The best restaurants in Budapest in 2026

What is it? A Michelin-starred restaurant whose inventive dishes are paired with specific wines – hence the name, ‘Wine Kitchen’.

Why we love it This restaurant isn’t just for Michelin glory-hunters – weekenders will love the first-class menu, too. Although a visit here won’t be the cheapest meal of your Budapest break, it’s hard not to be impressed by what’s available on Borkonyha's five-course and à la carte lists, whether the lettuce soup with scallops or quail with pearl barley and cranberries. Open evenings only during the week.

Time Out tip: Borkonyha now operates an online table-reservation service, requiring a payment of Ft 20,000 (€50), to be set against your final bill. Note that the restaurant closes on Sundays.

Address: Sas utca 3, 1051 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6pm-midnight, Sat noon-midnight. Closed Sun

Expect to pay: Starter of duck liver, beetroot and lavender Ft 9,350 (€23.50). main of mangalica pork, noodles and sage Ft 11,450 (€28.75)

What is it? Not even a year had elapsed when the culinary duo of Tamás Széll and Szabina Szulló earned their first Michelin star for their contemporary Hungarian restaurant in the city centre. In 2022, they were anointed with their second star.

Why we love it While top-notch and frighteningly expensive for Budapest, Stand remains informal, providing a relaxed dining experience within a short walk of the Opera House.

Time Out tip: Sister restaurant Stand25 allows you to sample regular Hungarian dishes at regular prices at the foot of Buda Castle.

Address: Székely Mihály utca 2, 1061 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Sat 6pm-midnight. Closed Mon, Sun

Expect to pay: Chef's menu (a dozen or so courses according to choice) Ft 89,500 (€225). Vegetarian tasting menu Ft 89,500 (€225)

What is it? A perfect little Hungarian local, offering up classic local Jewish dishes and more, operated by the same dedicated family for a reassuringly long time.

Why we love it A chalkboard-menu restaurant featuring tables with white tablecloths, bare brick walls and waiters who always seem to be rushed off their feet. Rosenstein is Jewish and Hungarian cuisine at its finest – for which you should definitely book. 

Time Out tip: Look out for the weekday deals Mon-Thur at Ft 4,800 (€12), currently featuring an unbeatable stuffed cabbage (töltött káposzta) on a Wednesday. If you're here on a Friday or Saturday, then cholent is the classic example of Jewish Budapest cuisine at Ft 5,700 (€14.25) 

Address: Mosonyi utca 3,1087 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-11pm. Closed Sun

Expect to pay: Pan-fried goose liver in Tokaji sauce Ft 12,000 (€30). Pike-perch fillet cooked in its own skin with teriyaki sauce and fresh mixed salad Ft 6,700 (€16.75)

What is it? A culinary love story, between a Portuguese chef who earned his spurs at Michelin-starred Costes, and his Hungarian wife/co-restaurateur. Essência is Tiago and Éva’s culinary baby, and it earned its own Michelin star in 2021 (which it retained in 2024). 

Why we love it For genuine warmth and a successful marriage on a plate between Hungary and Portugal in the form of a tasting menu. The mangalica, a revived variety of high-quality Hungarian pork, is superb, as is the octopus, a rarity in Budapest.

Time Out tip: To sample the full range of what the kitchen can do here, try the five- or seven-course dégustation menu, with or without alcohol-free drinks, Hungarian or international wines, from Ft 41,900 (€105) per person

Address: Sas utca 17, 1051 Budapest

Opening hours: Wed-Sat 6pm-11pm, Thur-Sat noon-3pm. Closed Mon-Tue, Sun

Expect to pay: Starter of beef tartare with bone marrow Ft 8,100 (€20). Main of Chanfana lamb and chard Ft 13,800 (€34.50)

What is it? Before opening his M’EAT by Jenő Rácz outlet at Time Out Market Budapest, the Michelin-anointed chef made waves in the city’s culinary scene by his pioneering downtown restaurant, Rumour. Part fine dining, part performance art, this unique eatery is the stage for Budapest-born Rácz to demonstrate his creativity as he prepares a set menu for the 21 diners perched on bright-red seats around the counter he commands.

Why we love it Rumour is based on a speakeasy concept, so you’re given instructions to find the secret door once you’re in the vicinity of Petőfi tér – meaning that this is already a culinary adventure before you’ve even taken off your jacket and pulled up a chair.

Time Out tip: Pay attention. Rácz has worked at prestigious kitchens in London, Copenhagen, Singapore and, most notably, his last port of call, Shanghai, and here he brings all his global experience to the table – literally. You’re watching a master in action.

