Brunch in Budapest: A Guide To The 10 Best Brunch Spots For Each Vibe

🎶 brunch, brunch babe 🎶, and the music will be stuck in your brain forever. Not sorry. Caleb and I enjoy breakfast (like every other human in the universe?). So, when we lived in Budapest, we made it one of our tasks to discover all of the best brunch spots to start the day right. IE: lots of carbs and coffee. Mmmmm.

If you’re a brunch-loving couple like us seeking someplace to have brunch in Budapest, the answer is entirely dependent on the vibe you want. So, in our guide, we’ve organized our top sites by what they’re best for! To be honest, any of the restaurants on this list are fantastic and will not disappoint your hungry, morning self. Let’s plunge in!

A Quick Guide to Budapest

When and how long to go: 2-7 days in April, May, September, or August.

Where to stay: We enjoy staying at the 7Seasons Hotel because of the affordable, spacious rooms, nice staff, and fantastic, central location.

How to get around: walk or use the tram.

Must-do foodie activities include this wine tasting and this local cooking lesson with flowing wine, as well as this food tour if you don’t have much time but want to try all of the best traditional delicacies. They are unmissable foodie experiences!

For Healthy Options – Fagel

Fagel, a cute small oatmeal bar, is located next to our favorite Budapest bakery, Artizan. It’s ideal if you want something comfortable, quick, and healthy! Here, they serve bowls of steaming porridge or rice and are completely vegan-friendly. You can go either on a rice basis with coconut milk or oats with oat milk. The menu includes a few seasonal sweets, a savory alternative, and a daily oatmeal special that is always unique.

The warm oatmeal bowls are reasonably priced at approximately 2000 for a medium serving, and they strike the ideal blend of sweet, savory, and hearty. We tried the seasonal special, plum crumble, which included plum compote, oat crumbles, almonds, pomegranate seeds, grapes, kiwi, and a generous serving of homemade nut butter.

For Middle Eastern Flavors – Dobrumba

If you enjoy Middle Eastern cuisine, clear your Sunday morning calendar and go directly to Dobrumba! We enjoy ethnic flavors, thus we believe this Dobrumba serves the best brunch in Budapest (and one of the best places to eat in general!) and is one of the reasons Budapest is on the list of best European brunch towns!

This vibrant, Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant serves not only lunch and dinner with some very interesting cocktails, but also a diverse brunch menu. We adored their enormous ethnic cuisine, such as hummus bowls with lentils, eggs, and vegetables and porridge with caramelized bananas and tahini! Caleb chose the lamb sausage, while I had the challah bread with labneh, sage butter, za’atar, poached eggs, vegetables, and spicy pickled peppers—the flavors were explosive, and we both gave each other “the look.”

You know, the one where no words are needed to convey that you are both thinking, “OMG, THIS IS SO GOOD.” Dobrumba’s sleek and trendy ambiance makes it ideal for a brunch date with refreshing flavors.

Instagrammable, Creative Flavors – Deszka

Deszka, located just outside of the city center, is a true hidden gem with highly distinctive dishes, such as the seasonal pumpkin spice eggs. Who would have thought we’d see Benny?

We can personally recommend their smooth and strong coffee (a brunch staple, am I right?) as well as their gravlax eggs royal, a novel spin on the conventional eggs benedict served on cheese scones with flawlessly poached eggs, ginger gravlax, pear, and a tasty pesto sauce.

Caleb adored the Deszka toast, which consists of soft but crispy thick bread covered with cheese and crispy Serrano ham chips. Keep an eye out for the owner’s dog. He brings him frequently, and he is the star of the show. Obviously.

For a Romantic Morning: Cork Breakfast and Wine

We almost didn’t attend because half of our minds were like, “Isn’t focusing on breakfast wine kind of a weird combo?” But then the other half said, “But maybe it’s genius?!” Friends, that side was correct. 😏.

The inside is sleek, dark, and sexy, with exposed brick and wine bottles throughout. With so many possibilities, such as Hungarian scrambled eggs, poppyseed cottage cheese, and DONUTS with pistachio sauce, it was difficult to pick what to eat. This is the location to spend a romantic morning in the city!

