11 cafe rooms in Budapest we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Budapest | Cafe across every city.
Budapest invented its own coffeehouse culture in the late nineteenth century, and the surviving grand rooms are tourist attractions in their own right. New York Café on Erzsébet körút is the gilded extreme, while Centrál Kávéház near Károlyi utca and Café Gerbeaud on Vörösmarty tér carry the literary tradition downtown. The specialty wave answers with smaller rooms like Espresso Embassy on Arany János utca and Mantra Specialty Coffee Bar, where the focus moves from cake to the cup.
New York Café ★ 4.3
erzsebetvaros · Erzsébet körút 9-11, 1073 Budapest
The New York Café in the New York Palace on Erzsebet korut has poured coffee under frescoed ceilings and gilded chandeliers since 1894, the most ornate cafe.
Centrál Kávéház ★ 4.8
lipotvaros · Károlyi utca 9, 1053 Budapest
The Central Kavehaz on Karolyi utca has poured coffee since 1887 and was the regular meeting room for the Nyugat literary set in the early 20th century.
Café Gerbeaud ★ 4.6
lipotvaros · Vörösmarty tér 7-8, 1051 Budapest
Gerbeaud on Vorosmarty ter has poured coffee under chandeliers since 1858, a Belle Epoque grand cafe at the head of Vaci utca's pedestrian shopping street.
Művész Kávéház ★ 4.2
terezvaros · Andrássy út 29, 1061 Budapest
The Muvesz Kavehaz on Andrassy across from the Opera has poured coffee since 1898, a quieter alternative to Gerbeaud with full Hungarian pastry counter.
Hadik Kávéház ★ 4.1
ujbuda · Bartók Béla út 36, 1111 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.
Kelet Kávézó és Galéria ★ 4.0
ujbuda · Bartók Béla út 29, 1114 Budapest
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.
Mantra Specialty Coffee Bar ★ 4.5
lipotvaros · Veres Pálné utca 17, 1053 Budapest
Mantra Specialty Coffee on a tree-lined Lipotvaros backstreet pours light-roast Ethiopian, Brazilian and Honduran filter coffee on AeroPress.
Espresso Embassy ★ 4.7
lipotvaros · Arany János utca 15, 1051 Budapest
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.
My Little Melbourne Coffee ★ 4.4
erzsebetvaros · Madách Imre út 3, 1075 Budapest
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.
Madal Café Hollán Ernő ★ 4.2
ujlipotvaros · Hollán Ernő utca 3, 1136 Budapest
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.
Auguszt Cukrászda Belváros ★ 4.6
lipotvaros · Kossuth Lajos utca 14-16, 1053 Budapest
Auguszt on Kossuth Lajos has run as a family confectionery since 1870, now in the fifth generation, with a Belle Epoque room and a hidden Paloma Garden.