Address: Petőfi tér 3, 1051 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Sat 5pm-11pm. Closed Sun-Mon

Expect to pay: Pre-theatre menu (5 courses) Ft 44,900 (€114). Rumour menu (10 courses) Ft 68,800 (€175)

What is it? A Michelin-starred beacon of fine dining, underscored by an Austro-Hungarian concept, right in the city centre.

Why we love it To experience what a wide-ranging culinary region the former Austro-Hungarian Empire was, where Ukrainian and Serbian dishes combine with Viennese and Budapest favourites in a series of servings with wine pairings. Babel's surroundings are equally elegant.

Time Out tip: Lauded by Decanter magazine, Babel is known for its wine pairings, expertly directed by the head sommelier – place your trust in their sound advice.

Address: Piarista köz 2, 1052 Budapest

Opening hours: Tue-Sat 5.30pm-midnight. Closed Mon, Sun

Expect to pay: Thirteen-course menu Ft 69,000 (€173) plus drink pairings. Eight-course menu Ft 55,000 (€138) plus drink pairings

What is it? In the former Goldberger Textile Factory complex in Óbuda. Epicurean is the dream of Carlos Coelho (Matador Restaurant, Haraszthy Winery) and his wife Ingeborg, who combine their wine expertise with their passion for exquisite gastronomy. Head chef André Bicalho follows the ethos of Cuisine d’Auteur – creativity without borders, allowing the finest local ingredients to shine through his intuition and experience in Michelin-starred kitchens.

Why we love it This experience involving 14 guests is unique in that it takes place in three different spaces. The evening begins in The Oak Bar, with Haraszthy champagne and personalized apéritifs, where diners can also admire hams and salamis in the barrel-ageing room. From there, you are led to the 14-seat dining room through the show kitchen, where the seven-course menu is presented. The dinner culminates in the intimate warmth of the Polo Lounge, with desserts and digéstifs.

Why we love it The trek up to Óbuda is rewarded with a one-of-a-kind evening shared in intimate surroundings with appreciative discerning diners happy to pay top dollar.

Address: Pacsirtamező utca 41, 1036 Budapest

Opening hours: Thu-Sat 7pm-11pm. Closed Mon-Wed, Sun

Expect to pay: 7-course tasting menu Ft 49,000 (€127)/person + wine Ft 32,000 (€83)/person

What is it? Set in an elegant corner of Zugló near City Park, Szaletly showcases the culinary skill of Dániel Bernát, who works in Hungarian gastronomic vernacular but is by no means confined by its limitations.  

Why we love it In light, airy surroundings, you can sample the finest domestic ingredients inventively paired and immaculately presented. This prominent corner building operated as a restaurant back in 1907 and the sympathetic owners are more than aware of its heritage.

Time Out tip: Watch out for the regularly changing chef's suggestions - but do leave room for the extraordinary range of ice cream.

Address: Stefánia út 93, 1146 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily noon-11pm

Expect to pay: Five-course tasting menu: Ft 18,900 (€47.50); with wine pairings Ft 9,900 (€25) extra. À la carte: Lamb steak with potato stew Ft 13,990 (€35)

What is it? Hungary’s most emblematic restaurant, established by the gastronomic dynasty of the same name in the city’s Golden Age, and recently revived by new ownership.

Why we love it To dine where the Queen once did, while enjoying what the incoming management terms ‘affordable luxury’, with particular reference to their Sunday lunchtime deals. Gundel's location beside City Park and next door to the Zoo lends itself to making a day of it, although prices for the classic main courses are by no means outrageous, whichever day of the week you visit.

Time Out tip: Practically every Hungarian restaurant in Hungary includes Gundel pancakes on its menu – which makes this rich dessert of chocolate glaze, lightly roasted chopped walnuts and fresh orange peel a must-try here.

Address: Gundel Károly út 4, 1146 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 11.30am-10pm

Expect to pay: Újházi chicken soup Ft 3,500 (€8.80). Brassói-style tenderloin Ft 8,750 (€22)

What is it? A long-established and constantly popular all-day spot with impeccable service and a regularly changing menu according to season and availability.

Why we love it In the city’s hub of upscale gastronomy, the popular Café Kör remains informal despite being particularly busy at lunchtimes when the business crowd flocks here from nearby offices.

Time Out tip: During the week, make a reservation or get here as close to noon as you can – daily specials are served only until they run out.

Address: Sas utca 17, 1051 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Sat noon-10pm. Closed Sun

Expect to pay: Baked leg of lamb with steamed cabbage Ft 6,590 (€16.50). Grilled salmon in Hollandaise sauce with croquettes Ft 6,490 (€16.25)

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