Updated: September 13, 2020
Do you like to try out local food while travelling and are you on your way to Budapest, Hungary? Then don’t search for more article, because I’m here to show you Budapest’s best Hungarian restaurants. I’ll tell you where to eat the best traditional Hungarian cuisine in Budapest at an affordable price.
Discover Budapest’s best Hungarian restaurants and find your favourite!
The address, prices and opening times are also included in the post. Still, it can change anytime, especially the opening time, so check it on their sites to not miss your tasty Hungarian dish.
What is traditional Hungarian cuisine?
Most of the Hungarian dishes are flavoured with paprika, so if the name of the dish contains the word “goulash” or “paprikash”, I’m sure it’s made with paprika. These are the main and the best Hungarian dishes:
- Goulash soup (Gulyásleves)
- Fisherman’s soup (Halászlé)
- Hungarian meat stew (Pörkölt)
- Mushroom goulash (Gomba paprikás)
- Chicken paprikash (Paprikás csirke)
- Stuffed cabbage (Töltött káposzta)
- Ratatouille (Lecsó)
Read my Budapest food guide to traditional Hungarian dishes for photos and detailed descriptions about the mentioned dishes.
Where to eat the best traditional Hungarian food in Budapest?
Kispiac bistro
Tasty food, nice service, cosy atmosphere.
Kispiac Bisztró is a hidden small restaurant close to Szabadság square and not far from the Parliament. Thanks to its small size, you can enjoy your lunch/dinner in a special intimate atmosphere. Inside there are around 8 tables and some tables outside too. So book a table in advance 😉
The bistro has a wide selection of dishes including daily specialities. I had a gorgeous fat duck liver and my boyfriend ate roasted lamb. On the photo, it might look a small portion, but I couldn’t eat everything. We also shared a dessert called Rákóczi túrós (Cottage cheese in Rákóczi style), which was beautiful and tasty too.
High-quality Hungarian wines are listed on the wine menu, so you can’t choose wrong. Just check the prices before ordering 😉
Prices:
- Fat duck liver – 4450 HUF
- Roasted lamb – 3950 HUF
- Cottage cheese in Rákóczi style (Rákóczi túrós) – 1100 HUF
- 12% service fee
Facebook: Kispiac Bisztró
Address: 1054 Budapest, Hold str. 13.
Opening time: Monday: 12 pm – 5 pm, 6 pm- 10 pm, Tuesday – Saturday: 12 pm – 10 pm, Sunday: closed
Börze Café and Restaurant
Börze Café and Restaurant is just so so beautiful and elegant, furthermore, cosy and stylish at the same time and the devoted waiters always look for your wishes. It’s a pleasure to be there. They have numerous tables, but at the weekend it’s safer to make a reservation.
It’s not a typical Hungarian restaurant, but the menu includes Hungarian dishes as well as desserts. You can even check the menu on their website. Duck liver is one of my favourites, so I’ve tried it with Hungarian vegetable ratatouille, which was delicious. I have to admit, my boyfriend’s pork tenderloin was even better than my dish.
The dessert menu has many options, I went for another Hungarian speciality, the sugarfree floating island.
Prices:
- Grilled duck liver, Hungarian pepper and tomato stew, egg barley – 4990 HUF
- Rosemary pork tenderloin, potato dumplings in paprika sauce – 3490 HUF
- Sugarfree floating island with fresh redcurrant, toasted almond – 1090 HUF
Website: Börze Kávéház Étterem
Instagram: @borze_etterem_kavehaz
Address: 1051 Budapest, Nádor str. 23.
Opening time: Monday – Sunday: 7:30 am – 12 pm
Pörc & Prézli
The restaurant is located in a small street, close to St. Stephen’s Basilica. Just look for their cute pig face logo on the corner. Inside you’ll also find their logo on the wall made of corks. The interior looks authentic and stylish too, and the waiters are very kind. We could also enjoy live music from the 2nd row (I mean table…) with a glass of wine thanks to their incredible wine selection. I adore the wines from Szekszárd, so I’ve chosen a Szeleshát Merlot from Szekszárd and we didn’t regret it.
Let’s talk about the food, which was tasty and flavourful. I had grilled pork tenderloin with cracklings and dödölle, which is a creamy Hungarian potato dumpling, so I was delighted with my decision. My boyfriend chose pork tenderloin medallions in mushroom, paprika, sour cream sauce with dumplings. The dumpling (sometimes called noodles) was so soft, and the sauce was very creamy. Omnomnom…
There’s no dinner without dessert, so we’ve tried out Hungarian sponge cake in Somlói style. It was good but would be better with more chocolate sauce.
On their website, the whole menu and price list is available with photos.
