Historic☕ Coffee & cake
Historic coffee houses in Budapest
At the turn of the twentieth century Budapest had hundreds of coffee houses, and writers had their own tables in them. A handful of the grand ones survive, alongside a serious modern speciality-coffee scene. Both are here — with the confectioners, which are a separate institution entirely.
206 places
Historic
Cookie Beacon Brunch Basilica
Belváros & Lipótváros4.7(19,223)out of 5 on Google
Closed · Friday from 08:00
Historic
Historic
VINYL & WOOD - Get Lost in Wonderland
Jewish Quarter & ruin bars4.8(10,241)out of 5 on Google€€€€
Closed · Friday from 08:00
HistoricRuszwurm Confectionery
Castle District4.2(5,425)out of 5 on Google€€€€
VAJ Rákóczi · bakery & café
Palace Quarter & Józsefváros4.5(4,396)out of 5 on Google€€€€
Closes at 20:00
Nándori Cukrászda
Ferencváros & the Great Market Hall4.6(3,870)out of 5 on Google€€€€
Closed · Friday from 07:30
arán bakery budapest
Jewish Quarter & ruin bars4.8(3,296)out of 5 on Google€€€€
Closed · Friday from 07:30
Cosy Café Budapest
Terézváros & Andrássy Avenue4.8(3,269)out of 5 on Google€€€€
Closed · Friday from 08:00
My Little Melbourne Coffee
Jewish Quarter & ruin bars4.5(2,950)out of 5 on Google€€€€
Closed · Friday from 07:30
London Coffee Society
Jewish Quarter & ruin bars4.7(2,917)out of 5 on Google€€€€
Closed · Friday from 09:00
HistoricMűvész Coffee House (Artist Cafe)
Terézváros & Andrássy Avenue4.4(2,808)out of 5 on Google€€€€
Closes at 20:00
Three different things
A kávéház is the grand café: marble, mirrors, a room built to be sat in for three hours. The New York, the Central and the Művész are what remains of a culture that had hundreds.
A cukrászda is a confectioner. You go there for cake, not coffee, and the good ones — Ruszwurm on the Castle Hill has been at it since 1827 — are where the classic Hungarian pastries are done properly.
The speciality coffee places are a recent, entirely separate scene, mostly in Districts V, VI and VII, and mostly better at coffee than either of the above.
Worth knowing
The grand cafés charge grand-café prices, and the most famous of them has a queue. That is the trade: you are paying for the room. If you want the pastry without the theatre, a cukrászda two streets away sells the same Dobos torte for a third of the price.
Where to stay in Budapest
Live prices and availability on a map centred on this exact spot — hotels, apartments and hostels, so you can judge the walk from here rather than guess from an address.
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Frequently asked
Which is the most famous café in Budapest?
The New York Café, opened in 1894 and often called the most beautiful café in the world. It is also the most expensive and usually has a queue.
What is the difference between a kávéház and a cukrászda?
A kávéház is a coffee house you sit in; a cukrászda is a confectioner you go to for cake. The best pastries are usually in the cukrászda.