Cocktail barRuin bar$$$erzsebetvarosMon-Sun 12:00-04:00
Szimpla Kert on Kazinczy in the Jewish Quarter is Budapest's original ruin bar, opened in 2002 and at this address since 2004 in an old stove factory.
Signature drink: Pálinka and Hungarian beer
Food: Bar food, street food in inner courtyard
Order: A glass of pálinka with a Dreher beer on the side.
Tip: No reservations, first-come; entry is free, the Sunday farmers' market runs 09:00-14:00.
Cocktail barRuin bar complex$$$erzsebetvarosMon-Sun 18:00-06:00
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.
Signature drink: Cocktails, beer, pálinka
Food: Limited street food
Order: A pálinka shot at the front bar, then move into the back courtyards.
Tip: Daily 18:00-06:00, free entry; the back rooms each have a different soundtrack.
Cocktail barMediterranean ruin restaurant-bar$$$erzsebetvarosMon-Thu 12:00-23:00; Fri-Sun 12:00-00:00
Mazel Tov on Akacfa in the Jewish Quarter is a Mediterranean ruin garden in an early 1900s courtyard, with mezze, shawarma and live klezmer most nights.
Signature drink: Israeli wine and Hungarian craft beer
Food: Full Mediterranean and Israeli kitchen
Order: An Israeli sauvignon blanc with the mezze plate.
Tip: Open noon to midnight daily; book a week ahead for weekends, glass-roof courtyard fills first.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$terezvarosTue-Thu 18:00-01:00; Fri-Sat 18:00-02:00
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.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails, Hungarian spirits
Food: Snacks
Order: The Old Cuban with a Hungarian pálinka stinger to close.
Tip: Wed 18:00-24:00, Thu 18:00-01:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-02:00; closed Sun, Mon and Tue.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$erzsebetvarosMon-Sun 19:00-00:00
Warm Up on Nagy Diofa utca in the Jewish Quarter is a modern Budapest cocktail bar built on Hungarian spirits like palinka and Unicum, with serious technique.
Signature drink: Modern cocktails on Hungarian spirits
Food: Snacks
Order: The Unicum-and-pálinka highball with a citrus twist.
Tip: Open Tue to Sat from 18:00; book the bar seats for the bartenders' attention.
Cocktail barNeighbourhood bar with bistro food$$$erzsebetvarosMon-Wed 12:00-02:00; Thu-Sat 12:00-03:00; Sun 12:00-02:00
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.
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 11:30-24:00; the back room is quieter for conversation.