Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Budapest for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Budapest for grown-ups.
Szimpla Kert on Kazinczy in the Jewish Quarter is Budapest's original ruin bar, opened in 2002 and at this address since 2004 in an old stove factory.
OrderA glass of pálinka with a Dreher beer on the side.
DrinkPálinka and Hungarian beer
FoodBar food, street food in inner courtyard
TipNo reservations, first-come; entry is free, the Sunday farmers' market runs 09:00-14:00.
Instant-Fogas on Akacfa utca is a seven-room ruin-bar megaplex with 18 bars and 1200 square metres of dance floor across courtyards in the Jewish Quarter.
OrderA pálinka shot at the front bar, then move into the back courtyards.
DrinkCocktails, beer, pálinka
FoodLimited street food
TipDaily 18:00-06:00, free entry; the back rooms each have a different soundtrack.
Mazel Tov on Akacfa in the Jewish Quarter is a Mediterranean ruin garden in an early 1900s courtyard, with mezze, shawarma and live klezmer most nights.
OrderAn Israeli sauvignon blanc with the mezze plate.
DrinkIsraeli wine and Hungarian craft beer
FoodFull Mediterranean and Israeli kitchen
TipOpen noon to midnight daily; book a week ahead for weekends, glass-roof courtyard fills first.
Boutiq'Bar on Paulay Ede in Terezvaros is one of Budapest's serious cocktail rooms, with classic cocktails poured by a tightly drilled team near the Opera.
OrderThe Old Cuban with a Hungarian pálinka stinger to close.
DrinkClassic cocktails, Hungarian spirits
FoodSnacks
TipWed 18:00-24:00, Thu 18:00-01:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-02:00; closed Sun, Mon and Tue.
Warm Up on Nagy Diofa utca in the Jewish Quarter is a modern Budapest cocktail bar built on Hungarian spirits like palinka and Unicum, with serious technique.
OrderThe Unicum-and-pálinka highball with a citrus twist.
DrinkModern cocktails on Hungarian spirits
FoodSnacks
TipOpen Tue to Sat from 18:00; book the bar seats for the bartenders' attention.
Kisuzem on Kis Diofa utca in the Jewish Quarter is a long-running local bar with bistro plates, Hungarian wine list and a steady crowd of artists and writers.
OrderThe duck breast or the daily soup with a glass of Furmint.
DrinkHungarian beer and wine
FoodBistro plates and bar snacks
TipDaily 11:30-24:00; the back room is quieter for conversation.
Fekete Kutya on Dob utca pours 25 Hungarian craft beers from rotating taps in a tiny Jewish Quarter front room, where Budapest brewers come to drink.
OrderA flight of three Hungarian IPAs to compare local brewers.
DrinkHungarian craft beer flights
FoodBar snacks
TipCash and card; the room is tiny, share a table or stand at the bar.
Csendes Létterem on Ferenczy István utca near Astoria is a vintage-junk-shop bar pouring house cocktails and Hungarian beer in a flea-market room.
OrderThe signature whisky sour with a side.
DrinkHouse cocktails and Hungarian beer
FoodBurgers, bistro plates
TipDaily 10:00-24:00; the back room is the loudest, front room the quietest.
Doboz on Klauzal utca is a Jewish Quarter ruin garden with a 320-year-old tree and a red box-shaped centerpiece, opened in 2011 as the polished end.
OrderA Hungarian craft beer in the courtyard under the floodlit old tree.
DrinkCocktails, beer and pálinka
FoodBar snacks and bistro plates
TipWed to Sat 18:00-06:00; the upper dance floor is the club end, the courtyard is calmer.
Tuk Tuk on Paulay Ede in the Casati boutique hotel is a tiny dark Terezvaros cocktail bar with purple walls, red silk curtains and Asian-spiced cocktails.
OrderThe signature spice-and-ginger highball from the bartender's list.
DrinkCocktails with Asian spices and herbs
FoodBar snacks
TipReservations advised, the room is intimate; phone the bar to hold seats on weekend nights.
Szatyor on Bartok Bela ut in Ujbuda is an art-bar with rotating local exhibitions, Hungarian wine and a small Mediterranean food menu shared with Hadik next.
OrderA glass of Hungarian dry Furmint with the mixed small-plate selection.
DrinkHungarian wine and cocktails
FoodHungarian and Mediterranean small plates
TipDaily 11:00-24:00; the gallery rotates new local artists monthly.
3 hours
Visit one of the oldest distilleries in Hungary, less than an hour's drive from Budapest. We will taste 8 different Hungarian spirit (Pálinka, Whisky, Gin) throughout ...
Private tour · 2 hours
Explore Budapest's Old Town on a private beer tour, savoring local brews, snacks, and the city's brewing history. Optional: Enjoy more beers and a full-course meal at ...
Private tour · 3 hours
Our expert guide will take you to three carefully-selected locations, each offering a distinctive ambiance and an impressive selection of local and international wines.