Food · Budapest · Hungary
What to eat in Budapest
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Budapest, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Visions of Domino, CC BY 2.0
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Quick answer
Start with Goulash soup, Chicken paprikash and Lángos. Budapest's grand coffee houses, such as the gilded New York Café and Gerbeaud on Vörösmarty tér, date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries; go for coffee and cake rather than a full meal, and expect queues at the most famous. Check the bill for a service charge (szervizdíj), often 10–15%, before adding a tip.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Goulash soup
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 8
- Tipping
- Tip about 10% in restaurants unless a service charge is already on the bill; tell the…
- Food experiences
- 4
12 foods to try
Dish
1.Goulash soup (Gulyásleves)
Hungarian goulash is a soup rather than a stew: beef, potatoes, carrots and plenty of sweet paprika simmered in broth, as herdsmen once cooked it in a kettle over a fire.
Where: Traditional restaurants (vendéglő) and csárda-style places; a bowl with bread makes a full lunch.
Dish
2.Chicken paprikash (Paprikás csirke)
Chicken braised in a sauce of onions, paprika and sour cream, served with nokedli, small egg dumplings similar to spätzle.
Where: Home-style restaurants and weekday set-lunch menus across the city.
Street food · Vegetarian
3.Lángos
A disc of deep-fried dough brushed with garlic water and topped with sour cream and grated cheese; heavy, inexpensive and best eaten hot.
Where: The upper gallery of the Great Market Hall, market stalls and street-food counters, especially at weekends.
Dessert · Vegetarian
4.Chimney cake (Kürtőskalács)
Sweet dough wound round a wooden spit, roasted over coals until caramelised and rolled in sugar, cinnamon, walnuts or cocoa; it comes from the Hungarian communities of Transylvania.
Where: Street stalls in the centre and the Christmas markets on Vörösmarty tér and in front of St Stephen's Basilica.
Dish
5.Fisherman's soup (Halászlé)
A fiery, brick-red river-fish soup made with carp or catfish and hot paprika, eaten by many families on Christmas Eve and served year-round in fish restaurants.
Where: Fish restaurants (halászcsárda) and traditional places along the Danube.
Dish
6.Stuffed cabbage (Töltött káposzta)
Cabbage leaves filled with pork and rice, layered with sauerkraut and smoked meat and finished with sour cream; a winter and Christmas favourite.
Where: Traditional restaurants and the food counters upstairs at the Great Market Hall.
Dish · Vegetarian
7.Főzelék
A thick vegetable stew of split peas, lentils, potatoes or spinach, thickened with roux or sour cream and topped with a fried egg or meatballs; the backbone of everyday Hungarian lunches.
Where: Főzelék canteens and weekday set-lunch menus (napi menü) across Pest.
Dessert · Vegetarian
8.Dobos torte
Thin sponge layers filled with chocolate buttercream under a hard caramel top, created by Budapest confectioner József C. Dobos in 1885.
Where: Historic coffee houses and confectioneries, including Gerbeaud on Vörösmarty tér.
Dessert · Vegetarian
9.Somlói galuska
Sponge cake soaked in rum syrup and layered with walnuts, raisins and vanilla cream, then covered in chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
Where: Traditional restaurants and confectioneries; often the dessert on a set-lunch menu.
Drink · Vegetarian
10.Pálinka
Strong fruit brandy distilled from apricots, plums, pears or cherries, offered as a welcome shot or after a heavy meal.
Where: Bars and restaurants everywhere; specialist pálinka bars offer tasting flights.
Drink · Vegetarian
11.Tokaji and fröccs
Tokaji Aszú is a golden sweet wine from north-east Hungary made with noble-rot grapes, while fröccs, a spritzer of wine and soda water, is the everyday summer drink.
Where: Wine bars in District V and the Castle District for Tokaji; any bar or garden for a fröccs.
Snack · Vegetarian
12.Túró Rudi
A chilled bar of sweet curd cheese coated in dark chocolate, a childhood favourite for generations of Hungarians.
Where: The fridge section of any supermarket or corner shop.
Food experiences
Coffee-house culture
Budapest's grand coffee houses, such as the gilded New York Café and Gerbeaud on Vörösmarty tér, date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries; go for coffee and cake rather than a full meal, and expect queues at the most famous.
Weekday set lunch
Many restaurants offer a napi menü, a two- or three-course set lunch on weekdays at a fraction of à la carte prices; look for the chalkboards outside.
Great Market Hall
Buy paprika, salami and pickles on the ground floor, then eat lángos or stuffed cabbage at the counters on the upper gallery.
Hungarian wine bars
Wine bars in Districts V and VII pour Tokaji, Egri Bikavér (Bull's Blood) from Eger and reds from Villány, often as tasting flights.
Quick bites and street food
- Lángos — The upper gallery of the Great Market Hall, market stalls and street-food counters, especially at weekends.
- Túró Rudi — The fridge section of any supermarket or corner shop.
Vegetarian options
Of the 12 foods in this guide, 8 are usually vegetarian: Lángos, Chimney cake, Főzelék, Dobos torte, Somlói galuska, Pálinka, Tokaji and fröccs and Túró Rudi. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Check the bill for a service charge (szervizdíj), often 10–15%, before adding a tip.
- Lunch is the main cooked meal for many Hungarians, and weekday set lunches are the best value.
- Portions are large and rich; a soup and one main course is plenty for most people.
- Most dishes use sweet paprika and are not very spicy; hot paprika or chilli paste is served on the side.
- Book dinner at popular restaurants in Districts V and VII ahead on Fridays and Saturdays.
Tipping
Tip about 10% in restaurants unless a service charge is already on the bill; tell the server the total you want to pay rather than leaving cash on the table, and round up taxi fares.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Jó napot | Good day (polite hello) |
| Szia | Hi / bye (informal) |
| Köszönöm | Thank you |
| Kérem | Please |
| Egészségedre | Cheers |
| A számlát, kérem | The bill, please |
| Elnézést | Excuse me |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Budapest famous for?
Goulash soup, Chicken paprikash, Lángos and Chimney cake. Hungarian goulash is a soup rather than a stew: beef, potatoes, carrots and plenty of sweet paprika simmered in broth, as herdsmen once cooked it in a kettle over a fire.
+Is Budapest good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Lángos, Chimney cake and Főzelék.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Budapest?
Tip about 10% in restaurants unless a service charge is already on the bill; tell the server the total you want to pay rather than leaving cash on the table, and round up taxi fares.