I recently went on a short 4-day city break to Budapest, and I had the best time. As someone who wished they had researched places to go beforehand, I have decided to compile a list of restaurants/cafes/things to do, so you don’t make the same mistake! I loved this mini holiday so much, and I highly recommend going if you want a more affordable city break.
MAZEL TOV
One of the best restaurants I have ever been to! Since my boyfriend and I are massive foodies, we decided to spend the majority of our money here…and it was SO worth it.
Here is a run-down of the food we got:
- Starter: Yemen-style chicken soup (Pulled chicken thigh, Middle Eastern spices, cilantro and lemon).
- Starter: Mezze selection (Hummus, fresh pita, olives, labane, babaganoush)
- Main: Shwarma (Chicken thigh fillet with spices)
- Main: Pastrami Sandwich (14-day aged smoked brisket, homemade yellow mustard and pickled cucumber served in rye bread with Middle Eastern bbq sauce)
- Dessert: Chocolate-pistachio brownie, served with rose and red berries sauce
I can confirm that the winner was 100% the pastrami sandwich. It literally melts in your mouth. I would go back to Budapest JUST for the sandwich. Everything else was incredible too. The atmosphere was lovely, and the actual restaurant itself was beautiful. Could not recommend enough!
HUNGARIAN HELL’S KITCHEN
If you want to try traditional Hungarian food, this is the restaurant! It is quite expensive, but the food is lovely. I would highly recommend the beef goulash soup, especially since this dish is actually a starter so it is less money, but you get so much! Aside from the food, the atmosphere is wonderful too. There were violinists who performed while you ate, and they even took requests from us! (Although make sure to tip if you do that!). They were very talented and made the dinner an incredible experience.
NEW YORK CAFÈ
If you’re looking for a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing café, this is the one for you. They had a live musician playing the violin, alongside a mini-orchestra, which was an incredible experience in itself. I did think the food was slightly disappointing, given that it was super expensive, but the overall experience won me over. It is the perfect place for a cute insta photo, too!
ANNA CAFÈ
This café is a great place to go to for breakfast. My personal favourite was the pesto and mozzarella panini, it was amazing! In fact, it was so great that I went back again. This is also the perfect place to eat outside and enjoy the sunshine if you’re lucky enough!
THERMAL BATHS (SZECHENYJ, GALLERT AND LUKACS)
I went to the Szechenyi baths, and they were super nice! From what I can remember, and looking on the website, it was around €37 to go to the baths and have a locker. You can get a cabin to get changed in for slightly more (I would perhaps recommend this as you really do have no privacy in the normal area). I didn’t do this, but they also have a Thermal Beer spa which is located in the Szechenyi spa, where you can pull as many pints of beer for yourself in the duration, whilst relaxing in a big tub! It does cost a lot extra, but it looks super fun!
RUIN BARS
These are super popular in Budapest. According to Alex Mackintosh, Ruin bars are ‘located in formerly abandoned buildings, primarily in Budapest’s Jewish District’. They are essentially great bars to have a drink and a dance!
BOAT AND BUS TRIP
For around €30 each, you get to go on a boat tour (with audio guides) alongside a bus tour. You get this for a couple of days and can do it an unlimited amount of times within the duration of days you are allocated. You also get a walking guided tour too if you would like. Not only is it super interesting, but the sights are amazing, and you can easily get from A to B!