🧾 Essentials
Tipping and the service charge
Around 10% is normal — but check the bill first, because many places already added 12–15%.
The thing most visitors get wrong
A service charge (*szervízdíj*) of typically 12–15% is added automatically by a large share of Budapest restaurants and bars, particularly in the centre. It will be printed on the bill as a separate line.
If it is there, you have already tipped. Adding another 10% on top means paying roughly a quarter extra for the same meal, and it is the single most common way visitors overpay here.
When there is no service charge
Around 10% is the normal amount. Round up rather than calculating precisely.
How to hand it over
Say the total you want to pay when handing over the card or cash, rather than leaving money on the table afterwards. Leaving change on a table is not the local convention and may simply be cleared away.
Elsewhere
Taxis: round up. Bathhouse attendants and cloakrooms: not expected. Bars, when you order at the counter: not expected.