1/36
À la Maison
This French-style bistro on downtown Nádor utca started off as a family business, and dedicates the entire day to having breakfast. You can find a particularly wide variety of egg-based dishes here, as well as special varieties of Eggs Benedict, plenty of full breakfast meals and lots of international options. Having reopened after the quarantine later in June, they’re offering full-day brunch sessions on Szervita tér again.
WLB tip: Los Angeles breakfast
4/36
Börze
Opening at 7.30am and closing at midnight, Börze (‘Stock Exchange’) is a café, deli, brunch venue and restaurant all under one roof. Although we like spending time here at any time of the day, our favourite is breakfast at one of the marble tables. The Fölséges reggeli, aka the Hungarian savoury platter, comes with a variety of cold cuts and a glass of champagne, kicking off any morning just right. The chef’s offers range from smoothie bowls to hummus zaatar and pan-fried Hungarian chorizo with spinach, eggs and fermented cabbage.
WLB tip: Fölséges reggeli, banana-coconut milk and peanut butter-cocoa smoothies, omelettes
5/36
Budapest Baristas
The venue-lined Kiskörút is one of the most exciting 1.5 kilometres of Budapest, featuring Budapest Baristas along with various other excellent locales. Here, visitors may find carefully prepared matcha lattes, as well as classic expressos. Breakfast can be ordered between 8am and 2pm, and if you’re anything like us, you’ll try one of their fruity meals, which are not only Insta-worthy, but truly satisfying as well. Fruit and bacon are at the heart of the venue, both of which can be used to complement their American pancakes. You’ll really enjoy the sweet-potato toasts, the results of tons of experimentation, and are not that easy to come by anywhere else. There is a great egg and bagel selection as well, and the breakfast menus come at a discount for students.
WLB tip: BuBa’s favourite sweet-potato toast, granola with Greek yoghurt and fruits, any pancakes
8/36
Cirkusz Kávéház
The gastronomic scene at Dob utca was much less condensed in 2014 than it is today. When Cirkusz arrived, it conquered the hearts of those looking for a nice place to eat in the morning, and remains a revered breakfast venue today as well. They roast their own coffee, Bagira, the baristas and machinery world-class, but the place is still constantly evolving. They prepare some of the most beautiful latte art for their guests, which can make even the greyest of Monday mornings just that little bit more special. The brunch options include dishes such as the Eggs Royale, which are made up of a poached egg served with salmon and spinach, as well as the Pulled Pork Benedict, which is exactly as you’d imagine. You can further enhance the experience with Prosecco, Bloody Mary and Mimosa cocktails.
WLB tip: Eggs Royale, regenerating breakfast
9/36
Coyote Coffee & Deli
Coyote Coffee & Deli has delighted us with excellent quality dishes, coffees and breakfasts for over ten years. The place is hard to miss when walking by, as it exudes the scent of freshly brewed, flavoursome coffee: their own blend, Alt Wien, arrives from a Viennese roaster, but they have their own one for creating new, specialty coffees as well. Seasonal ingredients determine the selection – homemade bagels, cheesecake, granola, salads, vegan pastries and allergen-free options are also widely available. The terrace can be enjoyed from the morning until the evening, open until 9pm. The locale was recently reimagined with a bit more of a southern touch, which makes it even more attractive.
WLB tip: tapioca pudding, cheesecake, gourmet bagels à la Attila Bicsár
10/36
Déryné Bisztró
Déryné offers breakfast from 7.30am to 11am on weekdays, and from 9am to 4pm over the weekend. As the first local venue to serve Eggs Benedict, Déryné is renowned for its distinguished, international breakfast selection. For the more luxurious version of this breakfast classic, we recommend asking for its duck liver-boosted counterpart. The English breakfast served here is the ultimate fan’s favourite, but the Croque Monsieur, the Viennese sausage, the Belgian waffles are also must-tries. In addition, Déryné provides international newspapers, which you can leaf through over coffee.
WLB tip: shakshuka, overnight oatmeal
11/36
Émile
Far from the noise of the city, this captivating villa in District II enchants visitors with its combination of a chic, French-style eatery offering day-long breakfasts, and an outstanding bakery. The team from Cacao moved into this whitewashed property to offer cocoa rolls, buttery croissants and cinnamon treats from Budapest’s renowned Gerbeaud confectionery, while sandwiches, cheese rolls and scones are also available. The breakfast/brunch options at Émile include tapioca puddings, Eggs Benedict and Mimosas, which can be enjoyed in the tranquil garden over a cup of One Eleven coffee.
