Deliciously Dangerous Food to Eat in Budapest

When I planned my trip to Budapest, I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about the food. I was focused on the spas, the ruin bars, the architecture. No one really talks about what to eat in Budapest and – to be honest – the traditional dinners I had were tasty but nothing special.

The real delicious danger of food in Budapest is its indulgences.

It took me about twenty-four hours to realize whatever I craved, Budapest had found a way to satisfy me. Sweet or savory, American or international, I could find it there. It would be easy to gain weight in Budapest (which is why you must walk around the city a lot or dance long into the night at the ruin bars) and while I wouldn’t want to lead you down an unhealthy path, there are some things you must know about.

1. Budapest cakes are the best I’ve had in Europe.

Delicate cream, thin layers of spongy cake, glossy caramel, the slices of cake from the Budapest cukrászdas enticed me every time I wandered past their orderly rows. I finally succumbed to the siren call of cake in the Buda old town, stopping in at Ruszwurm, one of the oldest cukrászdas in the city.

I ordered a dobos torte, a traditional Hungarian confection, and maintained my dignity by not shoveling it all into my mouth upon first bite. These Hungarians know how to whip up an impressive cake.

Look, I’m not going to say these cakes are the best in Europe, because my extensive research isn’t over yet, but right now they take the top spot for me.

2. Gelato is all about presentation here.

There are some mouth-watering gelato shops here. I meandered out of my way to try some tasty gelato at Artigiana Gelati on the Buda side. But what the Budapest shops delight in most of all is presentation, which was why it was imperative for me to find the Pinterest-famous gelato rose.

Luckily for me, Gelarto Rosa is easily discoverable at its St. Stephen’s Basilica location. I devoured a basil lemon and raspberry mint flower and it was phenomenal!

3. Specialty donuts in Budapest are booming.

Having just spent three months in the donut desert of Kiev, my favorite pastry was actually far from my mind. It wasn’t until I stumbled past my first donut shop that I even thought to Google donuts in Budapest.

Turns out, Budapest is a donut jackpot.

Knowing I was caught between Kiev and Serbia, two places totally unknown for donuts, I stuffed myself with as many as possible. In truth, this whole list would probably be a lot longer if I hadn’t prioritized donuts so much. (How many donuts did I eat in Budapest? Not nearly enough, but I made an impressive effort.)

Fánki Donuts: Fánki isn’t about trying to wow you with crazy combinations and trendy donut designs. Fánki donuts taste like they’re made by someone with formidable pastry skills who genuinely loves a good donut. I had a toffee crunch donut and it was superb.

The Box Donut: I went to the Box Donut twice, for science. They have a plethora of flavors, some just subtle twists on another, but they do tend to sell out. While I think the ‘square donut’ is a little gimmicky to trade on, their products were tasty for sure.

The Donut Library: Sweet tooths, this one is for you. Donut indulgence to the max. I was running low on forints so I passed on the one I really wanted, an M&M crusted donut, but I was thoroughly pleased with the Nutella swirl donut I noshed on.

4. Hungary claims to be the originator of the delectable kürtős kalács.

I first devoured this life-changing chimney cake in Romania as half of my lunch (the other half being smoked cheese, of course).

Less of a cake and more of a delicious pull-apart hollow sweet bread, rolled in your choice of toppings (go with the classic cinnamon and sugar to get a divine caramelized crunchiness), the kürtős kalács is responsible for tourist weight gain throughout the region. I’m sure it matters greatly to the people of Europe who the true innovators of this delicious doughy, sugar-encrusted creation are, but all that’s important for you and me is that you can find a steady supply of chimney cakes all throughout Budapest.

If you want to really live dangerously, I saw ice cream vendors using chimney cakes as cones.

5. They know the correct proportions for a cheeseburger.

Paneer piqued my interest the first time I walked by it (on my way to donuts). Proudly heralding their ‘real’ cheeseburgers, I stopped to see what all the fuss was about it. Turns out, Paneer is my dream restaurant. Their patties are made not of meat, but of cheese.

Fear not, my friends, I only ate here once, even though my cheesy heart tried to pull me back again and again. Perhaps it’s not the most Hungarian fare, but for me it’s required dining every visit to Budapest.

6. If you don’t try langos in Budapest, you will regret it.

Um, I actually never ate one of these because it was sweltering hot and the timing was just never right to shove a pie-sized fried dough platter of sour cream and cheese into my face. I know, it seems like my thing, but I am not a fan of sour cream.

It wasn’t until I left Budapest that I learned you could get langos with Nutella.

Have you been to Budapest? What was the most amazing thing you ate there?

If you’re not already craving all the things, check out this montage from my Budapest Snapchat stories! Follow my travels on Snapchat at ‘wayfarersbook’!