Super-chic French-style restaurant and café Émile has long been a Buda haunt for those after tranquillity amid rolling greenery. Now a bakery, Cacao, has moved into this whitewashed villa to offer cocoa rolls, buttery croissants and cinnamon treats from Budapest’s renowned Gerbeaud confectionery. There’s even sourdough bread!
Cacao – taking its name from an old memento at Gerbeaud, a dusty metal box – has moved into the ground floor of the villa. So now, while heartier breakfasts and brunches are available upstairs at elegant Émile, down below Cacao offers breads and pastries.
Cacao operates a business within the business, and has its own tables in the garden. Inside, it has sneaked in a little Art Deco.
Fresh pastries are available from early morning, such as sourdough bread made with potatoes (770 forints), sun-dried tomatoes or seedy rye (870 forints). Cocoa and cinnamon rolls, buttery croissants, cheesy treats and Hungarian sweet cottage-cheese bites are all perfect with a cup of coffee.
The pastries are prepared at Gerbeaud and baked fresh at Cacao. Cakes and ice creams also feature at the counter. Cacao is an excellent place for Buda residents, but it is also worth the journey for a lazy lunch amid the greenery of the city’s more serene side.
