi and secondi piatti of meat or fish. The fresh seafood is truly excellent.
VI Székely Mihály utca 2
Tel: (01) 877 6210.
Website: www.fausto.hu
Gundel
This has long been regarded as one of the city's fanciest restaurants, and it is certainly one of its most famous. Gundel has been serving traditional dishes since 1894, and some have become city institutions, including the Gundel pancake and goose liver specialty. The wine list is extensive and the art nouveau interior is a feast for the eyes too.
XIV Allatkerti utca 2
Tel: (01) 468 4040.
Website: www.gundel.hu
Kacsa
Decadent cuisine from old is Kacsa's specialty. Its menu is filled with the likes of lobster, quail, grilled goose liver and venison, but most dine here for the succulent duck (Kacsa means ‘duck' in Hungarian). There are eight duck dishes available, all wonderfully cooked, and the wine list is top rate, if a little expensive. Service is also old school, Hungarian old school - don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed.
II Fő utca 75
Tel: (01) 201 9992.
Website: www.kacsavendeglo.hu
Kárpátia
It's hard to find a more elaborate interior than Kárpátia's. Its walls and vaulted ceilings are richly painted in zigzag patterns and its stained-glass windows look as though they've been removed from a medieval church. The menu is heavily influenced by traditional Hungarian cuisine, and there is a healthy selection of Transylvanian dishes too. Live gypsy music is featured most nights.
V Ferenciek tere 7-8
Tel: (01) 317 3596.
Website: www.karpatia.hu
Malomtó
The 'Mill Lake' restaurant (overlooking a tiny pond) caters to locals eager for international cuisine with an imaginative twist. Choose from a wide selection of seafood options and such delights as Cajun steak in thoroughly modern - and comfortable - surroundings before taking a stroll around the pond for a glance over the adjacent Turkish bathhouse ruins.
II Frankel Leó út 48
Tel: (01) 336 1830.
Moderate
Chez Daniel
Chez Daniel serves arguably the finest French cuisine in the city. There is a menu available but you're best skipping it and focusing on the daily specials on the chalkboard, or simply consulting the friendly owner/chef. Its inner courtyard is perfect for warm summer days, as is its cosy interior for dark winter ones. Evening reservations recommended.
VI Szív utca 32
Tel: (01) 302 4039.
Website: www.chezdaniel.hu
Goa Café
Goa has been a perennial favorite with Budapest's trendy crowd for years. Its international menu, which swings from Argentinean steak to Thai green curry, fails to include anything Hungarian, but nobody seems to mind. The décor is suitably un-Hungarian to match, featuring serene water installations, Buddha statues, and tropical plants. Evening reservations are essential.
VI Andrássy út 8
Tel: (01) 302 2570.
Website: www.goaworld.hu/cafe2.htm
Kéhli Restaurant
At first glance Kéhli appears just another tacky joint focusing its business towards tourists with rural paraphernalia, regular live gypsy music, English menus, and clichéd Hungarian cuisine. But a quick glance at the clientele, and a sample of the food, reveal an authentic restaurant that attracts far more locals than tourists and serves hearty dishes Hungarian mothers have been cooking for generations. The house is a gem too; it looks like a 19th-century rural dwelling.
III Mókus utca 22
Tel: (01) 368 0613.
Website: www.kehli.hu
Menza
Liszt Ferenc tér is one of the hottest spots for drinking and dining in Budapest, and Menza is at the square's core. Anyone from business lunchers to in-vogue celebs can be seen dining here, which makes this a place to book ahead. The menu is filled with modern takes on traditional Hungarian dishes, and most are surprisingly affordable considering Menza's popularity.
VI Liszt Ferenc tér 2
Tel: (01) 413 1482.
Website: www.menzaetterem.hu
Cheap
Café Kör
The ever popular Cafe Kör first opened several years ago as a miniscule bar but has since occupied more spacious premises, complete with a terrace, near the Basilica. The interior here has a relaxed and cosy café-like atmosphere, and the light, airy bistro is very popular with young expats, students, and Hungarian yuppies seeking lighter fare.
V Sas utca 17
Tel: (01) 311 0053.
