Oh, hot summer days! Oh, endless summer nights! I wish they’d last forever. Outdoors, that’s where you should be now, in the shades or under the orange-black city skies. In a garden of the “Kazinczy street pub axis”: Kőleves Kert. A fine example for utilizing an empty, deserted site other than turning it into a parking lot.

Kőleves, the “mother ship” is a good place to have a lunch or dinner, and the garden also offers a row of great dishes from noon till late in the night. In this time of the year I definitely prefer eating outdoors.

The place looks really cheerful with colorful tables and chairs, swings instead of bar chairs and other odd accessories. There are small stones spread all over the garden which makes simple walking quite a challenge, especially after a few drinks, so be prepared to leave the bar with enough supplies!

Click here for more photos.

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Kőleves Kert | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Large Soproni beer HUF 480
Kazinczy u. 37 | Central Pest | +3613221011
Sun – Thu 12:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 03:00 (closed in case of bad weather)

Handmade quality chocolate, all forms and tastes that a real connoisseur can dream of. Pralines and table chocolates are just the top of the iceberg. Personally I am a big fan of (dark) chocolates, I don’t even want to hide my enthusiasm.

The shop is really small where the design and the lights create a calm atmosphere that accentuates the bitter-clean smell of chocolate and cocoa beans. I’m still in the phase of tasting various pralines, if course I can recommend all of the flavors but I wouldn’t miss the lemon-oil caramel bonbon and the chanterelle praline at no cost. The sweets are wrapped in stylish wrappers or put in design-boxes.

Chocolate can also be used as raw material to create artworks: chocolate sculptures, boxes or “rusty tools” show the skills of the craftsmen and -women. Eating these beautiful pieces of art would be blasphemy! Well, hard times sometimes bring the heretic out of the chocolate believer.

The street where the shop is located has been undergoing a major transformation for some time and it has turned into a nice pedestrian street, just like the surrounding area. You’ve got to watch out not to walk past the shop, look for the chocolate brown shop front.

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Rózsavölgyi Chocolate | Shopping, Snacks | 10 Bonbons HUF 2760
Királyi Pál utca 6 | Central Pest | +36308148929
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 13:00 & 13:30 – 18:30, Sat 12:00 – 18:00

As the name suggests perfectly, Noir is a chocolate bar. While Hungary is not a chocolate world power like, say, Belgium, Noir certainly does its part in meeting the needs of local chocophiles. It’s got all sorts of chocolates, including hot drinking chocolate, hot drinking chocolate with various spices from chili to cardamom, hot chocolate with or without alchohol, or hot chocolate with or without spices and/or alcohol on ice.

What more need I say? If you have the craving for sweet, sweet (or dark andbitter) chocolate, this is the place to go. Do reserve a table if you’re planning to visit in the evening, it gets crowded around that time.

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Noir ChocoBar | Bars, Snacks | Hot chocolate from HUF 700
Hegedu utca 6 | Central Pest | +36202228555
Sun – Mon 15:00 – 22:00, Tue – Sat 15:00 – 00:00

Arioso is a coffee-, furniture- and flowershop very close to Deák Ferenc Square. It’s a small, friendly place where you can sit down in the middle of the day for a tea and a hot sandwich, or maybe a salad, and have some peace away from the rush of the street. Besides the street front area, Arioso also has an even mellower garden in the back, open whenever the weather is nice.

They also have furniture and other home decoration elements like candelabras for sale, and if you walk a few meters down the street, you’ll find the Arioso flower shop (which is where the photo was taken) with a wide selection of really elegant potted and vase plants, bouquets and the like.

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Arioso | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Tea HUF 350
Király utca 9 | Central Pest | +3612663555
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 16:00

For the first time when me and a friend visited Briós, a nice cozy cafe located at Pozsonyi Street, we were so hungry, that we were shaking to hear about the menu, but the offer was too good to decide fast. Finally we succeeded, ordering 4 dishes which saved our life. Thank you!

