Budapest, as it turns out, is a real treasure chest when it comes to specialty coffee bars. These guys have an amazing sense for combining flavors and brewing delicate yet very potent coffee specialties. My favorite thing about Hungarian café culture, however, is the venues. You can tell that these places have a real passion for what they do, and aside from brewing the meanest blacks, they make coffee time into an irresistible ritual.
Kuglóf
Located in a calm corner at the Pest end of the Elizabeth Bridge, this place is everything a Hungarian café should be. A loving atmosphere, great ambiance, a wide range of delicious foods, and course, high-quality, home-roasted coffee specialties. Kuglóf is a great place to start a slow morning with an unbeatable English breakfast and large bowls of oatmeal on the menu. They didn’t forget about our daily needs either with hearty lunch and dinner offers. Oh, delicious desserts (try their mango-cheese cake! You can thank me later).
Regarding coffee, Kuglóf works from 100% Arabica, brought straight from a Hungarian-owned plantation in Costa Rica. Fresh roast every time, of course, with the specialty qualification as a guarantee.
Kaffeine
With 3 locations around Budapest, Kaffeine is an easy café to be addicted to. Focusing on the art of brewing, Kaffeine works strictly from the best ingredients using cutting-edge espresso machines and some of the most talented baristas in the city. Their most easily reachable venue from the city center is on Kálvin Square. You won’t regret dropping by for breakfast (which they serve ALL day) or a cup of your favorite brew. Has Bean coffees and the Hungarian One Eleven brand is steadily available with various quality imports worldwide.
My Little Melbourne
The first official “specialty” qualified Budapest café, My Little Melbourne, is like a fresh taste of Australia in the Hungarian capital. As their motto says, they love to make coffee for coffee lovers. And making coffee, they do well. Extremely well, to be frank.
From an impressive selection of prime brands like Racer Beans and the amazingly characteristic Workshop Coffee imported by the company, this café was made for my tastes. Their main bar is located a few minutes from Deák Square in the calm Madách Square, and right next door, you can find the first (and only) brew bar in the city. My Little Brew Bar is like coffee heaven in a small, homey atmosphere. They also operate a barista academy downstairs. How cool is that?
Brew Brothers
This cute coffee place is my latest discovery in Budapest. And I’m so proud of it! When dropping by their little shop close to the Oktogon metro station, you’ll most likely meet one of the owners of the place. They are two coffee-buff professional baristas with expertise and love for the craft that truly comes through their products. Despite their small size, the Brothers sure didn’t save on technology with high-class espresso machines and some of the most special coffee blends I’ve ever tasted.
A real hidden treasure and sheer local experience, you won’t regret looking the brothers up!
Madal
An iconic Budapest coffee bar is available in three different locations around the city. Madal is a tranquil specialty coffee place brewing some of the finest treats in the city. Named after one of my favorite peace philosophers, Sri Chinmoy (Madal was his childhood nickname) peace and tranquility spread through the place and its staff. With their centrally located shops, they truly represent an island of calm in the bustling metropolis. The Madal philosophy is centered around consciousness and sustainability with all-natural furnishing and always exquisite, locally roasted coffee. You shouldn’t miss out on the fresh pastries at Madal either!
Le Petit Bistro
This place is a real calm haven of romance in the city center. A few minutes’ walks from the St. Stephen’s Basilica, in a quiet little street, Le Petit is the ideal getaway place for all lovers looking to sip delicious, fresh brews and taste original French-style pastries. Le Petit’s irresistible setting evokes the ambiance of signature Paris cafés, only much smaller and much cuter. Unlike me, Hungarians are not big on breakfast, so it was a welcome surprise to discover this place prides itself in its rich brunches from fresh French pastries and delicious specialty coffees that you can enjoy on their little terrace as well. At night Le Petit turns into a magical, candlelit world of romance.
Rengeteg
Finally, the most unorthodox café on this list, one I just couldn’t leave out. Bears, enchanted, otherworldly atmosphere, the kindest barista I’ve ever met, and creative coffee and hot chocolate specialties. Rengeteg RomKafé is hands down one of the cutest, coolest places in all of Budapest. Created as a place where kids can enjoy themselves as much as adults, every trip to Rengeteg feels like an adventure to a wonderland. As Budapest’s first and only ruin café, the walls are jam-packed with amazingly random objects of every kind. It’s the best place to sit for at least half an hour with a giant jug of hot chocolate (of which they have the widest offer I’ve ever seen) and just start a conversation with the kind owner of the place. Say hi to Tibor for me if you drop by!
See you around and have fun exploring my favorite coffee shops!
