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Best Cafés in Budapest (2026)

Budapest has one of the richest coffee house traditions in Europe, and visiting a historic café is part of any trip. The New York Café on the Grand Boulevard is the most lavish, with gilded columns and painted ceilings; arrive soon after it opens at 07:00 to avoid the queue. Gerbeaud on Vörösmarty tér has served cakes and confectionery since the 19th century, and the Centrál on Károlyi utca, open since 1887, combines literary history with all-day breakfast and live piano music.

For classic Hungarian cakes in a quieter setting, the Auguszt family confectionery has served Budapest since 1870, and its city-centre shop is a good place to try Dobos or Esterházy torte if they are on the menu that day. The city also has a strong speciality coffee scene. Espresso Embassy near St Stephen's Basilica and Fekete on Múzeum körút both use beans from Hungarian roasters and are ideal for a well-made flat white before sightseeing. Expect a service charge in the grand cafés, and remember that the most famous ones do not usually take reservations during the day.

6 places · Updated October 27, 2026

Our top 3 cafés in Budapest

  1. New York Café Grand historic café, Erzsébetváros (Grand Boulevard)A lavish 19th-century café on the Grand Boulevard, with gilded ceilings, frescoes and marble columns, open from breakfast until late evening.
  2. Gerbeaud Historic café and confectionery, Belváros (Vörösmarty tér)Budapest's best-known confectionery, founded in 1858 and run by Emil Gerbeaud from the 1880s, serving cakes and pralines on Vörösmarty tér.
  3. Centrál Grand Café & Bar Historic literary café, BelvárosA literary café near the University Library, open since 1887, with all-day breakfasts, Hungarian cakes and live piano music twice a day.

Café

1. New York Café

Grand historic café$$$Erzsébetváros (Grand Boulevard)

A lavish 19th-century café on the Grand Boulevard, with gilded ceilings, frescoes and marble columns, open from breakfast until late evening.

View details — New York Café

Café

2. Gerbeaud

Historic café and confectionery$$$Belváros (Vörösmarty tér)

Budapest's best-known confectionery, founded in 1858 and run by Emil Gerbeaud from the 1880s, serving cakes and pralines on Vörösmarty tér.

View details — Gerbeaud

Café

6. Fekete

Speciality coffee and brunch$Belváros

A speciality coffee shop on Múzeum körút with an espresso bar and a separate room for filter coffee, breakfast and lunch.

View details — Fekete