Spoilt For Choice: The Best Coffee and Food in Budapest

“Szia” and welcome to another Hungarian instalment of Kaptain Kenny.

This time we’d like to share with you our creme-de-la-creme of Budapest’s speciality coffee shops and two restaurants which really stood out for us food-wise.

The minute I arrived in Budapest and looked around my area, I knew I was going to be in for a treat. Sadly, 3 nights in this amazing city weren’t enough!

Now, the absolute best area to stay in (if you can) in my opinion, is on Andrassy. This is a big, beautiful boutique and restaurant laden street and it’s extremely safe. I stayed in an Airbnb which was at Andrassy 7. Behind my apartment, (head in the direction of the Wombat’s Hostel) there is a Hungarian wonderland waiting to show you what the city has to offer. This area (I don’t know its official name) was simply – COOL. It’s more like a laneway which opens up to other streets.

There were restaurants, cafes and bars all with chalkboard menus, jam jars & tea lights, fairy lights, ripped/torn multicoloured triangular flags draped through the area for effect. For a design sucker, this was the perfect place to be located. In this area, I had some GREAT coffees and two fantastic food experiences.

So in this post, I’m going to focus on the best coffee shops I visited. And two very special restaurant recommendations which came through a friend of mine. Check out the photos below & let me know if you have any questions!

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FEKETE: http://feketekv.hu/

Now this was a recommendation from another travel blogging friend of mine Megan – she knows a lot about Eastern Europe and its coffee culture. I didn’t eat here sadly but the coffee was great! It’s such a nice space and they are really passionate about the coffee scene.

Address: Astoria – 1053 Budapest, Hungary Múzeum krt 5.

If you’re taking a lovely stroll through the neighbourhood I mentioned above, you’ll see cool design cafes in amongst graffiti and street art. Although there were a lot of foreigners in this area, I had the feeling that a lot of cool locals came here too.

The Bigfish Seafood Bistro Budapest – http://www.thebigfish.hu/

What an amazing dining experience! The interior was stylish, the staff members were VERY helpful and friendly and all spoke perfect English, the food was insanely tasty and really good quality. After having many mediocre food experiences in Budapest, I’d easily say that The BigFish is a restaurant you cannot miss. The concept is this: you go up to the bar where lots of really fresh seafood is being iced – you choose what you want to have grilled, they weigh it and then you sit down. I ordered some gorgeous prawns grilled with lemon and parsley, a monk fish fillet and a side of quinoa with spinach. I also tried their hand-cut potato fries – delish!

Address: Andrássy út 44, Budapest, 1061

WARMCUP – http://warmcup.hu/

This was a recommendation from a Hungarian friend called Matty. Apparently his friend works here and he said it was a must see. He was right! These guys are super friendly and really into the coffee scene, both in Budapest and in other cities. Thanks for your friendliness – I’ll definitely be back 🙂

Address: Erzsébet krt. 39 Budapest 1073, Hungary

KONTAKT COFFEE – http://kontaktcoffee.com/

This was a really serendipitous find. I was just strolling around really lost, looking for another cafe and I happened to find this little beauty! I popped in for a quick takeaway and boy am I glad I did. They guys really know their stuff. Impressive.    

Address: 1052. Budapest, Károly krt. 22.

Burrita Bar – http://burritabar.com/

Looking for a quick, tasty Mexican snack? Don’t look further than the guys @ Burrita. There’s nothing better than chomping down into a burrito bowl, patting yourself on the back for avoiding bread & then continuing on your walking tour of Budapest. This space is gorgeous too – it’s directly opposite St Stephen’s Basilica which happens to be a breathtaking piece of architecture.

Address: Budapest, Október 6. utca 6, Hungary

TAMP & PULL – https://www.facebook.com/tamppull/

Before you ask, that’s a hairy Hungarian man (not me) in the reflection. (He happens to be my friend but it just looks like he is taking the photo.)

So this place was another recommendation from my friend Megan – thanks for that one! It was a good little visit, I probably would’ve liked my cup a tad stronger – maybe he just put one shot into my flat white. Or maybe their beans are just not strong in taste. Either way it was a smooth and delicious bean but next time I’d ask for more cawwwfee 🙂

Address: Czuczor utca 3., és Váci út 85. Budapest

Budapest Central Market – http://budapestmarkethall.com/

If you’re after something a little different, close to the cafe TAMP & PULL, there’s the Budapest Central Market. People sell all sorts of things here. Enjoy!

Address: Budapest, Vámház krt. 1-3, 1093 Węgry

My Little Melbourne & BREW BAR – http://mylittlemelbourne.hu/

What a find! Obviously I’m going to include this one because the story of its concept is close to home. The owner was apparently on holidays in Australia, (specifically Melbourne) and 100% fell in love with the coffee culture there. He decided to come back to Budapest and recreate the vibes. He did just that – nice beans and their coffee has a great taste.

Address: Budapest, Madách Imre út 3, 1075 Węgry

*** PLEASE NOTE – If you make it here, you’ll find the exact area I’m talking about. You have to visit these little streets. Near this cafe, there are two boutiques (one printing house which makes cool digital prints on clothing and bags) and a vintage store opposite the road. Such a good little area full of good vibes.

Last but not least, don’t forget the Middle-Eastern and oriental restaurants! Due to Hungary’s location, it produces some pretty awesome places with killer hummus.