Prices:
- Grilled pork tenderloin with cracklings and dödölle – 3490 HUF
- Pork tenderloin medallions with dumplings – 3290 HUF
- Hungarian sponge cake in Somlói style – 1290 HUF
- 1 bottle of red wine, Szeleshát Merlot from Szekszárd – 6600 HUF
Website: Pörc & Prézli
Instagram: @porcesprezli
Address: 1065 Budapest, Lázár str. 1.
Opening time: Monday – Sunday: 12 pm – 12 am
M restaurant
M restaurant is a unique place with a unique design and unique food.
The design of the restaurant is magnificent, minimal and creative, I just love its simplicity. The walls are covered with bright brown paper, and the furniture like shelves or chandelier are drawn on it.
The menu is changing every time, depending on seasonal ingredients like vegetables and fruits. Every time our plate was beautifully arranged with fresh and tasty dinner.
Reservation is recommended.
Prices:
- Beef fillet, potato purée with truffle, mushroom and black currant mustard – 4400 HUF
- Provencale lamb knuckle with lentil, grilled tomato and green herbs – 4400 HUF
- Chocolate fondant with caramel ice cream – 1000 HUF
- 1 bottle of red wine, Vesztergombi Kadarka from Szekszárd – 4900 HUF
Website: M restaurant
Address: 1073 Budapest, Kertész str. 48.
Opening time: Monday: closed, Tuesday – Sunday: 6 pm – 12 am
Frici Papa kifőzdéje (Frici Papa’s local diner)
If you’re looking for big portions and low-cost Hungarian dishes, you have to visit Frici Papa kifőzdéje. The place isn’t fancy and the waiters aren’t super friendly, but the food is tasty and you won’t stay hungry after it. We had knuckle stew and mushroom goulash with nokedli. For dessert, we asked for Gundel pancake, which should be in flames for its rum component… but not here…
Prices:
- Mushroom goulash – 899 HUF
- Beef goulash with red wine – 1099 HUF
- Noodle – 499 HUF
- Gundel pancake – 599 HUF
Facebook: Frici Papa kifőzdéje
Instagram: @fricipapakifozdeje
Address: 1077 Budapest, Király str. 55.
Opening time: Monday – Saturday: 11 am – 11 pm, Sunday: closed
Mátka Restaurant & Bar
Mátka is located in the heart of the party district, in Gozsdu yard. The restaurant is very cosy with melting modern design and folk traditions together. Hungarian designer products can be found in the restaurant like vases and other porcelains.
The friendly staff helps you to choose your perfect dish. The Hungarian dishes (menu on their website) are presented in a modern way, though keeping the traditional flavours. My veal stew was super tasty as well as my friends’ dishes.
Their great wine selection also worth a mentioning.
Prices:
- Veal stew with cured sheep cheese dumpling – 3590 HUF
Website: Mátka Budapest
Instagram: @matkabudapest
Address: 1075 Budapest, Holló str. 12-14, Gozsdu yard
Opening time: Monday – Sunday: 11:30 am – 12 am
Cupákos (MEAT – MEAT – MEAT) – closed
Cupákos is the place for meat lovers, except for a few vegetarian dishes everything contains MEAT on the menu (the desserts are meatless, of course). You’ll find meat in every form like stew, ribs, sausage, duck leg, knuckles… My boyfriend asked for the knuckle of pork confited with beer, caramelized sour cabbage, mashed potato, onion and I had veal paprikash with noodles. Both of them were delicious and of course, we had to finish our dinner with a dessert. Although the sponge cake, chocolate “Somlói” style wasn’t that good as we expected because it was topped with too much whipped cream.
Prices:
Veal paprikash with noodles – 3690 HUFKnuckle of pork confited with beer – 3690 HUFSponge cake, chocolate „Somlói style” – 1490 HUF
Website: Cupákos
Instagram: @cupakosbp
Address: 1074 Budapest, Dob str. 31.
Opening time: Sunday – Wednesday: 11:30 am – 11 pm, Thursday: 11:30 am – 12 am, Friday – Saturday: 11:30 am – 1 am
Gettó Gulyás
If my foreign friends are asking for a Hungarian restaurant recommendation, I always bring them to Gettó Gulyás at Wesselényi street. The service is outstanding, waiters are friendly, the wine selection is just perfect, and the food is absolutely delicious for an affordable price. Don’t forget to book a table in advance, just to make sure.
The menu is dominated by Hungarian cuisine, and I’ve tried many main courses. Still, my favourite was the veal paprikash with homemade sour cream and baked curd cheese noodles rolled in bacon. Not only beautiful but super flavourful too!