WLB tip: seeded breadsticks, cheese scones
15/36
Franziska
Having started out with a web shop offering dessert boxes, Franziska popped up on the Buda side as a beloved café, pastry shop and breakfast venue in 2018. They only focused on sugar- and allergen-free foods at first, but later they’ve made their concept more diverse, emphasising their modern traits and internationally inspired cuisine. Avocado and smoothie bowls are their great favourites, and the speciality coffees and flavoursome teas are also worth a try.
WLB tip: peanut-butter toast, green smoothie bowl
16/36
Gentry Coffee&Brunch
This café and brunch venue on downtown Királyi Pál utca aims to bring something new to the city, both in terms of style and food. Its interior design matches its name, and the breakfast items try to introduce a twist to the generic offers, resulting in a unique and exciting menu. Almost everything you find here was prepared on the spot, including the sausages and the pastries – the team doesn’t lack for dynamism or creativity, which means that you can always expect to be surprised. We tried the poached eggs with potatoes and shallots, the pecan-ginger-duck ham croissant and the chestnut honey-butter-lime pancakes. The gourmet breakfasts can be paired with delicious coffee options, as well as a glass of Prosecco.
WLB tip: poached eggs with onion, tomato, avocado
17/36
Gerlóczy Kávéház
The Gerlóczy Café is a cosy, Parisian-style café, restaurant and boutique hotel a few steps from the City Hall in downtown Budapest. The breakfast menu features all of the classics, such as pastries, sandwiches and bistro meals, with tasty coffee concoctions. For a quick breakfast or a Mediterranean morning feel, customers can pick up a croissant or one of the tasty filled pastries found here, or simply order scrambled eggs. We recommend coming if you have a bit more time on your hands, so you can savour one of their abundant offers with Greek yoghurt and muesli, cheese or ham platters or smoked salmon.
WLB tip: unhurried breakfast
18/36
Horizont
The terrace of the former Horizont cinema has morphed into a trendsetting daytime spot on Erzsébet körút. Going under the same name, Horizont offers delicious dark coffee and tasty breakfasts. Here you can sample the newest of the new, as the main inspirations for the café’s innovations come from trips to Melbourne and Sydney, among others. The soft, relaxing shapes and forms of the interior complete the aesthetic of its curved space, which is always a pleasant setting for a morning coffee. The ever-changing breakfast/brunch selection should definitely be given a try, as it hides some exciting peculiarities. Both the presentation and the flavours are first-rate, with even the most basic dishes having a lovely, characteristic Horizont twist to them. The alcohol-free fruit cocktails are just one example of the amazing finds.
WLB tip: avocado toast
19/36
INEZ Bagel Shop
By the Toldi Cinema, the INEZ Bagel Shop awaits early-risers only on weekdays, from 8am. This friendly little shop is filled with crispy bagels (with varieties such as smoked salmon, brie cheese and pesto), daily soups for lunch, and the unmissable INEZ swirls. At the top of the chain is the cinnamon roll, which tourists love to devour at the shop. The French chocolate swirl is great as well, and the little more peculiar savoury swirls should definitely be sampled, too – the spinach-and-buffalo-cheese version is not a bad way to start the day. It’s more usual to grab your food and go, but sitting down on the atmospheric little porch is also possible.
WLB tip: cinnamon roll, pesto bagel
20/36
Két Szerecsen Bisztró és Kávéház
Classy and elegant breakfasts with a modern twist – just as you’d expect from a place like Két Szerecsen. The egg-based dish varieties range from basic to gourmet, omelettes, fried eggs, scrambled eggs and Eggs Benedict, but the French toasts and the Viennese sausages are also worth investigation. For something more contemporary, you can try their porridge and oatmeal, and we also recommend the traditional Hungarian kőrözött (Liptauer) spread, as well as the egg spread. The lovely, classic flavours you can savour come with fair and affordable price tags.
