From 25 July, the newly renovated Dunapark Café once again welcomes visitors. Overlooking Szent István Park, this legendary Budapest institution has long been a favourite meeting place for generations of locals and a cherished haunt of some of Hungary's best-known artists and writers, from Miklós Fenyő and Miklós Vámos to Éva Ruttkai, Zoltán Latinovits and István Örkény. The café's new chapter pays tribute to this rich history while looking firmly to the future. Original regulars are honoured through dedicated tables celebrating the figures who helped shape its legacy, while a contemporary all-day menu and a welcoming atmosphere invite a new generation of guests to settle in from morning through to the evening. With its reopening, the Pozsonyi Road neighbourhood has regained one of its most beloved cafés.
Dunapark Café's new chapter is backed by the Eventrend Group, one of Hungary's leading hospitality and event management companies with more than 30 years of experience in restaurant operations and event organisation. Rather than creating a one-off moment of excitement, the group's ambition has been to restore Dunapark's place among Budapest's great cafés for the long term. At the opening press conference, Eventrend co-founder Zoltán Kőrössy reflected on the enduring role of cafés, both past and present:
After our homes and workplaces, cafés are perhaps the third most important places in our lives. They're where we meet friends and colleagues, where conversations unfold and connections are made. That's exactly what we want Dunapark to represent.
Eventrend co-founder Gábor Nagy added:
Dunapark Café is more than just a landmark. It's a contemporary neighbourhood café that reflects the rhythm of life around Pozsonyi Road - a true local favourite for residents and an authentic introduction to the character of Újlipótváros for those discovering the area.
The reopening also brought together members of the Ruffy family, owners of the café, alongside Béla Nell and Roland Tóth, the two managing directors of Concession Holding, the company operating the venue, while Managing Director Beáta Andó welcomed guests to the event.
A place full of history and stories…
Today, we're looking for places that offer more than just good food, drinks and a pleasant atmosphere. We want places we can connect with - places with character that have stories to tell. Dunapark is exactly that: a neighbourhood café in Újlipótváros whose walls tell the story of not only the past few decades, but of the last century.
The story of Dunapark is not only the story of a celebrated café, but also of the building it occupies and the rise of modern Újlipótváros. Standing at 38-40 Pozsonyi Road, beside Szent István Park, the Dunapark building was designed by architects Béla Hofstätter and Ferenc Domány. Constructed between 1935 and 1937, the modernist apartment building embodied the latest ideas in urban living, offering lifts, a concierge service, a rooftop garden, elegant marble finishes and a selection of shops on the ground floor. The Dunapark Café opened shortly afterwards, in 1937-38. Its architecture combines the clean lines of Modernism with refined Art Deco detailing, most notably in its striking stairwells. With expansive windows overlooking the park, the café quickly became one of the neighbourhood's defining meeting places, and over time the name "Dunapark" came to refer to the entire building. Today, it stands as a rare reminder of interwar Budapest, preserving the city's modern architectural heritage, the bourgeois spirit of Újlipótváros and the enduring tradition of Pest's café culture.
The interiors evoke the elegance of 1930s metropolitan café culture while offering all the comfort today's guests expect. Settle by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Szent István Park, and it almost feels as though you're enjoying your coffee or breakfast outdoors.
Dunapark from dawn to dusk
Dunapark has been reimagined as an all-day café, evolving with the rhythm of the city from morning until evening. Early hours are dedicated to speciality coffee, freshly baked pastries and leisurely brunches, while lunchtime brings a menu of light yet satisfying dishes, making it an ideal setting for business meetings and catch-ups alike. As the afternoon unfolds, the spotlight shifts to the café's pastries and expertly crafted coffee, before evenings give way to dinner, fine wines, desserts and a carefully curated selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. One of the café's standout features is its all-day menu, allowing guests to order brunch in the afternoon or enjoy a dinner dish first thing in the morning - whenever the mood strikes.
One of the standout dishes is the Dunapark cholent, the café's signature take on the traditional Jewish-Hungarian classic. Slow-cooked in the oven at 90°C for 12 hours, it's served with crispy goose leg and an egg cooked alongside the stew, resulting in an exceptionally rich flavour and melt-in-the-mouth texture. Another must-try is the pastrami sandwich. Layers of tender beef are served on sourdough bread with pickled cucumber, Dijon mustard, rich jus and crispy onions. Rather than reinventing the classic, the kitchen focuses on perfecting it with its own techniques and distinctive flavour profile. The beef is first cured for several days in a wet brine infused with coriander, mustard seeds, salt and pepper, before being coated in a house-made dry rub. It is then vacuum-sealed for 72 hours, cooked slowly sous vide, and finally finished in a hot pan to develop a beautifully caramelised crust. The result is one of the finest pastrami sandwiches you'll find in Budapest.
For something a little lighter, opt for the pan-seared salmon fillet, served with a fig salad featuring feta and lentils. Vegetarians are equally well catered for, with dishes such as smoked aubergine with spiced labneh and roasted vegetables, avocado cream, hummus, or a spiced cauliflower steak served with curry and herb couscous.
The dessert menu strikes a balance between classic café favourites and contemporary creations. Alongside traditional Hungarian treats, you'll find pillowy cottage cheese dumplings, a rich chocolate cake with salted caramel, and mákos guba, Hungary's beloved poppy seed bread pudding. The café's signature flódni layers apple, walnuts, poppy seeds, honey and vanilla beneath a golden-baked brioche topping, while the Dunapark Roll - inspired by the viral New York Roll - is available in three different flavours and is sure to become a crowd favourite.
The drinks menu is just as thoughtfully curated, featuring speciality coffees alongside matcha, homemade fruit cordials, sparkling refreshments, a carefully selected wine list and a range of signature drinks.
Dunapark Café is backed by the Eventrend Group, one of Hungary's leading hospitality and event management companies. The group's portfolio includes more than 30 projects and nearly 25 hospitality businesses, among them New York Café, Centrál Café, Spoon The Boat, Főőrség Café, Városliget Café, Séf Asztala, Symbol, and the catering services at Müpa. This autumn, the iconic Museum Café will also reopen under the group's stewardship.
(Cover photo: Forgács Zsuzsi – We Love Budapest)
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Dunapark Café
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