5 Cafes in Budapest

Having inherited the Kaffeekultur from Austria-Hungary, Budapest boasts plenty of cafes for all tastes and budgets.

Surely, like in any city majority of them are unremarkable, but some are truly unique both for local and European scene, because of their style, cuisine, or atmosphere.

Here is our selection of 5 notable cafes of Budapest worth visiting:

Szatyor
Szatyor (XI. Bartók Béla út 36; Mon-Fri 12-01 Sat-Sun 14-01) is a two-level bar, spacious, yet homey. We have no idea why this bar and gallery is called Szatyor (plastic bag in Hungarian), but we like its look and soup.
Szatyor
As for the look, it is your typical apartment of the Socialist-era middle class: the lamps, the armchairs, the wallpaper, its all there, and authentic. It tends to get crowded in the evenings, which slows down the service.
Szatyor
So if you plan eating, come earlier, and try their bean soup (850 Ft, app. 3 Eur). Or choose anything you like from Hungarian-Serbian cuisine (meats around 5 Eur, desserts - 2 Eur). The menu is in English, and staff is used to tourists, since Szatyor is located quite centrally by the Gellert bath and visited by many because of its interior.
Taskaradio
Táskarádió (V. Papnövelde u. 8; Mon-Sun 09:00 - 24:00) is an Eszpresszó-Bisztró-Bár also exploiting the Socialist (n)ostalgia trend, but with a twist: the theme of its interior is toys, the sturdy plastic of 70s, the sweet childhood.
Taskaradio
It is neat and nice, despite the location in touristy area, and offers full menu from salads to desserts at prices slightly above average, but still reasonable taking into account the central location.
Taskaradio
Its main feature however is not food, but interior. The drawbacks: somewhat slow waiters, “service included” in your bill, and this slow service is 12%. Not cool.
Printa
Printa (VII. Rumbach Sebestyén u. 10; Mon-Fri 11-19, Sat-Sun 12-18). Located in the Jewish Quarter across the old synagogue, Printa is a cafe with best coffee (from 1 Euro) in the area, if not in town.
Printa
You are most likely to come back for this Bolivian taste, and maybe also for a trendy souvenir or two. Here they run a small shop with creations by Hungarian designers, from accessories to clothing.
Printa
And that is not all. Printa is also a gallery and print shop. Fresh, stylish, nice and useful.
Gerloczy
Gerlóczy (V. Gerlóczy u 1). Reminding both of Viennese coffee house and Parisian pavement cafe, Gerlóczy is a regular in any travel guide - because of its atmosphere, location and cuisine.
Gerloczy
Many tourists choose it as their coffee stop or for a romantic dinner (sometimes with harp or other live music), but it is also a destination for a quick lunch of good quality and at almost reasonable price.
Gerloczy
It opens at 7 in the morning, which is very-very rare in Budapest, so it is a sure place to have breakfast downtown. The drawbacks: always crowded, and tends to become too touristy.
Ibolya
Ibolya (V. Ferenciek tér 5; Mon-Fri 08- 01 Sat-Sun 12-01). If you just can’t have enough of Socialist era chic go to Ibolya, the truest of all.
Ibolya
Ibolya (Violet) is also among the oldest ones, it opened in the revolutionary 1968 and immediately became the spot for students and intellectuals.
Ibolya
Back in the days the waitresses used to have starched lace on their heads, today things are more prosaic, though coffee is good, light is warm and dimmed, and atmosphere seems to be authentic.
Tags
going out
eat and drink
what to see
By Sosna on 04 Apr 2012. Updated on 02 Oct 2012