Website: www.cafekor.com
Gerbeaud
This landmark Budapest café/confectionery is a must-see. The interior is gorgeous, done up in Austro-Hungarian opulence, complete with rich plaster work, magnificent chandeliers, marble tables, lavish fine wood paneling, and brocade wall coverings. Among other decorative items is the piano that was intended for use on board the Titanic.
V Võrõsmarty tér 7-8
Tel: (01) 429 9000.
Website: www.gerbeaud.hu
Napos Oldal
Half health-food store, half café, 'Sunny Side' is a spot to find scrummy food that is both easy on the waist and wallet. Spelt-based pastries, vegetarian salads, and a daily lunch menu of soup and main are made fresh on the premises Monday to Saturday and are available to eat in or take away. Napos Oldal also runs an organic produce store across the road.
VI Jókai utca 7
Tel: (01) 354 0048.
Nightlife
New clubs and discos are constantly sprouting up all over Budapest especially around VII Liszt Ferenc tér and IX Ráday utca. The bars offer something for everybody (from sleazy sex bars to calm cafés) and there is plenty of space to experiment. Borozós are cheap wine cellars, where it is rare to see women, especially unaccompanied. Sörözős are beer houses that will also serve good and moderately priced food.
The best sources for nightlife listings are The Budapest Sun (www.budapestsun.com), PestiEst (www.est.hu), Exit (www.exit.hu) and Pesti Műsor (www.pestimusor.hu); only the first is in English.
Bars
Karma
Karma draws the crowds with its buzzing bar area at the front and cosy corners to the rear. A bit of a relaxed place with the possibility to eat is Bar Karma on Liszt Ferenc Ter near Oktogon in Budapest. With an Indian-style décor and great background music, Karma is a top bar to head for a classy cocktail in Budapest.
VI Liszt Ferenc tér 11
Tel: (01) 413 6764.
Website: www.karmabudapest.com
Paris, Texas
One of the first nightlife spots to have opened on the now-buzzing Ráday utca, Paris, Texas is known for its pool tables, strong cocktails, and pizza deliveries from the restaurant next door. The walls are lined with old photographs, providing a window into the local culture of the 1910s and 1920s. In the summer there is limited outdoor seating.
IX Ráday utca 22
Tel: (01) 218 0570.
Szimpla Kert
Szimpla Kert looks a bit run-out but that's party of the atmosphere. With a courtyard filled with unique furniture and a cinema playing alternative movies, Szimpla Kert is a fun and funky squat-style venue with a great beer garden in the warmer months.
VII Kazinczy utca 14
Tel: (01) 321 9119.
Website: www.szimpla.hu
Trafó Bár Tangó
Also known as Mappa Club, Trafó Bár Tangó, in the basement of the Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, attracts an artistic crowd and regularly features DJs. The interior of this 21st-century urban venue was recently refurbished to great visual effect, complete with hi-tech lighting and multi-wall projection.
IX Liliom utca 41
Tel: (01) 456 2049.
Websites: www.trafo.hu; http://mappaclub.com
Clubs
Angyal Bar
Angyal Bar is the gay club in Budapest, specializing in good old-fashioned high-NRG dance remixes.
VII Szövetség utca 33
Tel: (01) 351 6490.
Fészek Club
Fészek Club, resembling a bordello with its cushioned booths and small stage, is jammed with revelers between 0200 and 0600.
VII Kertész utca 36
Tel: (01) 342 6548.
Website: www.feszek-muveszklub.hu
Sark
Sark is popular with the alternative and student crowds and has regular clubbing events in the basement.
VII Klauzál tér 14
Tel: (01) 328 0753.
Live Music
A38 Hajó
A38 Hajó is a trendy floating club over the summer months, but it's better known as a live music venue. Once a Ukrainian stone-carrier barge, it now plays host to a plethora of live acts.
XI Mügyetem rakpart
Tel: (01) 464 3940.
Website: www.a38.hu
Kultiplex
Bohemian-style Kultiplex is a major venue for lesser known bands in Budapest and is often full to overflowing.
IX Kinizsi utca 28
Tel: (01) 219 0706.
Old Man's Music Pub
The Old Man's Music Pub, although crowded, is one of the city's most fun night-time hotspots, with live music from 2100 to 2300.
VII Akácfa utca 13
Tel: (01) 322 7645.
Website: www.oldmansmusicpub.com
