My Top 5 Cafes in Budapest

Budapest is a beautiful city and has some stunning monuments to offer, no doubt. But the grand cafes in Budapest could easily give some serious competition to these monuments, trust me! In this blog post, I will talk about my top 5 cafes in Budapest 🙂

Budapest has a long-standing tradition of coffeehouses or kávéház, as they are called. Coffee was introduced here around the 16th century with the Turkish occupation and enjoyed many a glorious years during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Many of these old cafes were closed during communism but have now been lovingly restored and reliving their past glory.

The highlight of my 3 days in Budapest was to experience its Cafe-Culture. To put simply, I was blown away. I never thought that cafes could be so beautiful. After all, one just goes to a cafe to have coffee and may be eat something. And yes, for people-watching too. You will note that I have hardly taken any pictures of the food that I ate, or the cakes that I devoured or even the coffee that I drank in these cafes. The coffee was excellent everywhere. The cakes were delicious everywhere. What blew me away was the interiors of these cafes! The simplicity of some, the grandeur of others made me fall in love with each one of them.

1. Gerbeaud Cafe

Established in 1858, Cafe Gerbeaud is one of the most popular cafes in Budapest. Right on Vörösmarty Square, it is an elegant cake shop with stunning furnishings in muted green and gold. In spite of being such an old and traditional coffeehouse, there was definitely a modern element to their cakes. I ate the Somlói galuska which was the softest sponge cake ever. Though I didn’t care so much for the whipped cream on the top.

Address: Budapest, Vörösmarty tér 7-8, 1051, Hungary

Website: http://www.gerbeaud.hu/

2. Muvesz Kavehaz

On the Andrassy Avenue, near the Opera, Muvesz also occupies an excellent location. It opened in 1898 and definitely looks and feels very traditional. The interiors are opulent but rather dark, unlike the other cafes I mention. We were here for a breakfast and did not try the cakes. But there is a huge selection of cakes available.

Address: 1061 Budapest Andrássy út 29

Website: http://www.muveszkavehaz.hu/

3. Ruszwurm Cafe

One of the oldest pastry shops in Budapest, the family-run Ruszwurm Cafe originally opened in 1827. Although tiny, it is still quite popular with tourists owing to its excellent location in Buda. I loved it for its delicious cakes and also for the historic old-worldly vibe.

Address: Budapest, Szentháromság u. 7, 1014, Hungary

Website: http://www.ruszwurm.hu/contact-eng/

4. Alexandra Bookcafe (Lotz Hall)

Highly recommended, this cafe was on my must-visit list. Needless to say, I was super excited. Upon entering the building however, I found myself in a very modern looking bookstore, meh ? I wondered what the fuss was about! And then I took the stairs to the Lotz Hall – a ballroom converted into a cafe. And I did a double take. There were mirrors and chandeliers, painted walls and a fresco-style ceiling. My favourite bit – a building that can easily be missed from the outside contains this hidden gem, prepare to do a double take.

Address: Andrássy út 39, Budapest

Website: Book-Cafe

5. New York Cafe

Now this is the grand-daddy of all cafes! Arches and galleries full of bronze and marble details, Venetian lamps and fresco ceilings – this cafe should not be missed. Breakfast here is expensive by Budapest standards, but you can still experience this magnificence by having some coffee and cake. Or the Hot lemonade made with orange juice and spiced with red chilli flakes – that was quite special!

Address: 1073 Budapest, Erzsébet körút 9-11

Website: http://www.newyorkcafe.hu/

These were just some of the grand cafes in Budapest! Impressive, aren’t they all? 🙂 Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you 🙂

Cheers,
Ameeta xx