Best of Budapest: 6 Must-Try Food Spots in the Hungarian Capital

Last week, we discovered Budapest from a new perspective, heading off the beaten path and moving past obvious attractions to find some of the hidden treasures that the city has to offer. Now, we will spend a whole day – and a traditional Sunday lunch – getting a taste of Budapest.

Breakfast – Törökméz

Over the past few years, as part of the gastro revolution that has hit Budapest, it seems that every week sees a new breakfast place open in the city. It was hard to pick one place from the many great ones, which you can read more about here. In any case, on of the best is Törökméz,  hidden in the Buda hills in Rózsadomb, which serves all-day breakfast with good arabica coffee and fresh orange juice. The long list of their breakfast items includes traditional breakfast meals such as omelette and granola, as well as trendy favorites such as avocado toast, acai bowls – and of course full English breakfasts as well.

Coffee and Cake – My Little Melbourne

This is a really small, dog-friendly café on Madách square in downtown, close to Deák square. The idea of this specialty coffee shop, the first of its kind in Budapest, came on a vacation in Melbourne, inspired by the rich coffee culture of the Australian city – hence the name. Since the opening of the first My Little Melbourne, they have also opened a brew bar and another café as well as their own barista school. They use the best coffee beans of Workshop Coffee Co. and also offer chai latte, fresh juices and teas for those who are not that fond of coffee. In addition to their drinks, they also offer cookies and cakes from Budai Bakery and The Mill Bakery.

Lunch – Downtown Market (Hold utca)

The market in Hold utca was fully renovated in 2014, and re-christened as Downtown Market; today, it is one of the best examples of Budapest’s gastro revolution. On the ground floor, customers can still find meat, vegetable and fruit stalls, offering quality products, but on the next floor up a number of eateries have opened – including restaurants opened by star chefs –  offering classic market food as well as street foods. One of the first chefs to operate a bistro at the market was Lajos Bíró with his Séf Utcája, a high-quality butcher’s shop fused with a deli, followed by another restaurant, Buja Disznók, which specializes in fried pork schnitzel, pork ears, and potato salad. Szabina Szulló and Tamás Széll, who won fourth place in the International competition of Bocuse d’or in 2017, also opened a restaurant, Stand25, which recently won a coveted Bib Gourmand.

Ice Cream – Damniczki Budapest

After 25 years of operation in Székesfehérvár, Damniczki opened a store in downtown Budapest as well. Their ice creams are free of artificial colorings and aromas, and are all from natural, high-quality ingredients. Beside the classics, such as chocolate, strawberry or vanilla they have some crazy flavors as well, including yoghurt-sorrel, bell pepper-raspberry and basil-beetroot. They also offer gluten, lactose and sugar free ice creams. This year, they also have the popular Italian dessert, affogato – coffee with vanilla (or in their case a great variety of flavors, for example peach) ice cream.

Dinner – Fricska Gastropub

Another major player in the capital’s so-called gastro-revolution, this cellar restaurant is situated in central Budapest, close to the party district, on Dob utca, next to the Grand Boulevard. It offers one of the best price-quality value lunch menus (a 3-course menu for less than HUF 3000/EUR 10) in the city, as well as reasonably priced, seasonal dinner dishes and a large selection of wines. In 2018, and last year as well, Fricska was awarded a Bib Gourmand at the Michelin Gala, and included in the Guide among the restaurants offering “exceptionally good food at moderate prices.”

Sunday Lunch – Náncsi néni 

Náncsi néni has probably been my personal favorite traditional Hungarian restaurant in Budapest for years – and I am sure that nothing can change that. It is out of the city center, approximately a 20 minute drive from downtown Budapest, but it is worth the trip. During the summer months, guests can enjoy their food on the terrace, always full of families, under the chestnut and walnut trees. The furniture is also traditional, with checked tablecloths. The menu is mainly consists of traditional Hungarian dishes, just like Hungarian grandmothers make, and their food lives up to their motto: “Mum cooks the best. We try to make it like her.”

via breakslow, varosban.blog.hu, damniczki.hu, mylittlemelbourne.hu, belvarosipiac.hu

featured photo: Péter Csákvári