So many great cafés, so little time. We realized pretty quickly we weren’t going to be able to visit every café on our list during a recent visit to Budapest. The Hungarian capital’s coffee scene has both depth and width. We were never more than a few blocks from a specialty coffee shop, serving an array of both local and internationally known roasters.
Espresso Embassy
Espresso Embassy might be the most famous specialty coffee shop in Hungary, and for good reason. This award-winning team serves coffee from local roaster Casino Mocca and the occasional guest roaster. Even though the café was quite busy, the hospitality we experienced here was first-rate, and the coffees were dialed-in and tasting great. If you only have time for one café in Hungary, we would make it this one. (Read a previous post about Espresso Embassy here.)
Kontakt
No sugar. No Americanos. No problem. Budapest gets the Handsome Coffee treatment at Kontakt. The compact café serves coffee from local roaster KTRL with a minimalist bar setup centered around a Modbar espresso machine. On multiple visits I tried Kontakt’s filter coffee, espresso, and cappuccino, none of which disappointed.
Bon Dia / My Little Melbourne
Bon Dia is a specialty coffee shop masquerading as a soft serve ice cream parlor. Although my kids were disappointed there’s no ice cream in the winter, I was glad to see a variety of coffees from London’s Workshop Coffee and Barcelona’s Nomad, prepared on a single-group Synesso. Bon Dia’s sister shop, My Little Melbourne, is next door and also deserves a visit.
Fekete
Fekete is the Hungarian word for “black” and visitors to this café will not only find excellent coffee but a serious food program as well. For those willing to brave the winter cold, Fekete boasts a stunning courtyard.
Tibidabo
Because I have Coeliac disease, I always seek out gluten-free restaurants and bakeries when I travel. I went to Tibidabo for the gluten-free cinnamon rolls but was pleasantly surprised to discover they had a serious coffee program as well. Highly recommended for fellow gluten-free travelers.
Portobello
Portobello serves coffee roasted by the Barn in Berlin in a refined atmosphere. perhaps the real reason to visit this café is its impressive selection of natural Hungarian wine, available by the bottle or glass.
Our video covering our favorite Budapest coffee shops is made possible by our sponsor, the Etkin Dripper.