Where to Eat in Budapest With Kids

Wondering where to eat in Budapest with kids? This city surprised us. The food is genuinely good, the portions are generous, and most places are relaxed enough that nobody blinks at a stroller or a kid who only wants plain buttered noodles. Here are the spots we kept going back to, from cozy breakfast cafes to the stalls of the Central Market Hall. For the rest of the trip, see our Budapest with kids guide, plus things to do in Budapest with kids and our full Budapest family itinerary.

The Best Places to Eat in Budapest With Kids

Fekete

Fekete has fantastic breakfast!!!  No doubt one of the best restaurants in Budapest to grab breakfast.  Great coffee too, but when you are traveling with littles, a substantial breakfast sets us up a day of success (and less hangry kiddos).  They had a daily assortment of pastries and specials (usually different flavored tarts/quiches) in addition to their regular items.  Better yet, this place serves breakfast all day!!  Did I mention they have bottled craft beer if you are enjoying your breakfast later in the day?

It wasn’t an extensive menu, but everything was made with the freshest ingredients that lead to every choice to be delicious.  We ate breakfast here four times so I am pretty sure we worked our way through the menu!

There is both indoor and outdoor seating available.  The 19th century courtyard is quite charming and a nice quiet spot away from the bustle of the busy street.  The staff was very polite and the person taking our order usually spoke moderate English, so we had no issues communicating weird kid food requests.  This place is located a few blocks from where we stayed, which is in my opinion, the best place to stay in Budapest because it’s so walkable and close to many sites and eateries.  Check out our Where to Stay in Budapest page for more details!

This place is so good that “Zemo” from Captain America even ate breakfast here!  You may recognize Daniel Brühl from The King’s Man or The Alienist to name a few.  Dawson was super stoked to meet him, Kaida was less convinced that was a good idea.  He mentioned he was in Budapest filming something, and didn’t say what. I suspect it was another season of the Alienist.  Pretty cool!

feketekv.hu
Budapest, Múzeum krt. 5, 1053 Hungary

Madal Cafe

Madal is a specialty coffee shop with three locations around the city.  In addition to espresso based and filtered coffees, in the warmer months they offer a selection of cold brews.  If you get there early enough in the day you can snag one of their whole wheat croissants.  This is a great place for a morning stop if you are mostly looking for a caffeine fix and light snack.  They do not have a substantial breakfast.  The interior boasts an abundance of blond woods making for a light refreshing atmosphere.

www.madalcafe.hu
Budapest, Ferenciek tere 3, 1053 Hungary (check out their website for the other locations)

Stand25

Stand25 is one the best restaurants in Budapest, if not, THE best.  If you are looking for that noteworthy, Michelin recognized food experience, then you must head to Stand25.  The mantra of this bistro is respect for the ingredients and boy does it translate to each and every bite!  They are open for lunch and dinner, offering both an a la carte and prix fixe menu for both.  The lunch prix fixe offers a great value and may be easier to get a late reservation as opposed to dinner.  With the littles, we opted for lunch!

The menu changes seasonally but we all enjoyed our prix fixe selections, including Viona who couldn’t get enough of her cold consommé soup! The portions were perfect, and again, the food was outstanding.  A reservation is highly recommended, especially for dinner.

If you are wondering about going with the kids, the staff was very friendly and no one seemed to mind that we had littles.  If you have kids, I would recommend checking out their current menu on their website.  If it looks like there isn’t anything your kid would eat, bring a granola bar or other snacks in case they cannot accommodate something special.  Most high end restaurants we go to on our travels offer something like pasta with butter at the least, but I never want to assume that is a guarantee, so we always have a back up plan!  We are firm believers that mom and dad shouldn’t have to give up a desired meal because of picky little tummies.

stand25.hu
1013 Budapest, Attila út 10.

MANU+

The pizza at Manu+ should definitely be enjoyed by all!  Manu+ is an offshoot of their original restaurant Manufaktura near Corvina University.  The perks of visiting this location is that it is usually much less busy cutting down on your wait time to eat this delectible pizza pie!  Manu+ is located in a building said to be designed by the same architect that built the Hungarian State Opera.  A bit of a creepy courtyard and a little hard to find but oh so worth it if you you do!!  At the time of our visit, these pizza’s were about 6 Euro each.  What a bargain!  Said the family from California.

https://www.facebook.com/manusecondchapter
Budapest, Múzeum krt. 7, 1053 Hungary

Pest-Buda Bistro

When you find yourself on the Buda side of Budapest, checking out places like Fisherman’s Bastion or the Houdini museum (which you can read about on our Budapest See & Do page!).  This bistro is a great little spot to stop for lunch!  About a block or so from the main attractions is this grandma’s cookbook style Hungarian eatery.  If you are looking to try some traditional Hungarian dishes in a casual setting, this can check that box!

