The best pubs in Budapest

What is it? When the entire drinking fraternity of England's Home Counties has upped sticks and decamped to the ruin bars of Budapest round the corner, you may take solace here at the Kisüzem, amid its offbeat yet down-to-earth ambience.

Why we love it Kisüzem doesn't look like anything special but it is. There's no sign on the door saying 'No Idiots', yet, as if by magic, creative types and savvy boozehounds gather around the bar counter, perching themselves on the window sills for a smoke.

Time Out tip: Noon opening means the Little Workshop can offer enticing lunchtime deals on food while the wall art is changed fairly regularly, allowing the Kisüzem to host yet another exhibition opening.

Address: Kis Diófa utca 2, 1077 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Wed, Sun noon-1am, Thur-Sat noon-2am

Expect to pay: With prices this reasonable, you can sink lagoons of Slovak Zlatý Bažant and still have change at the end of the night. Those who prefer their beer wheaty, a korsó of draught Edelweiss will set them back Ft 1,500 (€3,80)

What is it? Overlooking a prominent corner where Dob and Kazinczy meet in the very heart of the party vortex, Fekete Kutya sits under a portico arcade. Terrace tables here at a premium, but find a spot inside amid the alternative art and soundtrack, and you'll feel right at home.

Why we love it When it opened in 2013, ‘Black Dog’ could have easily gone down the faux ruin bar route and cashed in. instead, it stuck to its guns and remains a cult hangout serving quality craft beer, fine wines and premium spirits.

Time Out tip: The kitchen here may soon reopen, meaning you won’t have to stagger along Kazinczy utca to the Karaván street-food mecca for late-night eats.

Address: Dob utca 31, 1074 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Tue 5pm-1am, Wed-Thur 5pm-2am, Fri-Sat 5pm-3am, Sun 5pm-midnight

Expect to pay: Draught beer Ft 1,280-1,900 (€3.30-4.90). Spritzer with house wine around Ft 1,000 (€2.55)

What is it? There’s always something reassuring about a bar that doubles up as a tattoo parlour. Such is Roots Budapest, where an alternative soundtrack and street art attract a funky, usually twentysomething and invariably local crowd.

Why we love it Few gaggles of tourists venture to the this end of Király utca beyond the Nagykörút, where shops offer diving equipment, secondhand books and 1960s’ hats. Roots blends into this urban fabric perfectly, programming regular DJ nights and screening matches if the occasion demands.

Time Out tip: Grab one of those big cushions and plot up in the big picture window overlooking Csengery utca, left wide open for four months of the year to let passing conversations waft in from the street.

Address: Király utca 77, 1077 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 5pm-midnight. Closed Sun

Expect to pay: Krušovice Czech beer Ft 1,200 (€3). Large Frittmann Irsai Olivér wine (2dl) Ft 1,600 (€4.10)

What is it? Slap in the city centre, this pub avoids all the clichés of the genre to provide a convivial place to sup, natter, dine, watch sport and catch live music two or three nights a week.

Why we love it The same management team since 2009, Charles Griffin from West Cork and Elvira Zoller from Transylvania, straddle their two cultures with ease, displaying a photo montage of Irish pub fronts and a selection of Budapest caricatures by the city’s very own long-term resident artist Marcus Goldson. The place feels loved, lived-in, looked-after.and, most of all, authentic.

Time Out tip: The most famous café in Hungarian history operated at this very location when Magyar revolutionaries convened in March 1848 before instigating their anti-Habsburg uprising. Though demolished in 1911, the Pilvax lends its name to the contemporary restaurant next door.

Address: Pilvax köz 1-3, 1052 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Thur 5pm-11.30pm, Fri 2pm-1am, Sat 12.30pm-1am, Sun 2pm-11pm. Closed Mon

Expect to pay: Guinness Ft 2,600 (€6.70). The Godfather cocktail by the 1.5l pitcher of Disaronno rum, Jack Daniel’s and Coke Ft 13,000 (€33.35)

What is it? If you are into all things craft beer, make a beeline for Élesztőház (‘Yeast House’), deep in District IX. Local enthusiast Dániel Bart opened the place before the microbrew trend swept over Budapest, with a clear mission to offer something new. Although the courtyard follows the classic ruin-bar formula, Bart aimed to focus his bar on what you drank rather than how you drank it.

