Espresso Embassy

Espresso Embassy is one of the cafés that put Budapest on the map for speciality coffee. It opened in 2012 on Arany János utca, a short walk from St Stephen's Basilica, founded by baristas who had worked at Printa, an earlier pioneer of good coffee in the city. More than a decade later it remains a reference point for locals who care about coffee, and it features in European lists of the best coffee shops.

Service is at the counter, where you order and pay, and the focus is firmly on coffee rather than on a long food menu. The house beans come from Casino Mocca, a Hungarian roaster, and a rotating selection of guest roasters from around Europe appears alongside them, so there is usually a choice for espresso and filter. Espresso drinks, flat whites and filter coffee are made with care, and the baristas can explain the differences between the current beans if you are curious. If you have only drunk coffee in the grand historic cafés, this is a useful comparison: the style here is lighter roasts and precise brewing rather than ceremony and decoration.

It suits coffee enthusiasts, solo travellers and anyone who needs a good cup in the morning before sightseeing in Lipótváros. Reservations are not accepted. On weekdays it is a popular place to work for an hour, but at weekends and on public holidays laptops are allowed only at the communal tables, to keep seats free for other guests.

Opening hours are 07:30 to 17:00 from Monday to Friday and 08:30 to 17:00 at weekends. The café is usually open on holidays and announces any exceptions on its social media. Mornings are busiest with office workers; mid-morning and early afternoon are calmer. Prices are reasonable, and it is a far better coffee experience than most cafés around the tourist sights.

Arany János utca station on metro line M3 is around the corner, and St Stephen's Basilica, Szabadság tér and the Hungarian Parliament are all within a ten-minute walk. It is an easy stop before or after a Parliament tour, and the streets around it, with their late 19th-century apartment blocks and offices, are pleasant to explore on foot.