We’ve heard such great things about Budapest and we’re really excited to spend some time checking it out ourselves. Our first impressions are wow, this city is really beautiful, and the food is great.  Check out our video below, or keep reading to discover the sights and foods and Budapest with us!

Budapest is the capital of Hungary and is located in the central part of the country. The city is separated by the Danube River into two sides, Buda and Pest.  

We’re going to jump right in to talking about the food in Budapest, because the restaurant scene here is incredible. There are so many good restaurants serving all kinds of food.   Of course, we wanted to try some traditional Hungarian dishes and we heard that a place to go was Vak Varju. This restaurant had a really fun and vibrant vibe, and delicious food as well! We started with some dips, each one was great and the bread served with the was super fresh.   Next up, was a schnitzel as big as my head, this thing was huge, and it was delicious. The outside was perfectly fried and super crunchy, and the inside very soft and flavorful. Mehmet had a beef dish served with noodles in creamy mushroom sauce.

While we were here, we tried another Hungarian specialty, palinka. Palinka is a traditional Hungarian brandy made from different types of fruit. We tried a few different flavors, and while they were interesting and I’m glad we tried them, I can definitely say it’s too strong for me, and I won’t be replacing my wine with palinka anytime soon.  

If you’re looking for traditional Hungarian food in a more romantic setting, then head to Restaurant Pierrot. This romantic restaurant is set in a 13th century building located in the fairytale-like historic streets in the Buda Castle District. The restaurant has live music and the walls are lined with photos from their famous guests. The food is as great as the atmosphere. We started with some beef tartare and a pumpkin cream soup. Our meals continued with a roast duck that was better than any duck I’ve had anywhere else in the world, and a chicken paprikash that was full of peppery flavor. We finished the meal with some decadent desserts, one was like a massive homemade Ferrero Rocher, and the other was a super rich cake. The waiters were also super friendly and very knowledgeable about the wines, providing excellent suggestions.

Of course, not every meal can be quite so fancy, and Budapest has the perfect thing for when you need something to fill you up quick. That thing is langos.  Langos is fried dough that can be topped with a variety of things. We opted for a classic cheese and sourcream topping and wow was this thing filling and delicious.

There are also quite a few places in Budapest making healthy and veggie or plant based foods. When we were feeling like we needed a bit of a detox, we headed over to Franziska for a veggie filled lunch. We also had some great vegetarian focused mezze at a place called Pingrumba. The variety of restaurants in Budapest is vast, and the quality was great at every place we tried.

One other notable meal was at Stand25 Bistro. Stand25 is the sister restaurant of the Michelin Starred Stand, run by the husband and wife team of Szabina Szulló and Tamás Széll. The restaurant relies on seasonal Hungarian products and the attention to detail definitely pays off. Mehmet had a perfectly cooked piece of beef and I had a great lamb shank. We finished the meal with a Hungarian take on pancakes and a traditional cake.  

We also can’t discuss food in Budapest without talking about the city’s famous coffee houses.  Coffee Houses became prominent all over the Austro Hungarian Empire in the 19th century, and served as meeting places for artists and intellectuals, and were often where important and innovative ideas would be discussed.

New York Cafe is probably the most famous of all of these old coffee houses, and it is definitely the most beautiful. When you walk in, you might question if you accidentally stepped into a palace instead of a cafe, in fact, in the 1890s it was actually a luxury hotel named New York Palace. This place is dripping with opulence, from massive chandeliers, marble columns and ornate decor you are just surrounded by grandeur.  All of this beauty definitely comes at a price though, with a slice of cake and coffee costing about 20 euros.

While New York Cafe was definitely a beautiful sight, we actually enjoyed our experience at Cafe Gerbeaud a bit more. This coffee house is also amazingly beautiful, but the atmosphere was much calmer and more relaxed. We opted for the Royal Chocolate Cake which was as decadent and beautiful as our surroundings.

Once you’ve fueled up on coffee and cake, you’ll be ready to do some sight seeing, and there is plenty to see in Budapest. We definitely recommend taking a wander through Fisheman’s Bastion, on the Buda side of the city. This architectural landmark was completed in 1902 as a structure to commemorate the fishermen’s guild that defended this stretch of the city’s walls during medieval times. Here you can take in absolutely beautiful panoramic views over the city. The white columns against the blue sky creates a truly picturesque setting. We recommend coming in the early morning to get the best photos with fewer people around.  This spot is one of those places that even though it looks great in photos, it looks so much better in real life.