Why we love it With more than 20 local brews on tap, you can sample without breaking the bank, though we would recommend ones by Fehér Nyúl from the same district of Budapest, and the affordable house variety.

Time Out tip: There's a serious kitchen, too – you'd go far to find a better burger in Budapest.

Address: Tűzoltó utca 22, 1094 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 3pm-3am

Expect to pay: House Élesztőház lager Ft 1,350 (€3.40). First IPA Ft 1,850 (€4.60)

What is it? Down a narrow street off Rákóczi tér, this two-floor bar pulls in a bohemian crowd of locals and expats. Done out in an intimate crimson hue, Hintaló blends Dalí prints with vintage curios and works by local artists. The rocking horse is a nod towards the venue's name of Rocking Horse, while Iszoda is an old name for a bar.

Why we love it Hard to find and reasonably late opening, Hintaló has upped its game in recent years, introducing classic cocktails, without losing the slightly louche feel that brought people here in the first place.

Time Out tip: Here's the place to try a few cocktails without being charged the kinds of prices they hit you with in hotel bars.

Address: Bacsó Béla utca 15, 1081 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Thur 7pm-1am, Fri-Sat 7pm-2am, Sun 8pm-1am

Expect to pay: District VIII prices, ie between local dive and downtown bar

What is it? A cult cellar spot and music venue close to the epicentre of the party zone on Dob utca, where live sounds have featured regularly for 15 years, free of charge. A bookish vibe dovetails with ruin-bar elements at candlelit tables.

Why we love it Because Lámpás is one of the most welcoming places in town. Blues and jazz nights, spontaneous jam sessions and up-and-coming musicians give the place a nice buzz.

Time Out tip: If you fancy performing, look out for open mic Sundays – for Dutch courage, get here at opening time for happy hour every day until 6pm, with beer at Ft 790 (€2) a pint.

Address: Dob utca 15, 1074 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 4pm-midnight

Expect to pay: Draught domestic Borsodi Ft 1,190 (€3). Small cherry pálinka Ft 1,690 (€4.35)

What is it? A three-man venture involving long-established residents from Liverpool and Ireland, the James Joyce has established itself since its relatively recent opening as one of the key pubs in Budapest. A location right by the downtown metro station of Arany János utca also helps.

Why we love it? A decent pint of Guinness– at a price, mind you – and full Irish breakfast await, plus the match on TV and plentiful banter around the bar.

Time Out tip: You don’t have to spend a fortune to slake your hangover with something hot and filling – they even do beans on toast. Oh yes, and Tayto crisps, for that little taste of home.

Address: Podmaniczky Frigyes tér 4, 1054 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Fri noon-midnight, Sat-Sun 9am-midnight

Expect to pay: Guinness Ft 2,900 (€7.45). Full Irish breakfast (until 1pm daily) Ft 5,950 (€15.25)

What is it? Showcasing Hungary’s most prominent craft brewers – First, Fehér Nyúl, Szent András – this welcoming basement bar and street-level terrace acts as both a post-work meeting place and an ideal pit stop before you board your train at Keleti station visible from the terrace.

Why we love it? In the absence of a station bar at Keleti – sadly now closed – the KWR welcomes your arrival by rail and/or offers you the chance to raise a glass before setting off once more.

Time Out tip: Have a gander at the list of beers chalked up behind the friendly English-speaking barman. The selection changes regularly and should allow you to sample the best of the domestic craft-brewing industry in one visit.