The food is comforting and priced well.  The staff was extremely friendly and the patio in front of the restaurant is great for enjoying the beautiful architecture that the Buda side is oozing with.  A great family eatery!

www.pest-buda.com
Budapest, Fortuna u. 3, 1014 Hungary

Central Market Hall

If you are looking for some traditional Hungarian snacks or street fair, then you must head to the famous Central Market Hall!!  Downstairs you will find fresh produce, butchers and spices and more.  Upstairs you will find stalls selling prepared local delicacies such as goulash and langos as well as vendors selling handmade goods and souvenirs.

Langos, pictured above, is fried dough topped with sour cream and cheese.  Wow!!! All three of my favorite food groups in one delightful dish?!  I put that at the top of my list of foods to try in Budapest and I was not disappointed.

www.piaconline.hu
Budapest, Vámház krt. 1-3, 1093 Hungary

Gelarto Rosa

Just two minutes from St Stephens Basilica is Gelarto Rosa, the now fairly famous shop serving up the prettiest ice cream in town!  We have been to a few shops around Europe serving up a similar design but this one has been by far the best.  The staff does a great job layering the flower to make for some great pics.  They have a ton of fun flavors and they are as equally delicious as they are pretty.

There is usually a line but it moved quickly and was definitely worth the wait!

Budapest, Szent István tér 3, 1051 Hungary

New York Café

I’m sure you are asking, why travel to Budapest to go to a place called New York Cafe?  All the reasons!!!  Most importantly is the ambiance.  This place takes grand cafe culture to the extreme.  It is oozing with marble, gold and red velvet.  Its possibly one of the most striking places to get your caffeine fix in the city.  But don’t stop at coffee.  They have a full menu and an extensive selection of decadent desserts that would make anybody’s mouth water.

I decided this would be the perfect afternoon spot for Viona and I to have a mother/daughter afternoon tea.  By tea I mean iced hot chocolates and a selection of sweets.  There is usually a lengthy line for a table at this famous spot.  Tip: call ahead for a reservation and bypass the line!  We called a few hours ahead and skipped the line of 20 parties itching to get in.

This is one of the best restaurants in Budapest for that instagram shot!  Check out our Budapest See & Do page for more pics of this famous café.

www.newyorkcafebudapest.com
Budapest, Erzsébet krt. 9-11, 1073 Hungary

Molnár’s kürtőskalács

There has been a long time debate between countries on who has the best version of this sweet treat.  The kürtös kalács is a spiraled dessert baked from sweet yeast dough and coated in cinnamon and sugar.  Originally said to be from Transylvania as a dessert for special occasions like weddings and baptisms, it is now popular all over eastern Europe.  Prague often boasts to have the best versions but (spoiler!) we’ve been there, tried that and this shop in Budapest cranks out a way better version than anywhere we tried in Prague.

There is usually a line at this place, I believe it is the most popular of it’s kind in Budapest.  We waited about 10 minutes the first time and 20 minutes our second visit.  In my opinion it was well worth the wait!  The kids, while less patient, agreed that it was delicious enough to wait a second time for.  The traditional version is cinnamon and sugar but there are several topping choices these days as well as an option to have it filled with soft serve ice cream.  Viona opted for the version with the most sugar per serving…shocker.

The kürtös kalács will have everyone’s tummy saying “hooray”!!!

www.kurtoskalacs.com
Budapest, Váci u 31, 1052 Hungary

Ruszwurm Confectionery

This old fashioned sweet shop is the most popular place to grab dessert on the Buda side of the river.  If you only get one thing, make it the Ruszwurm Cream Cake pictured above.   This decadent cream sandwich topped off with powdered sugar will stick to your insides, in a good way.  On a super hot day, one was enough to share, on a cooler day, I would have eaten one all to myself!

Kaida eyeballing that cream cake like she about to murder it with her mouth!  Which she did…

www.ruszwurm.hu
Budapest, Szentháromság u. 7, 1014 Hungary

Comme Chez Soi

I wanted to sneak this one in here.  This is supposed to be one of the best dining experiences in Budapest.  Known for their incredible traditional Hungarian food in a very intimate setting and I was SO sad to say we did not get to eat here.  Our week in Budapest was during their National Holiday and this restaurant was closed for that week.  I was really bummed. From the reviews I read of this place, their food, service and all around experience were to be revered and raved about.  Reservations are strongly recommended due to the quaint size of the place, combined with it’s popularity.  If you have a chance to eat there, please do, and let me know how it is!!

www.commechezsoi.hu
Budapest, Aranykéz u. 2, 1051 Hungary