Briós is a friendly and cozy cafe, just the right place to have a breakfast out of home. It is a simple and friendly spot run by a family, who was traveling a lot and wanted to show what they think about hospitality. Nóri the owner, who is a mother of 3, wanted to open a child friendly spot, where menus appeal to both children and adults alike. Briós managed to build its reputation really fast, not only because upstairs there is a playing space with activities to keep kids playing while their parents enjoy their meal, but also because of the open minded atmosphere, not to mention their excellent coffees.

They offer a satisfying menu from which it’s hard to decide, because every single dish seems to be delicious. They offer omelettes, baguettes, salads, bagels and marvelous desserts – I bet on the brownies, but carrot cake is also a big favorite. But they also have a nice wine selection for those who desire peaceful moments on their new terrace which is open from April.

I guess if you are on holiday to Budapest, you don’t want to prepare breakfast at home, so Brios is worth a visit!

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Briós Cafe | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Ham & eggs HUF 690
Pozsonyi út 16 | Central Pest | +3617896110
07:30 – 22:00 daily

Hungary – and especially Budapest- has a long tradition of coffee houses. Though I guess coffee beans have never been grown anywhere in Central Europe (!), coffee has been ultimately associated with Culture at the heart of Europe.

Hungarian writers from the end of the 19th century till World war II spent most of their time in coffee houses asking the waiters for ink! At that time coffee was even called “fekete leves” which basically means “dark soup”.

Though most of Budapest famous writers cafes had to close during communism – putting an end to this brilliant tradition of coffee as a fuel for writing – some famous cafes reopened such as Centrál Kávéház. And I don’t really know why but in Central Europe I still feel some kind of coffee cosiness, something that I haven’t really found in Paris (no wonder when you see the price of an espresso over there!). For instance, when I lived in Warsaw I used to spend hours in nice cafes, reading the press, meeting people, working…

Alibi cafe is pretty much like that. The design imitates some libraries, the space is intimate and the coffee excellent. The neighborhood is ultimately picturesque too, with the Law faculty nearby, and all those narrow streets full of shops and cafes, so typically “Belvaros” (the city-centre). At Alibi, they also serve pastries and light lunch offers. And yes, you guess, it’s a cool place for breakfast too!

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Cafe Alibi | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Hungarian) | Espresso coffee HUF 350
Egyetem tér 4 | Central Pest | +3613174209
08:00 – 23:00 daily

Táskarádió eszpresszó is a new addition to Budapest’s already busy nightlife (still busy in spite of all…). But don’t expect the place to be too contemporary. It’s pretty much the contrary! The whole point of Táskarádió is to bring back its customers to the Hungarian 60-70′s in a happy, friendly, well-designed and colorful setting.

Retro fashion is a main trend in Budapest for restaurants, clubs, bars and even footwear (!). Sometimes it gets mixed with the ‘ruin pub’ concept, sometimes it stands alone. But it’s quite funny to notice that 400m away from Ibolya, a bar redesigned the retro way, lies Táskarádió eszpresszó.

‘Mobile radio’ (that’s how its name could be translated) has friendly staff – we came last time with a group of 10 friends, arriving one by one and they accommodated us without any problem. It’s decorated with the Pioneer’s 12 commandments (formal youth organization in Communist Hungary), lots of retro radios, cars, TVs, pictures… The food and drinks come also straight from a menu of the ‘happy communist barrack’ period (though the expression needs to be taken carefully as you might know!). So why not trying the Hungarian communist ‘Sprite’ called Traubiszoda? I simply love it.

Big difference with the 70′s though, you get high quality wine and pálinkas (Hungarian traditional alcohol)! The only problem of Táskarádió eszpresszó is that it doesn’t stay open very very late, but it’s a nice place to start with.

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Táskarádió eszpresszó | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Hungarian) | Traubiszoda HUF 380
Papnövelde utca 8 | Central Pest | +3612660413
09:00 – 00:00 daily

In the 6th district, just behind the opera house, there is a peaceful and pleasing pedestrian street full of terraced cafes and restaurants.

