The Castle Hill above Buda, with view restaurants in Fisherman's Bastion and Lánchíd-side rooms by the Chain Bridge.
Pierrot on Fortuna utca, the first private cafe-restaurant in Budapest since 1982, sits in a 13th-century bakery in the Buda Castle, with modern Hungarian.
Signature: Hungarian tasting menu, Foie gras
Order: The seasonal Hungarian tasting menu with the Tokaji pairing.
Tip: Wed to Sun 11:30-23:00; book the 13th-century garden seats for a slow Castle Hill evening.
Halaszbastya Etterem occupies the neo-Romanesque Fisherman's Bastion on Castle Hill, with modern Hungarian tasting menus and panoramic Danube views over Pest.
Signature: Hungarian tasting, Goose liver
Order: The seasonal multi-course tasting at sunset for the Pest skyline view.
Tip: Three rooms in the bastion (Restaurant, Bistro, Cafe); book the Restaurant for the tasting and the terrace.
21 Magyar Vendeglo on Fortuna utca in the Buda Castle district has cooked modern Hungarian classics in red pots since 2008, with a 21 private-label Hungarian.
Signature: Beef goulash soup, Wiener schnitzel
Order: The signature beef goulash soup in the red pot with a glass of 21 private-label Furmint.
Tip: Daily noon to 23:00; book ahead for dinner, the upstairs room is the quieter one.
Halaszbastya occupies the neo-Romanesque Fisherman's Bastion on Castle Hill, with modern Hungarian tasting menus and panoramic Danube views over Pest.
Signature: Hungarian tasting, Goose liver
Order: The seasonal multi-course tasting at sunset for the Pest skyline view.
Tip: Three rooms (Restaurant, Bistro, Cafe); the Restaurant is the slowest, longest evening.
Daubner on Szepvolgyi ut in Buda's Rozsadomb hills runs a hundred-year cake counter where locals queue for birthday and name-day pastries in Budapest.
Order: The original Dobos torta with the caramel disc crackled on top.
Tip: Closed Mon and Tue; queues run 30 minutes deep on weekend mornings.
Worth the queue: Dobos torta
Bortarsasag's flagship store on Lanchid utca, steps from the Chain Bridge, is the country's leading Hungarian wine merchant with daily tastings.
Signature pour: Tokaji Aszú by the glass
Wine focus: Hungarian regional wines, large bottle retail and bar
Food: Limited cheese and snack plates
Order: A flight of dry Furmint and a glass of Tokaji Aszú.
Tip: Pet friendly; Hungarian wine flight tastings run on Saturdays at 16:00.
Feny utcai piac in Buda's 2nd district, next to Szell Kalman ter and the Mammut shopping centre, is the main Buda covered market for produce.
Order: A bag of seasonal Hungarian fruit and a kifli from the in-market bakery.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the upstairs lunch deck cooks Hungarian classics Mon to Fri.
The Budapest Wine Festival is the country's biggest wine tasting, with around 200 Hungarian wineries pouring through four days in Buda Castle each September.
The Gourmet Festival at Millenaris Park draws around 100 exhibitors and Hungarian regional producers for four days of tasting in early June.
The Palinka and Sausage Festival fills the Buda Castle courtyards with over 400 distillates and Hungarian sausages each October, a Budapest autumn.
Felix Kitchen and Bar inside the Varkert Bazar by the Danube is a Michelin-recommended Buda dining room with refined Mediterranean and Hungarian plates.
Order: The eggs Benedict on Hungarian rye with mangalica bacon
Tip: Buda-side terrace faces the Danube and the Pest skyline across the river.
Leo Rooftop on top of Hotel Clark in Budapest looks straight down the Chain Bridge from the Buda landing, with a creative cocktail list and bistro-style plates served on a wraparound terrace facing the Castle.
Tip: The Pest-facing rail is the postcard view; the Castle-facing rail is the calmer drink. Closes at midnight on the dot, last call 23:30.