Best of Budapest

Food is a matter of taste and so are the restaurants, bars, clubs and much more. I visited a lot of places in Budapest for dining, drinking and party so I have reviewed a lot of locations but somehow there has to be a list of my favourite place in Budapest so here we go. This is an absolute subjective ranking of restaurants, bars and clubs in the city but I assure that none of these places paid me to be on that list so it is my opinion.

My Top 5 Restaurants in Budapest:

1. Restaurant Chez Daniel
Calm, romatic and very good French food. Thats how I would describe Chez Daniel in one sentence. You get a bit of a French feeling in there with a lot of French specialities either drinks or food. The service is very nice and friendly. For those of you who speak neither Hungarian nor French there will be no menu but the waiter speaks English. For a romantic dinner Chez Daniel is the number one.

2. Restaurant Trattoria Toscana
Italian food at it’s best and for sure the best Italian restaurant in Budapest I have been to. You will get any food the Italian way in here, no matter if pasta, pizza, fish or meat and all of what I have ever tasted was fantastic. The location is brilliant, next to the Danube, and you get good wine.

3. Restaurant Náncsi Néni
For sure the best Hungarian restaurant in Budapest and that is not only my opinion but also of many others. Restaurant Náncsi Néni received a Michelin star because the food is really excellent. Unfortunately a bit outside the city and above average price but for that quality of food it is fine.

4. Restaurant Hemingway
If you go to Hemingway you should leave your car at home because they serve excellent cocktails. Also the food is very good here and I like the location, next to a little lake, very much. Also the staff is very friendly, English speaking and just want your best. The food is mainly Hungarian style but you can also find international dishes.

5. Parázs Presszó
Parázs Presszó in Budapest is a really authentic Thai restaurant mixed with a Hungarian restaurant so whatever you fancy out of these both worlds you will find good food. You could for example mix a good Husleves (meatsoup) with a real Thai Curry. However why I like it so much is the fact that the Thai food is really close to what you get in Thailand as it is operated by a Hungarian and his wife from Thailand.

My Top 5 Clubs in Budapest:

1. Holdudvar
When I first went to Holdudvar it was located in the backyard of a university. Nowadays Holdudvar is on Margit Island which makes it not less attractive. The flair of the old Holdudvar is missing a bit but the new is fantastic as well. Holdudvar is an open air club so it is just open in summer.

2. Minyon
Bar Minyon really turned out to be one of the hottest places in the city. During the evening Minyon is a fairly good restaurant with international cuisine but as of 11 o’clock it slowly turns into a massive party place. Waiters start to move away the tables, the front windows will be closed with a movable wall and the entrance is changing to the back door. When the DJ starts his, honestly not too good, sets the entire former restaurant tunrs into a massive club with gents and beautiful girls dancing all night long.

3. Szimpla Kert
Szimpla Kert in Budapest is half open air, half inside. Actually it is not a club to dance rather a bar or pub but its flair is unique. In between the old walls of an unused house in the middle of Pest you can hardly find this place. Once you are in there you don’t want to leave anymore.

4. Romkert
Romkert is one of the open air clubs where you don´t want to leave even if daylight is coming up. Good music, awesome location and fair priced drinks make Romkert a perfect club to have a party. As usually in Budapest the girls there are fantastic as well so any friday or saturday night in Romkert is a big bang.

5. Jam Pub
Jam Pub is a bar in Mammut Shopping Center with a lot of Live Music and bands playing or just jamming. Over the years Jam Pub became more and more popular and does not only attract typical pub audience but also youger people.

My Top 5 Bars in Budapest

1. Bar Instant
Bar Instant is a fairly new place which opened up not long ago. It is much like Szimpla Kert but less known thus less foreigners coming with their Travel Books in hand to have a beer and see the place. Bar Instant also offers a cellar which is used as a club for dancing with, for my taste, not too good music. Nevertheless Bar Instant is the best place to go these days.

2. Holdudvar
Holdudvar is not just a bar, so it could belong to restaurants or clubs as well but I don´t go there because of the food which is quite average. The reason I love Holdudvar it is on Margit Island and let´s you escape from the city. You won´t hear a car passing, a road construction going on or anything which can disturbe a nice evening with a few glasses of beer out in the sun.

3. Bar Karma
A bit of a relaxed place with the possibility to eat is Bar Karma on Liszt Ferenc Ter near Oktogon in Budapest. The interior of Karma is some kind of Indian, Goa style and so is the music running in the background. Bar Karma does offer great cocktails for fair prices even though compared to other bars in Budapest still a bit overpriced… well it is Liszt Ferenc Ter the place to be for many locals.

4. Szimpla Kert
Well a bit comercial nowadays and always packed to the last seat but the first time I have been in Szimpla Kert I fell in love and honestly can´t let go going there. Szimpla Kert is the embodiment of all “Kert” Pubs in Budapest. Prices are even after several years still fair, you can play Csocso (Table Football), chill in a Trabant or dance in the night.

5. Caladonia
I am German but I love this Scottish Pub for the friendliness and for the Belhavens Best they serve.  A beer with headache guarantee but it tasts great. Caladonia has a lot of traditional Scottish parties, sunday rost and of course different types of Whisky. So if you are from the island and like to have a real pint of Ale I recommend this pub.

My Top 5 Programs with Kids in Budapest

1. Budapest Zoo
The Budapest Zoo is a great place to spend time with your kids and it is so big that you easily can stay for a day until you have seen every animal or botanical highlight. The Zoo is located in the recreation area of Budapest next to the Amusement Park, the Szechenyi Bath and the Budapest Circus, so it is your choice once you are there.

2. Budapest Circus
The Budapest Circus is as written above as well located in the recreation area of Budapest and open daily with 2 shows, Saturday and Sunday even three. The program is changing from time to time so you will not see things twice if you go twice a year. Kids just love the Circus and especially the clown.

3. Tropicarium Budapest (Campona)
In the Campona Shopping Center in Budapest in the 22nd disctrict the Tropicarium is located which is the bigges indoor aquarium in Central Europe. You can see here all kinds of fishes and other creatures living in or around the water. The highlights for sure are the crocodiles in the artificial rain forest area and the massive aquarium you can go through in a tunnel where the sharks are swimming. Also very popular among kids is the petting area where you can touch rays.

4. Barefoot Park
Not directly in Budapest but around 45 minutes is the so called Barefoot Park which is a collection of different undergrounds you can walk on barefoot of course. Kids love the experience of walking on stones of all sizes, corn, wood and much more. It is a nice outdoor activity program if you have the chance to get there.

5. Children Island
On every weekend in summer there is a festival called Gyerek Sziget taking place on the Obuda Island in the North of Budapest. Actually it is like a little amusement park with bouncing castles, horse riding, skill games, craftsmen work to see and do youself and just so much more. Its fresh air, funny and kids simply love it.