The Muvesz Kavehaz on Andrassy across from the Opera has poured coffee since 1898, a quieter alternative to Gerbeaud with full Hungarian pastry counter, Budapest.
Must order: The Dobos torta with an espresso and a glass of water.
Tip: Open daily 09:00 to 20:00; the terrace fills on Opera matinee days.
Address: Andrássy út 29, 1061 Budapest
Hadik on Bartok Bela ut, rebuilt in 2010 from a 1910 cafe, is the literary heart of Ujbuda with bookshelves, Karinthy memorabilia and a daily Hungarian lunch menu in Buda.
Signature drink: Hungarian melange
Order: The Hungarian melange and the daily soup from the kitchen.
Tip: Pair with Szatyor next door for an after-coffee Hungarian dinner.
Kelet Kavezo on Bartok Bela ut in Ujbuda is a cafe, book-exchange library and exhibition space combined, with bagels, filter coffee and a slow Buda crowd, Budapest.
Signature drink: Filter coffee and bagel sandwiches
Order: The bagel with cream cheese and a single origin filter from the rotating menu.
Tip: Bring a book to swap; the back room is the quietest place to work in Ujbuda.
Mantra Specialty Coffee on a tree-lined Lipotvaros backstreet pours light-roast Ethiopian, Brazilian and Honduran filter coffee on AeroPress, Chemex and V60 in downtown Budapest.
Signature drink: AeroPress and Chemex filter
Order: The single-origin filter on Chemex or AeroPress, the room's specialty.
Tip: The owners run home-barista classes; ask if a class lands on your visit dates.
Espresso Embassy on Arany Janos, steps from the Basilica, opened in 2012 as Budapest's first wave-three specialty cafe and still sets the bar for downtown filter, Budapest.
Signature drink: Espresso and flat white
Order: The single-origin espresso, paired with a chocolate chip cookie.
Tip: Mon to Fri 07:30 to 19:00, weekends 09:00 to 17:00; queue is short on weekday mornings.
My Little Melbourne on Madach square was Hungary's first specialty coffee shop when it opened in April 2012, an Australian flat-white cafe near Gozsdu Udvar in Budapest.
Signature drink: Australian flat white
Order: The flat white with the daily filter from the Brew Bar next door.
Tip: The Brew Bar next door is the slow-pour twin; ask for a manual brew there.
Madal Cafe on Hollan Erno in Ujlipotvaros pours 13 single-origin coffees from two micro-roasters and stocks a wide loose-leaf tea wall in a quiet Pest residential block.
Signature drink: Single-origin filter coffee
Order: A V60 filter from the rotating single-origin menu.
Tip: Mon-Fri 07:30 to 19:30, weekends 08:30 to 19:30; the outdoor terrace is calm in summer.
