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 in Pest.
Must order: The Old Cuban with a Hungarian pálinka stinger to close.
Food program: Snacks
Tip: Wed 18:00 to 24:00, Thu 18:00 to 01:00, Fri-Sat 18:00 to 02:00; closed Sun, Mon and Tue.
Address: Paulay Ede utca 5, 1061 Budapest
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 near the Opera in Budapest.
Signature drink: Cocktails with Asian spices and herbs
Food: Bar snacks
Order: The signature spice-and-ginger highball from the bartender's list.
Tip: Reservations advised, the room is intimate; phone the bar to hold seats on weekend nights.
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 and a quiet room.
Signature drink: Modern cocktails on Hungarian spirits
Food: Snacks
Order: The Unicum-and-pálinka highball with a citrus twist.
Tip: Open 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, Budapest.
Signature drink: Hungarian beer and wine
Food: Bistro plates and bar snacks
Order: The duck breast or the daily soup with a glass of Furmint.
Tip: Daily 11:30 to 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.
Signature drink: Hungarian craft beer flights
Food: Bar snacks
Order: A flight of three Hungarian IPAs to compare local brewers.
Tip: Cash 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 with mismatched chairs in downtown Budapest.
Signature drink: House cocktails and Hungarian beer
Food: Burgers, bistro plates
Order: The signature whisky sour with a side of fries.
Tip: Daily 10:00 to 24:00; the back room is the loudest, front room the quietest.
Ellato Kert at the top end of Kazinczy is a Jewish Quarter ruin garden with a Mexican kitchen serving tacos and a cheap-and-cheerful Hungarian beer list in Budapest.
Signature drink: Beer and pálinka
Food: Mexican tacos and bar food
Order: Two tacos and a Soproni beer in the back garden.
Tip: Daily 17:00 to 02:00; the back garden is shaded and fills first on summer nights.
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 near the Opera in Budapest.
Signature drink: Cocktails with Asian spices and herbs
Food: Bar snacks
Order: The signature spice-and-ginger highball from the bartender's list.
Tip: Reservations advised, the room is intimate; phone the bar to hold seats on weekend nights.