See our top list of the best New Year's Eve dinners and parties for 2022 here.
1/17
Babel Budapest NYE
Those looking for a Michelin-star experience for New Year’s Eve will find it at the city-centre Babel Budapest, where Transylvanian chef István Veres will be preparing oysters, octopus and neck of lamb to a gathering of discerning diners. Wine pairings and champagne accompanies this gastronomic event, priced at €290/head including service. Guests are welcomed from 6.30pm, food is served from 7pm to 11pm, after which the party moves to nearby KIOSK (see below), under the same umbrella.
2/17
Blue Fox The Bar/NOBU
With places at the ÉS Bisztró sold out, those wishing to spend NYE in the upscale, downtown surroundings of the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest can gather at its elegant cocktail bar Blue Fox for a three-course dinner with unlimited Taittinger champagne (8.30pm-midnight, 48,000 HUF + 12%), with DJ sounds to accompany. The alternative is a Latin night at the in-house NOBU Budapest restaurant, with a seven-course omakase menu (75,000 HUF + 15%) and live Cuban dance show from 9pm.
3/17
Corinthia Hotel Budapest
The New Year’s Eve Gala (€205-€225 +8%) at the Corinthia Hotel Budapest on the Grand Boulevard starts with canapés (padouk-smoked salmon, yuzu and black-pearl ink tapioca), moves on to Missouri-caught pan-fried turbot with foie gras, then lava-stone Angus beef with lobster ravioli and oxtail croquettes, with lemongrass jelly to finish. To follow, as the bells toll, a Midnight Buffet of select mangalica charcuterie, marinated roast beef and award-winning local cheeses.
4/17
Corso
For the New Year’s Eve Buffet (35,000 HUF + 12%) at the Corso, flagship restaurant of the InterContinental overlooking the Danube, Gergő Gullner and his kitchen team offer loin of venison with orange and red-wine sauce, Thai lamb curry and mushroom-stuffed chicken breast with morel sauce. All is prefaced by lobster bisque or beef consommé, while a carving station groans with platters of crispy pork belly with calvados apple, and roast beef rib-eye with green-pepper sauce. Champagne mousse with apricot and pomegranate-mascarpone mousse with ginger crisp star among the desserts. A glass of sparkling wine and soft drinks are included in the price.
5/17
Deák St. Kitchen
The New Year celebrations at the The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest are themed around the rock band Queen, with live music from 8pm-11pm and a DJ thereafter. A five-course dinner (49,000 HUF + 12%) is served in two sittings, between 6pm-9pm, starting with an amuse bouche of duck foie gras mousse, moving onto a starter of pressed mangalica cheek or yellowfin tuna tartare, duck consommé or white-fish soup, and a main of Wagyu short rib or Atlantic cod. Petits fours finish the meal with black-vanilla macaron and rosé champagne. Festive cocktails (3,000-3,600 HUF) include a Gingerbread Martini and a Smoky Winter Old Fashioned. For more details, see here.
6/17
DNB Budapest
The DNB Budapest gala dinner is for those who want to spend these hours in elegant surroundings and enjoy quality pampering. From 7pm to 2am, an exquisite spread will be laid on at the restaurant with the most beautiful Danube view, for 47,000 forints a head, incorporating a five-course menu, live music and a DJ and, of course, sparkling champagne for the midnight celebration. A vegetarian option (29,000 HUF) is also available. Selected wines, soft and hot drinks come with the package.
7/17
KIOSK Budapest
Offering of the most sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinners and liveliest events, KIOSK Budapest on the Pest embankment lays on a night of funny moustaches and dolman hats for its Glitter Hussar party. Three types of admission provide access to a spread of global specialities from Hungary to the Far East: an all-you-can dining ticket (7.30pm-11pm, 29,900 HUF/with drinks 39,000 HUF) and a Kiosk Gold ticket (the same package but until closing time at 5am). To sample the atmosphere, there are also walk-in tickets (9,900 HUF) from 11pm, which entitle the visitor to a glass of sparkling wine and long drink.
