Must-see restaurants in Budapest

Originally set up by former journalists, retro-style restaurant ‘Hack’ has been one of our favourite Hungarian 'nostalgia' eateries for years, thanks to…

Cosy, classy and welcoming corner restaurant set over two levels, with dark-wood furniture and romantic candlelight come evening. There's clear attention…

With reworked Hungarian classics that make it a winner, the ‘Owl’s Castle’ attracts the Budapest cognoscenti, who leave its sister restaurant, Gundel,…

This stylish restaurant is one of the best spots in Budapest for a wide spectrum of authentic Japanese cuisine. Apart from beautifully presented nigiri,…

With its vaguely industrial decor, an open kitchen and hip serving staff, this ambitious restaurant specialises in bold pairings of ingredients that…

With a hint of black magic in its name and a cosy location in the basement of a residential block, this family-run restaurant has earned loyal local fans…

Though it's far away from central Budapest, this authentic Vietnamese joint is regularly packed. Customers squeeze around the communal tables beneath…

Come to this desszertbár for some of Budapest's best and most imaginative cakes. Temptations include cherry cheesecake with Sichuan pepper, chocolate tart…

Traditional Hungarian with a twist is on offer at this brilliant restaurant that offers a table d’hôte set-lunch menu of two or three courses and a dinner…

This kosher cake shop and cafe in the former ghetto, dating back to 1953, makes and sells such Jewish kosher favourites as flódni (a three-layer cake with…

Select your fish or shellfish type from the ice trays, choose the cooking method and a side or two, and then sit back and wait for super fresh seafood to…

This richly decorated and well-run Indian restaurant offers a warm welcome, attentive service and a wide range of authentic dishes. There are lots of…

Set up in and around the disused pools that were once part of the neighbouring Gellért Baths complex, Pagony Kert is an unusual warm-weather venue…

The fourth restaurant in Budapest to be awarded a Michelin star and the second Costes one, Costes Downtown calls itself a 'fine-dining bistro’. Watch the…

Permanent fixtures on the menu here include foie gras in its various avatars and native mangalica pork. More unusual (and fleeting) dishes are lamb and…

This very stylish eatery, in a fabulous location in a small park overlooking legendary Feneketlen-tó (Bottomless Lake) in south Buda, has a varied and…

Elegant Fausto's offers a top-class dining room in its ristorante and a cheaper osteria (open without afternoon break) just up from the Great Synagogue…

It's well worth travelling into the hills of posh district II for the most authentic Japanese food in town. Apart from super fresh sashimi sets and…

Sister-restaurant to the wonderful Barack & Szilva (Peach & Peach) in Erzsébetváros (the restaurant names have more to do with pálinka than fruit) this…

Centrally located 'Little Bell' is an étkezde (canteen serving simple Hungarian dishes) that's top of the list with students and staff of the nearby…