Address: Bethlen Gábor utca 3, 1077 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 10am-midnight

Expect to pay: Half/pint of Szent András 6-3 Porter Ft 850/Ft 1,290 (€2.20/€3.30). Half/pint Horizont Hazy Queen New England IPA Ft 1,250/Ft 1,850 (€3.20/€4.70)

What is it? A journey back in time. As coffeehouses were the domain of bourgeois intellectuals of a previous era, the Communists created the presszó in neon and gaudy colours. This one, operating on Ferenciek tere in the city centre since 1968, is one of the very last examples, as you may glean from the orange plexiglass lamps and faux leather armchairs in fetching fire red.

Why we love it The neon sign across the façade is integral to Budapest's visual heritage. Looking like a café but very much used as a late-opening bar, the Ibolya (‘Violet’) attracts students, office workers, regulars with a penchant for retro and passing tourists relieved to sit down at a terrace table in the middle of town.

Time Out tip: Created in 1947, revived in 2000, the fizzy orange soft drink Bambi stopped production in 1970. While its high sugar content might put you off at first, the classic label on the bottle, backdropped by 1970s’ furnishings, begs to be Instagrammed.

Address: Ferenciek tere 5, 1053 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Tue & Sun 11am-midnight, Wed 11am-12.30am, Thur 11am-1am, Fri 11am-2am, Sat 11am-1.30am

Expect to pay: Spritzer Ft 1,500 (€3.85), Bambi soft drink Ft 1,290 (€3.30)

What is it? Synonymous with the wild days in the immediate post-Communist wave of Western companies moving in and their employees making merry, Irish-run Becketts has settled into its role as an elder statesman of the Budapest pub scene, pulling pints, screening matches, serving breakfasts and staging occasional live music for a more sedate but convivial international crowd.

Why we love it By bringing Becketts to this prominent location on Liszt Ferenc tér in 2015, owner Declan O’Callaghan cut the pub’s association with its notorious past on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út, where he had worked the bar 20 years earlier. This affable Southsider understands the value of local custom without alienating the long-in-the-tooth regular expats here to watch the game over a quiet pint.

Time Out tip: Daily opening times at 11.30am mean you can set yourself up for the day with a hangover-slaying Irish breakfast.

Address: Liszt Ferenc tér 11, 1061 Budapest

Opening times: Mon-Wed & Sun 11.30am-midnight, Thur 11.30am-1am, Fri-Sat 11.30am-2am

Expect to pay: Guinness Ft 2,800 (€7.20). Irish breakfast Ft 5,600 (€14.40)

What is it? One of the oldest pubs in Buda, operating since 1948, an authentic time capsule in the heart of Hegyvidék, whose yellow-and-blue neon beckons from afar. In 2021, it received new impetus when new owners Zsuzsi and Gergő updated the menu while preserving its classic milieu.

Why we love it While almost as old as television, Tik‑Tak feels vibrant, its many younger regulars fraternising in what seems like a film set from 1950s’ Hungary.

Time Out tip: On warmer days, grab a table on the L-shaped terrace. You’ll have to order from the counter but smile nicely and they’ll bring the drinks out to you.

Address: Böszörményi út 17C, 1126 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 9am-10pm

Expect to pay: Staropramen Czech beer Ft 1,200 (€3). Cherry pálinka Ft 1,200 (€3)

What is it? Zugló’s legendary beer garden on leafy Stefánia út has been around for the best part of 75 years. In 2015, Miro, the Serbian grill master from the Kertem bar, breathed new life into the place, so now you can also have dine here, ideally on the terrace overlooking the street.

Why we love it? Because of its timeless atmosphere, customers of all ages can really feel at home at the Tücsök (‘Cricket’, as in Jiminy), ideal for a post-work or pre-match drink.

Time Out tip: If you’re going to a game at the Puskás Aréna opposite, venue for the Champions League final 2026, or taking in its museum and stadium tour, then Tücsök does the job – it also screens matches.

Address: Stefánia út 29, 1143 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Thur 11am-11pm, Fri 11am-1am, Sat noon-1am, Sun noon-11pm

Expect to pay: Staropramen Czech beer Ft 1,390 (€3.60) Large Bolyki Egri Csillag wine (2dl) Ft 1,380 (€3.55)