8/17
KOLLÁZS
The Gresham Palace Ball at the high-end hotel of the same name involves a six-course menu at the flagship KOLLÁZS restaurant, with live entertainment and dance sounds provided by in-house DJ Thomas Rush. For celebratory sustenance the following day, a New Year’s Day brunch should be equally lavish.
9/17
Liszt Restaurant
Music underscores New Year’s Eve at the Liszt Restaurant at the Aria Hotel. The Gala Dinner (€290, with unlimited wine, sparkling wine, soft and hot drinks between 10pm-2am) features a six-course meal and wine pairings, with a singing duo and jazz band providing the sounds. As the countdown begins, a DJ spins and a Midnight Flying Buffet is laid out on the rooftop High Note Skybar.
10/17
New Year’s Eve at Byblos
Live music and belly dancing will accompany the Levantine delights provided by Lebanese eatery Byblos on New Year’s Eve. From 7pm, a special menu (20,000 HUF + 12%) will be served, starting with mezze and lobster soup, and moving on to sea bass or beef tenderloin, then the traditional dessert of kunafa. Exotic décor and an open kitchen ensure convivial informality.
11/17
New Year’s Eve at Stand25
The Michelin-starred chef duo of Szabina Szulló and Tamás Széll celebrate their first New Year’s Eve after setting up Stand25 in Buda by creating a classic four-course Hungarian menu (29,500 HUF + 10% service) that starts with an amuse bouche of duck foie gras, moves on to goulash, then venison roast and Somlói sponge dumplings, with equally attractive alternatives to each dish and a apéritif (G&T or sparkling wine) to welcome you. Diners may arrive between 7pm and 8pm.
12/17
Párisi Passage
For its first New Year’s Eve bash since opening earlier in 2019, the Párisi Passage at the Párisi Udvar, the five-star hotel fashioned out of a fin-de-siècle landmark in the heart of town, offers a five-course menu, night buffet and tunes from legendary pianist Gábor Fűzy. A dance show follows after midnight. A welcome drink is included in the price (79,000 HUF + 13%).
13/17
Radisson Blu Béke Hotel
Award-winning Hungarian singer Zséda is the star of the New Year’s Eve gala dinner at the Radisson Blu Béke Hotel. A dance production, a band and DJ provide further entertainment as guests tuck into a five-course menu created by executive chef József Jaksics. Smoked trout fillet with wasabi-apple mayonnaise and trout caviar, and beef steak with sweet potato are among the dishes featured, followed by a midnight buffet of lentil stew and roast suckling pig, among others. The price of 54,000 forints + 10% includes unlimited drinks and the live entertainment. All starts around 6.30pm.
14/17
SALT Budapest
At the downtown SALT restaurant, a 15-course tasting menu comes with seven varieties of bubbly in the New Year’s Eve Champagne Dinner (€250 + service) over three hours. Diners may also request the menu in vegetarian or vegan versions, indicated when booking. Festivities start at 6pm and run until 1am.
15/17
Studios 20.20 NYE
‘Dress Down, Dress Up, Be Open, Be Different’ is the dress code for the NYE bash at The Studios between 7pm and 4am. A four-course set meal with vegan beluga lentil ‘caviar’, trout or vegan tomato tarte tatin and a glass of champagne (15,000 HUF) is the curtain raiser before an all-night party (5,500 HUF pre-sale, 7,500 HUF from 11pm, 3,000 HUF from 1am depending on availability): six DJs, four floors and cocktails a go-go.
16/17
Traktor New Year’s Eve
Chef Attila Bicsár creates a celebratory spread at his downtown, farm-to-table eatery Traktor. Running all day from noon to 1am, the offerings here can be selected à la carte for 15,000 forints (+ 12% service) – dishes and drinks ordered over that amount will be charged extra. For all details, see here.
17/17
Wine and Dine – New Year’s Eve at Tigris
Downtown showcase for the renowned Gere Winery, the Tigris restaurant is planning a celebratory spread (€185 + 12%, without drinks) for New Year’s Eve. The event starts at 6.30pm with signature bites and a sparkling wine cocktail, before scallops, foie-gras terrine, veal ravioli and venison fillet are served to diners in turn. Coconut-maracuja sorbet provides a little sweet relief, with Somlói sponge dumplings to finish. All winds down around 1am.