Prices:
- Veal paprikash with homemade sour cream and baked curd cheese noodles rolled in bacon – 3540 HUF
- Beef cheeks stew in red wine with homemade egg barley – 2350 HUF
- Hungarian sponge cake in Somlói style – 11200 HUF
Facebook: Gettó Gulyás
Instagram: @getto.gulyas
Address: 1077 Budapest, Wesselényi str. 18.
Opening time: Saturday – Thursday: 12 pm – 11 pm, Friday: 12 pm – 12 am
Fülemüle
Fülemüle is a cosy, friendly and authentic Hungarian restaurant, where you’ll feel you’re part of this big welcoming family. The waiters are super friendly and always ready to recommend you something tasty.
Their specialities are the dishes made of goose, though they are pricey so we’ve chosen other Hungarian dishes. For starter, we had a cup of bean goulash and goose cracklings with violet onion. We continued with Hungarian beef stew with gnocchi and smoked beef brisket with chips. Everything was very flavourful and they didn’t spare on food.
Don’t forget to order a tasty red wine for your lunch/dinner!
Prices:
- Bean goulash (cup) – 1200 HUF
- Goose cracklings with violet onion – 2500 HUF
- Hungarian beef stew with gnocchi – 3900 HUF
- Hickory smoked beef brisket with chips – 4100 HUF
Facebook: Fülemüle
Instagram: @fulemuleetterem
Address: 1085 Budapest, Kőfaragó str. 5.
Opening time: Sunday – Thursday: 12 pm – 10 pm, Friday – Saturday: 12 pm – 11 pm
Otthonka
It’s easy to notice the big welcoming door and the protruding sign with the cutie lady above the door. The lady wears a charming “otthonka”, which is a cloth what older ladies wear at home to protect their clothes and replaces the apron. The name of the restaurant refers to the homemade food, what you’ll get at Otthonka.
You’ll find many tables surrounded by traditional Hungarian furniture and retro equipment. My boyfriend had a duck stew with nokedli and I ate curd cheese dumpling, which are balls made from cottage cheese dough, topped with sour cream and powdered sugar. Thanks to the cottage cheese, the balls aren’t too sweet or heavy.
Prices:
- Curd cheese dumpling – 890 HUF
- Duck stew with nokedli – 1990 HUF
Facebook: Otthonka
Instagram: @otthonka_budapest
Address: 1088 Budapest, Szentkirályi str. 23.
Opening time: Monday: closed, Tuesday – Thursday: 4 pm – 12 am, Friday – Saturday: 4 pm – 2 am, Sunday: closed
Don’t worry, there are even more traditional Hungarian restaurants in Budapest, I just haven’t visited all of them all. I prepared an extended list for you (these are also included on the map at the beginning of this post), so you can choose from more restaurants. The following places might be a bit far from the city centre or might have higher prices.
On the Buda side:
- Kerék Vendéglő
- Vendéglő a KisBíróhoz
- Bajai Halászcsárda
- 21 – Magyar Vendéglő
- Horgásztanya Vendéglő
- Marvelosa
- Szeged Étterem
On the Pest side:
- Pozsonyi Kisvendéglő
- Hungarikum Bisztró
- Tüköry Étterem
- Urban Betyár
- DNB Budapest
- Kádár Étkezde
- Kék Rózsa Étterem
- Regős Vendéglő
- Rosenstein Vendéglő
- Rákóczi Étterem
- Borbíróság
- Torockó Vendéglő
So these were Budapest’s best traditional Hungarian restaurants. During your stay in Budapest, I hope you’ll visit at least one of them. I’m sure that more nice Hungarian restaurants exist in Budapest, so if I missed your favourite, please comment below or send me a message.
Tell your opinion in a comment below.
Interested in more Hungarian foodie blog posts?
- New York Palace Café in Budapest, Hungary – Is it worth visiting?
- A local’s guide to the best chimney cakes in Budapest
- Where to have breakfast and brunch around Jászai Mari square in Budapest?
Pin the photos for later to have it on Pinterest.
Hi there!
Sing up for my weekly newsletter to get my wonderlandish and exclusive travelling tips, home decoration ideas and delicious recipes.
2 Comments
An Neven
April 4, 2022 at 6:31 pmHello, preparing our 4days trip to Budapest i dicovered your useful tips. Unfortunately we discovered that Mátka is closed and Fülenmüle temporary closed. Since we have only 4 days we have plenty of other nice resto tips from you but maybe you could mention it on your page?
Thank you for sharing your tips!
alizswonderland
April 5, 2022 at 1:11 amI’m glad you’ve found my blog useful 🙂 and thanks for letting me know about the closings. I try to update the posts when something closes. Unfortunately, many places had to close because of the pandemic 🙁 Have fun in Budapest!