Eat like a local in Budapest: the ultimate restaurant guide to Hungary’s capital (2025)

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? 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? A spacious glass-roof, bare-brick restaurant serving a moreish hybrid of Israeli-Mediterranean food and totally on-point cocktails, right in the ruin-bar quarter.

Why we love it If dining in a huge open-plan courtyard peppered with plants is your thing, head to Mazel Tov. Opt for the falafel burger in a sweet potato bun or the chicken shawarma. Oh, and don’t scrimp on the selection of fresh, zingy dips and salads either – we say go for anything with beetroot and aubergine. 

Time Out tip: Look out for who's playing live every evening, the jazzy schedule posted on the restaurant website

Address: Akácfa utca 47, 1073 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon, Fri-Sun 9.30am-midnight, Tue-Thur noon-midnight

Expect to pay: Merguez sausage platter Ft 6,400 (€16). Classic shakshuka Ft 4,390 (€11)

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? 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? 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? The younger cousin of Dobrumba in the Jewish Quarter, Pingrumba throws its culinary net wider to explore kitchens from Cairo to Calcutta. This results in freshly grilled dishes, bold pairings and exciting spices for vegetarian, pescatarian and carnivore alike.

Why we love it The diner can either go route one – veal stew with dates, lamb kebab – or explore the mezze or more than mezze selections to see how pomegranate and chicken liver combine or even oven-baked beetroot and walnut.

Time Out tip: Leave boozing for later in the evening – the non-alcoholic refreshers are works of art, the Indian spritz with cumin tea, the turmeric twist with turmeric, verjus and ginger, and the shrubbie full of zingy spices.

Address: Széll Kálmán tér 6, 1024 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Wed 5pm-11.30pm, Thur-Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-10pm

Expect to pay: Veal stew with dates Ft 7,000 (€17.50). Hummus köfte Ft 5,800 (€14.50)

What is it? 101 Bistro takes you into the world of modern Taiwanese bistro cuisine. Their dishes combine Chinese, Japanese and Western influences, all fine-tuned with Hungarian ingredients. Sichuan spinach or shou pa chicken are already considered the stand-out dishes.

Why we love it Ideal for couples and small groups, this intimate eatery conveniently set by a major Buda transport hub structures its menu into small plates to sample and share – and try something different next time.

Time Out tip: If you're arriving starving, bao might be the way to go, either the burger or the classic pork belly.

Address: Széll Kálmán tér 5, 1024 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Wed noon-3.30pm, 5pm-10pm; Thur-Sat noon-3.30pm, 5pm-11pm; Sun noon-9pm

Expect to pay: Sichuan spinach Ft 3,490 (€8.75). Shou pa chicken Ft 5,490 (€13.75)

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)

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