WLB tip: Spanish omelette
21/36
KIOSK Pest
The long awaited KIOSK Brunch has finally arrived, available every day between 8am and 11am. The dishes are trendy and innovative, while still matching the familiar, neat atmosphere of the bar/restaurant. The menu offers French-style pastries with buttery or marmalade-filled versions, but there are lighter items such as buckwheat toast with avocado cream, too. Items on their egg-based dish selection can be mixed and matched however you prefer, allowing you to create the perfect combinations. The full breakfast palette is great for those looking for a larger meal to fill up in the morning, with all of the Benedict varieties, as well as great Hungarian and vegan breakfast choices.
WLB tip: KIOSK Benedict, buckwheat toast with avocado, tomatoes, marinated mushrooms
25/36
MITZI
At stylish, contemporary MITZI, you can have breakfast from the morning to the early afternoon, with a frequently changing set of flavours. Their creative and homely start-the-day-right menu is neat and to the point, featuring everything you might need for a great breakfast, from granola to egg dishes and other, fancier ones. As a specifically family-friendly spot, MITZI has a separate list of breakfast options for children, with the only place nearby that serves that Bretagne favourite: buckwheat pancakes with ham, cheese and fried eggs.
WLB tip: Bretagne galettes
29/36
Rojt és Bojt kávéskuckó
This peaceful little café in Krisztinaváros has a nice, homely charm, with the owners’ dog usually lounging inside, and breakfast options available all day. The guests’ favourite BLT bagel with smoked Black-Forest ham, mayonnaise, fried eggs, cheddar cheese, bacon and a mixed salad should be tried in any case, while the croissant-sandwich with cream cheese, French-pepper salami, sun-dried tomatoes and fried eggs is also a good choice. You can opt for an egg-based dish or plain and filled croissants, baked locally. The delicious, Italian-roast coffee fits right into the atmosphere of the café. This popular venue is often packed, so book a table, just to make sure.
WLB tip: BTL bagel, croissant sandwich
31/36
Stika
Stika has been operating as a reliable breakfast centre in Budapest’s party district since 2014. The venue, led by two constantly elegant baristas, would be a great addition to any cosmopolitan city in Europe. Their eagerness towards improvement and following the latest trends always shows – recently, they put up a little gallery. Their signature dish is the breakfast burger, made up of savoury American pancakes that are divided by 150-gramme meat patties. They also have something called the Benny selections, referring to their own Stika-style Eggs Benedict ranging from basic to royal, which comes with salmon and caviar. Hungarian cuisine is also represented at the locale, and fully vegan dishes and smoothie bowls are also served.
WLB tip: breakfast burger, caviar Benny, black smoothie bowl
32/36
Szimply
Szimply is a cosy breakfast place in Röser udvar across the road from the Great Synagogue, offering healthy, filling and fresh dishes all day. It came about as an extension to Kontakt, a local favourite coffeehouse, which had long played with the idea of adding food to its repertoire. Here, instead of the traditional bacon and eggs, you will find fresh and healthy breakfasts with a seasonally changing menu.
WLB tip: avo toast, pumpkin hummus
34/36
Törökméz
Törökméz is always a great range of options in the morning: apart from serious hot dishes, we can also ask for a simple eggs-with-something, a burrito or a full English, as well as vegan French toast, green shakshuka and a variety of sandwiches. The meals are packed with superfoods and healthy ingredients, not to mention the multiple vegetarian options on the menu – and you can ask for them throughout the day. On Saturdays, Törökméz prepares four different combinations based on guests’ favourites, with Middle-Eastern flavours and West-Coast health foods, among others. The service is always friendly and flexible, and despite their growing popularity, the prices remain affordable. Although you can’t book at weekends, there’s normally no more than a ten- to 15-minute wait by the counter until a table becomes available – while sipping on one of their freshly squeezed juices or refreshing lemonades. We recommend lounging on the terrace when the weather allows, and four-legged friends are also welcome.
WLB tip: banana bread, Buddha bowl 2.0
35/36
Villa Bagatelle
One of the best Buda-side breakfast spots, the Villa Bagatelle awaits guests from 8am. Table reservations are necessary over the weekend, as seats are often filled, sometimes by morning book-club meetings. The excellent pastries all arrive from Brót, the bakery on the ground floor. Egg-based dishes are another of their strengths, great for a light breakfast sitting outside on the terrace. There are a number of vegetarian dishes, as well as alternative breakfast options, with a fragrant tea or a glass of Prosecco to wash them down with.
WLB tip: French toast with cheese, preserved tomatoes and sour cream, salmon breakfast, French toast