Akos Sarkozi's Borkonyha Winekitchen behind St Stephen's Basilica on Sas utca holds one Michelin star and serves modern Hungarian plates built around 200 Hungarian wines.
Must order: The mangalica pork belly with the matching pairing from the wine list.
Tip: The kitchen runs Monday to Saturday and closes Sundays and public holidays; book a Saturday lunch for the relaxed pace.
Address: Sas utca 3, 1051 Budapest
essencia on Sas utca holds one Michelin star for Portuguese chef Tiago and his Hungarian wife Eva, a warm small room cooking Portuguese-Hungarian tasting menus.
Order: The full tasting; the bacalhau course pairs Hungarian Furmint with Portuguese salt cod.
Tip: Eva runs the dining room and chooses the wine pairing herself; ask her for Hungarian pairings over the Portuguese list.
Onyx Műhely on Vörösmarty tér is the rebuilt Onyx workshop, with the Mozaik a la carte Monday to Wednesday and the ÆTHER communal tasting Thursday to Sunday.
Order: The ÆTHER communal tasting on a Thursday; arrival is timed so guests start together.
Tip: Onyx Restaurant returned next door in March 2025; the Muhely workshop is the more experimental of the two rooms.
MAK on Vigyazo Ferenc utca near Parliament is a long-running Michelin Guide pick for modern Hungarian cooking, with seasonal tasting menus and a sharp wine list.
Order: The four-course tasting at lunch is the value seat in the room.
Tip: MAK lost its Michelin star but still cooks like a starred room; book the chef's counter for the closest seat to the open kitchen.
Babel in Lipotvaros, near Vaci utca and the Basilica, cooks Austro-Hungarian fine dining with Transylvanian roots over 8 and 13-course tasting menus.
Order: The 13-course tasting; the smoked sturgeon course is the room's calling card.
Tip: Ask for a counter seat by the kitchen pass; the room runs Wednesday to Saturday only.
essencia on Sas utca holds one Michelin star for Portuguese chef Tiago and his Hungarian wife Eva, a warm small room cooking Portuguese-Hungarian tasting menus.
Order: The full tasting; the bacalhau course pairs Hungarian Furmint with Portuguese salt cod.
Tip: Eva runs the dining room and chooses the wine pairing herself; ask her for Hungarian pairings over the Portuguese list.
Onyx Műhely on Vörösmarty tér is the rebuilt Onyx workshop, with the Mozaik a la carte Monday to Wednesday and the ÆTHER communal tasting Thursday to Sunday.
Order: The ÆTHER communal tasting on a Thursday; arrival is timed so guests start together.
Tip: Onyx Restaurant returned next door in March 2025; the Muhely workshop is the more experimental of the two rooms.
MAK on Vigyazo Ferenc utca near Parliament is a long-running Michelin Guide pick for modern Hungarian cooking, with seasonal tasting menus and a sharp wine list.
Order: The four-course tasting at lunch is the value seat in the room.
Tip: MAK lost its Michelin star but still cooks like a starred room; book the chef's counter for the closest seat to the open kitchen.
Szabina Szullo and Tamas Szell's Stand holds two Michelin stars for modern Hungarian tasting menus in a quiet Terezvaros room near Andrassy, the city's most precise paprika kitchen.
Order: The full chef's tasting; the paprika fish soup with smoked carp tortellini is the room's signature.
Tip: Bookings open 60 days ahead via SevenRooms; a credit card secures the booking and cancellation must be by 24 hours.
Babel in Lipotvaros, near Vaci utca and the Basilica, cooks Austro-Hungarian fine dining with Transylvanian roots over 8 and 13-course tasting menus.
Order: The 13-course tasting; the smoked sturgeon course is the room's calling card.
Tip: Ask for a counter seat by the kitchen pass; the room runs Wednesday to Saturday only.
Costes on Raday utca was Hungary's first Michelin-starred restaurant in 2010 and still cooks a refined seven-course tasting in a Ferencvaros townhouse off Kalvin ter.
Order: The seven-course tasting menu with the wine pairing; the butter, preserves and ham are made on the premises.
Tip: Costes Downtown is the sister kitchen in Lipotvaros; the original on Raday is the slower, longer evening.
