There are so many great places to eat in Budapest. Every place we ate at, including a couple in the main touristy areas, had fresh, delicious meals which were a combination of traditional Hungarian food and more creative modern cuisine. Not only was everything delicious but it was cheap too. This was my first time in Budapest and 5 days was no where near enough, I’d even consider living there for a while.

Hungarian Food in Budapest

Most days we picked up some carb-heavy Hungarian pastries for breakfast from the local bakery. Many had fillings with nuts or poppy seeds which was an unusual taste for me and a small serving was more than enough.

Typical main meals were things like beef goulash or chicken paprika. I almost always chose the chicken paprika and loved all I tried. This would have to be one of my favourite dishes of all time.

Of course you can buy paprika just about anywhere including in tourist souvenir shops. I picked up quite a few bags of sweet and hot paprika from Budapest’s most famous market, the Great Market Hall, which is located at the end of the main pedestrian street Vaci Utca.

The Hungarians seem to love to have coffee and cake in the afternoon (who doesn’t?) and we sampled more than our fair share. The creamy varieties were by far the best. Gerbeaud is the place for coffee and cake in Budapest but was way overpriced and overrated in my opinion. Skip that and instead go to one of the many traditional bakeries you can find around town.

Hungarian food and in particular the food in Budapest was better than I had imagined and so Budapest has become one of my favourite food destinations. With a bit of luck I’ll make it back to Hungary later this year.