I think you will be advised to visit Andrássy Street and the Opera House anyway, so it is worth to look for Hajós Street and stop for a rest, a drink or a meal at Balett Cipő.This restaurant received its name in 1948 after its first owner, who was actually a ballet-girl. Since then the place was renovated of course, it is a bit French, a bit Mediterranean and certainly has a good vibe.

When fair weather arrives it is one of my favorite places, first of all because its terrace is just divine, second, it has a perfect international cuisine, and third, they offer a good wine and palinka selection, and finally the great service. Needless to say this always makes me want to stay.

It is a kind of place where you can go for everything: a quick burger, a meal, or a drinking session. When my friends arrive from abroad and want to have a good meal, Balett Cipő is one those places I surely advise to go. Every first Wednesday of the month is called Thirsty Wednesday, on this day you can order alcohol drinks for half price!

They have a daily menu as well where you can choose from 3 different main dishes. Most dishes I tried (fish or meat) were excellent.

Go here and trust me you won’t be disappointed.

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Balett Cipő (Balett Shoe) | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | 3 courses HUF 1350
Hajós utca 14 | Central Pest
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 00:00, Sat 12:00 – 00:00, Sun 12:00 – 23:00

When weekends arrive I usually have my lunch at Castro. It is a kind of place where you lose the sense of time, I can sit there for hours enjoying the lively spirit. It seems,others too: Julian Moore an English author wrote his novel (Fragments of Berossus) at Castro, for 3 years (2006-2010) every single workday he was there from 11:00 till late afternoon. Next to his ex- table there is memorial tablet.

It is an underground bistro where the warm and laid-back atmosphere will always enchant with good cheer. Guests (locals and tourists as well) adore their food and music, usually it is really hard to get a table there.

I have already tasted everything from their menu, they have a good offer and serve delicious food in a moderate price. Despite its name (it was supposed to be a Cuban restaurant, but before opening they changed their mind) there is no Cuban food, but they have Indian and Serbian dishes and vegetarians meals as well. I adore their onion soup and the spicy rice balls filled with cheese, but I am usually in a big trouble, when time comes to choose.

From time to time surprise concerts are held here with famous Hungarian bands (1 of them: Intim Torna Illegal was formed here), but Caspian Hat Dance, Les Touffes Kretiennes were also playing here.

One of the places in Budapest where is good to have breakfast, lunch, a relaxing afternoon, dinner and an evening before a party!

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Castro Bistro | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Pljeskavica HUF 1390
Madách tér 3 | Central Pest | +3612150184
Mon – Thu 11:00 – 00:00, Fri 11:00 – 01:00, Sat 12:00 – 01:00, Sun 14:00 – 00:00

For a country which boasts centuries of wine tradition and presently counts no less than 22 wine regions, Hungary doesn’t have so much of a wine-bar culture.

Hungarians take a great pride in their wines (and rightly so) but until recently only a few Magyars came up with the idea of opening up places where you could enjoy Bacchus delights and not just get drunk with cheap wine-based drinks.

David’s bar, Doblo, is a great up-scale alternative to the ‘borozó’ around the corner (referring to very smoky and ordinary pubs).

His bar is located right in the middle of the Jewish district, a couple of blocks away from other very cool nightspots. The interior design and the light inside is appealing and intimate: this small brick cellar on ground level has been kept as it is with some tasteful additions such as new-old style furniture.

In a word it’s a very warm smoke-free hang-out. Expats regularly meets here as David organizes wine-tasting- at least once a week. But Doblo is more than just a wine-bar, it has music too! Bands play here quite often in the evenings. David organizes wine-tours in Budapest (English and Hebrew spoken) and in the countryside. Plus now Doblo serves breakfast, good news for early and late birds!

Last but not least, it’s also a wine-shop. It might be the only place where you’ll be able to buy a good (rather pricey) bottle at the same time you’re having fun on Saturday!

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Doblo wine bar | Bars, Music, Snacks | Wine-tasting event HUF 4500
Dob utca 20 | Central Pest | +36203988863
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 03:00, Sat 17:00 – 03:00, Sun 17:00 – 01:00