Fisherman’s Bastion is actually located in a part of the city called the Buda Castle District. Wandering around the nearby neighborhood, you’ll encounter a number of small, colorful streets. This area is so whimsical it honestly looks like it could have been created for a Disney film.  The Castle District is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site and encompasses a number of historic sights and museums and of course includes Buda Castle, located atop Castle Hill.  

The castle was built in the 13th century and served as the royal residence for many Hungarian Kings and Queens. Walking around Castle Hill is a maze of beautiful spots, and lots and lots of steps.

One thing we noticed about Budapest is that there are a lot of steps, no matter where you are it always somehow seems like you need to walk up more steps to get to your next destination. They are usually worth it though, because walking along the paths in the Castle District you’ll encounter plenty of scenic spots for a rest or a nice photo op.

It’s likely that after all that walking, and all those steps, you might be ready to sit down and enjoy a nice drink. Some of the most iconic places to get a drink in Budapest are the famous ruin pubs. Ruin pubs emerged in Budapest in the early 2000s as a creative response to the number of abandoned buildings in the city’s historic Jewish Quarter. Ruin pubs are characterized by their mismatched furniture, vintage decor, graffiti-covered walls, and just an overall sense of mismatch.

We stopped at Szimpla Kert, and the only word I can use to sum up this place is chaos. Nothing makes sense, and yet somehow it all comes together. The place is much bigger than it appears from the outside, and quickly becomes a maze of disorganization and disillusion. We visited in the afternoon, since we’ve heard it gets very busy at night. We enjoyed a glass of Hungarian sparkling wine and tried to take it all in.  

If a more peaceful wine bar is more to your taste, then we suggest heading to Marlou. This lovely place has a calm atmosphere and specializes in natural wines. We enjoyed a nice glass here based on a great recommendation from the knowledgeable bartender.

To learn more of the Pest side of the city, we took a walking tour. Our guide took us past the most important and interesting spots on this side of the city, including the famous Hungarian Parliament building, which is one the most stunning governmental buildings we’ve ever seen, and also one of the most iconic sights in the city.  Apparently, a common question asked about the parliament building is “why is it so big?”  We were told that Hungary wasn’t always the size it is today. During the Austro-Hungarian Empire it was three times larger, and hence required a large Parliament.

Our tour took a more somber turn when we visited the shoe monument. This monument was created in 2005 as a tribute to memorialize victims of World War 2, many of whom were shot into the river at this spot. Today, many visitors leave flowers, candles, or stones as a sign of remembrance and respect. It’s hard to see this monument and not have an emotional response.

One thing I love about doing walking tours, is that you often end up learning some quirky facts as well as the important history. We learned that the first subway station in mainland Europe was built here in Budapest.

We also learned about an art project led by Mihály Kolodko to place “mini statues” all over the city that are essentially hidden in plain sight. There are dozens of these statues spread across Budapest and they are easy to miss, but we were able to find a couple during our stay.

We also learned that paprika is a very popular ingredient in Hungarian cuisine, and this is proven by the amount of paprika available in the grocery store aisles, and how much of the Grand market Hall is dedicated to peppers.

We were also told that soup is an important staple in the Hungarian diet, with goulash pretty much being considered the national dish. To honor our time in Budapest and our love of the food here, we’re going to combine paprika and soup to make a hearty Hungarian mushroom soup, keep an eye out for that in an upcoming video!

Overall, we found Budapest to be very dog-friendly. Since so many of the famous sights are visible from the outside, it was really easy to take Bindi sightseeing with us. We also didn’t have any problems entering restaurants with her. In fact, she often catered to and was given an especially warm welcome by many of the locals we encountered.  

You are allowed to take dogs on public transportation in Budapest as long as you buy them a ticket. They are also supposed to wear a muzzle, which Bindi hated, but tried her best to tolerate. I’m not sure how common this is, but one of the metro stations we used did not have stairs or an elevator, and since dogs shouldn’t ride escalators, we had to carry her. This was ok with Bindi, but would definitely present a challenge with a larger dog.

One weird thing we noticed is that there were a lot of “no dog” signs on the grassy areas around the city, which made it a bit difficult to find a place for Bindi to relieve herself. It wasn’t too much of a problem, but definitely something to keep an eye out for if you’re visiting with a dog.

Budapest is an amazing city full of beautiful sights and great food. I can definitely say that we’ll be back here in the future.