Seriously, inventive and stylish things are happening. I ordered the savory zucchini pancakes with sour cream and smoked salmon, and I would have licked my plate if Caleb hadn’t given me the “no” look. I’ve never had anything like that for breakfast before—garlicky, herb-infused deliciousness. Caleb ate toast with tomato, scrambled eggs, and huge chunks of halloumi cheese.

For a Quick Breakfast Near The Castle – Zerge Coffee Shop

Zerge Coffee Shop is an excellent choice for a quick and fairly priced breakfast in Budapest if you’re spending the day seeing the Buda side/castle region. This modest establishment specializes in good coffee and serves a variety of bagels, as well as breakfast plates featuring bacon and eggs if you don’t like bagels. Who are you?

The mood is energetic, with upbeat music that may feel a little club-like for a brunch setting (FYI), but it adds to the vibe. We liked that there were more residents than tourists, and the coffee was extremely flavorful and smooth. Caleb got the Rueben, while I had a smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese and pickled cucumber—both were large, hearty, and delicious! It’s also a good option for couples on a tight budget because it’s less expensive than the more trendy venues listed.

For a More Local Vibe – Breakfast Cafe Kicsizso

Just over the Margaret Bridge, outside the city center, Breakfast Café Kicsizso is a charming, farmhouse-inspired spot that has a more local vibe. As it’s not in the main “tourist area,” the prices are a little bit lower! We paid around $28 for 2 plates and 2 coffees each.

The menu is a little on the smaller side, but it’s packed with creative options like milk loaf French toast with duck liver or an American pulled pork croque monsieur. Caleb raved about the smoked salmon bagel sandwich, declaring it the best he’s ever had. My omelet was generously loaded with ham, accompanied by bread and a salad dressed in an incredible pesto sauce.

For Light And Heavier Options To Please Everyone, A Table

A Table is a well-established franchise with locations around Budapest, making it easy to find one wherever you are. Stepping into A Table, which is decorated in the style of a French patisserie, is like entering a lovely home in a little French village – it’s adorable. The costs are comparable to other brunch establishments in the vicinity, and the alternatives are straightforward and very French. Caleb had a hefty mushroom and cheese toast topped with an egg, while I had the scrambled eggs with three add-ins served with bread and a lovely salad.

We may also recommend their wonderful French pastries. This bakery cafe was directly beneath our apartment, so you can imagine how scary it was!

Cirkusz Serves Classic, All-Day Brunch

Cirkusz, located in the trendy Jewish area, one of our favorite neighborhoods to stay in, serves all-day brunch and is one of the most popular and well-known brunch spots on our list. We’ve been several times, and Caleb’s favorite is the pulled pork Benedict, while I adore the eggs royal. Their English muffins are unlike anything we’ve ever tasted, buttery and brioche-like, and they’re quite delicious. OMG.

The café is well-known for its coffee, which we found to be smooth and robust, and we like that they offered oat and rice milk options. The interior is turquoise and circus-themed, and it has a generally upbeat vibe, which is always a wonderful way to start the day, right?

We found this brunch spot to be quite inexpensive for being so fancy, costing a little over $30 for two dishes and two coffees. If you’re searching for conventional options like English breakfast, eggs Benedict, or sweet waffles and pancakes, Cirkusz is a strong contender for the greatest breakfast in Budapest.

Two Popular Spots We Don’t Get the Hype

We usually want to share the good with the bad, so here are the two locations we went to for brunch and would not go back to:

1. Pantry

When our dinner arrived, we both experienced deja vu and remembered that we had been here years before and loathed it just as much. Building your breakfast a la carte is an intriguing notion, but it falls short. The eggs tasted like they were produced from a powdered mix, and they were hard and flavorless, as did practically everything else on our platter. It’s also so little that you feel as though you’re sitting on your neighbor.

They provide Cirkusz coffee, so stop by during your few days in Budapest.

2. New York Café

We get the excitement because the interior is stunning, but we believe it is far too expensive for what it is. One of our Budapest ideas is to go at opening hour (otherwise you’ll be waiting in line forever) and just order a coffee to peek inside, snap pictures, and then go somewhere else. It’s located in a popular tourist neighborhood, so there are plenty of options around!

Conclusion:

There you have it—the good and bad of brunching in Budapest. While they are far from traditional Hungarian foods, you can never go wrong with breakfast, and these all deliver. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments. Or let us know where you’re going!