Rosenstein
A warm, family-run restaurant behind Keleti station serving soulful Hungarian and Jewish home cooking, from goose to matzo-ball soup to the famous flodni cake. Old-fashioned in the best way; book ahead.
Listings
Getto Gulyas
A friendly District VII spot dedicated to Hungarian comfort classics, above all the stews: goulash, porkolt and paprikas, plus game dishes and good local wine. Hearty, unpretentious and a reliable taste of the real thing.
Menza
A stylish retro-canteen bistro on buzzy Liszt Ferenc square, reworking Hungarian classics (chicken paprikash, schnitzel) in a fun 70s setting with a great terrace. Popular with locals and visitors alike.
Kadar Etkezde
A legendary old-Pest lunch canteen on Klauzal ter, recently reopened after years away, with shared tables, soda siphons and honest home-style Hungarian cooking. Cash, lunchtime only, and full of regulars.
Mazel Tov
A gorgeous plant-filled ruin-bar restaurant in the Jewish Quarter serving fresh Middle Eastern food (hummus, shakshuka, grilled meats) under fairy lights and a glass roof. Buzzy and beautiful; book for dinner.
Bors GasztroBar
A tiny, wildly popular hole-in-the-wall on Kazinczy street doing inventive soups and stuffed baguettes at pocket-money prices. A local go-to in the ruin-bar quarter; there is almost always a queue, and it is worth it.
Margaret Island
A long, car-free green island in the middle of the Danube, laced with running tracks, gardens, medieval ruins and a musical fountain. Where Budapest comes to jog, cycle and picnic away from the traffic.
Shoes on the Danube Bank
A simple, devastating memorial on the river promenade: sixty pairs of iron shoes marking the spot where Jews were shot into the Danube in 1944-45. Quiet, powerful and unmissable; pause here with respect.
Gellert Hill & Citadella
A rocky hill rising above the Buda bank, topped by the Liberty Statue and the Citadella, with arguably the finest panorama in Budapest, taking in both banks, the bridges and Parliament. A short, rewarding climb, best at sunset.
Andrassy Avenue
Budapest’s grand, UNESCO-listed boulevard, lined with belle-epoque mansions, cafes, the Opera House and luxury shops, running arrow-straight from the centre to Heroes’ Square. Stroll it, or ride the little historic M1 metro beneath.