Alkoholos Filc Café
I., Várfok u. 15/b. Mon-Sat 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.
A tiny café beyond Moszkva Square, below the Castle. In addition to the coffee, you can ask for good wines, some snacks and even exhibition offers. But if you do not want to leave the place, you can take a look at the pictures on the wall created by contemporary artists.
Angelika
I., Batthyány tér 7. (+36-1212-3784, angelikacafe.hu) Mon-Sun, April-October. 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.., November-March. 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. The St. Anna Church by Batthyány Square is one of the most beautiful Baroque buildings in Hungary, and a smart wood merchant was already operating a pub in the house next to the church in 1720 for the greatest pleasure of the sailors on the Danube.
Auguszt
- XII., Sasadi út 190. (+36-1 249-0134) Wed-Sun 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- V., Kossuth Lajos u. 14-16. (+36-1 337-6379) Mon-Fri 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- II., Fény u. 8. (+36-1 316-3817) Tue-Fri 10 a.m. – 6, Sat 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Auguszt is owned by a family, five generations of which have already been preserving the secrets of cake recipes and catering at three locations. They sell everything that is creamy and sweet, in Buda in the Auguszt Pavilion and next to the Fény Street market, and in Pest right next to Astoria.
Bambi Presszó
II., Frankel Leó út 2-4. (+36-1 212-3171) Mon-Fri 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sat-Sun 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. This is not one of the fashionable retro places. There were no interior designers who tried to create the atmosphere of the sixties. Bambi itself is truly retro. Original furniture and wall mosaics.
Buena Vista
V., Liszt Ferenc tér 4-5., (+36-1 344-6303, ) Mon-Sun 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Real espresso prepared from freshly roasted coffee beans with a pleasant atmosphere and bustle. But if you do not long for a strong espresso, you can choose from dozens of special coffees and teas, or you can opt for a light salad or a dessert from the menu.
Café Dorottya
V., Dorottya u. 1. (+36-1 266-4712, www.cafedorottya.com) Mon-Sun 10 a.m – 10 p.m.
The selection of liqueurs and coffees and the discrete lights make this place perfect for a romantic date in the city centre, but it can also be a final stop after an exhausting day.
Café Noé Pastry Shop
VII., Wesselényi u. 13. (+36-1 787-3842). Mon-Thu 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Fri 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Traditional pastry shop run by a Jewish family, just five minutes from the synagogue. Ideal place to taste the multi-layered “flódni”, but the home-made ice-creams, diabetic cakes and other special sweets are delicious, too.
Centrál
V, Károlyi Mihály u. 9. (+36-1 266-2110, www.centralkavehaz.hu) Mon-Sun 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. The atmosphere of the great cafés at the time of the monarchy and the combination of modern gastronomy and confectionery. It has everything you can expect from a real café.
Csészényi Café
I., Krisztina krt. 34. (+36-1 212-6571, www.cseszenyi.hu) Mon-Fri 8 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sat-Sun 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Authentic atmosphere of the turn of the century in the former clock-making workshop. There are relics connected to clocks or the café on the walls, and the offer includes excellent coffees, characteristic teas, hot chocolate and a fairly considerable selection of cakes.
Coffee & Deli
I., Markovits Ignác u. 4., Mon-Fri 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sat-Sun 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
In addition to the coffee, it offer a wide range of cakes which are baked on the spot. This café is proud of its American–inspired sweet things, such as brownies and smoothies.
GERBEAUD
V., Vörösmarty tér 7-8. (+36-1 429-9000, www.gerbeaud.hu) Mon-Sun 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. The pastry shop was founded by Henrik Kugler in 1858, but the next owner, the Swiss Emil Gerbeaud, made it world-famous with his own inventions, the “macskanyelv” (cat tongue) and cognac cherry. He even exported the products of his chocolate factory to Belgium. The rich stucco decoration, the elegant chandeliers, the tables with marble covers, the noble wooden and brocade covers on the walls and the cooling displays are all protected monuments. Gerbeaud has a rich selection of cakes.
Dobos cake, the unique Hungari an pastry
When he first created the eponymous cake in 1884, József Dobos (1847—1924), the famous Pest confectioner, wanted to prepare a cake which could be consumed and enjoyed for a long time, despite the cooling techniques of the period. He presented the cake in 1885 for the first time at the first General National Exhibition in Budapest, and Queen Elizabeth and Franz Joseph I were the first ones to taste it. As the custom goes, one of the most important ingredients of the cake, the sweet butter cream, was the result of a mistake committed by the master’s assistant, who churned the butter. The assistant accidentally added salt into the churning bowl instead of sugar, and the confectioner created the sweet masterpiece, which has become world-famous since then, with the “spoilt” butter. József Dobos travelled all over Europe to make the Dobos cake popular, which was transferred from his workshop to the cities of Western Europe on a cart filled with salted ice.
