From rooftops to hangouts by the riverside, elegant restaurants, secret gardens and Insta-worthy places, here are our favourite terraces for the 2024 spring-summer season.
Normafa Síház
Normafa is a beloved green hiking spot in Budapest, a perfect getaway if you’d like to leave the buzz of downtown behind. This is where Normafa Síház is located, right by a lovely forest, providing a pretty panorama to the city – and a perfect photo opportunity. They serve both Hungarian and international dishes, and delicious drinks and hold all kinds of thematic events over the summer – for instance on Tuesdays, families get the focus, while on Sundays, beautiful brunches take place.
Port de Budapest
Port de Budapest, a new kid on the block, only opened this April opposite green Gellért Hill and surrounded by boats cruising down the Danube. This is a perfect place to admire the breathtaking panorama, as the restaurant is surrounded by glass walls and offers a terrace on both sides. Port de Budapest boasts a Mediterranean vibe, amazing signature cocktails, delicious food and daytime and sunset DJs. Whether you’d like to pop in for a coffee in the afternoon or watch the sunset while enjoying drinks and fish and chips, Port de Budapest is a great choice.
Baalbek
Magical flavours, a cavalcade of colours, aromatic spices and genuine Middle Eastern hospitality await you at the riverside Baalbek on sunny Belgrád Rakpart. Between Thursdays and Sundays, you can enjoy great breakfasts and brunches between 8 am and noon, while in the afternoon and evening, the best dishes of Lebanese cuisine are served. You’ll find a great variety of healthy dishes here, such as hot and cold mezze, soups and grilled dishes. As for the drinks, don’t miss the Arabic black tea or coffee, but the drink list also features cocktails, gin and tonic variations, wines, champagne and mocktails. The terrace offers wonderful views, which is especially magical at sunset.
Evezős Beer Garden
When the weather is sizzling hot in Budapest, locals flock to Római-part (Roman Embankment), a serene spot on the riverside where you can enjoy tasty Hungarian street food treats with a drink in hand while watching the Danube lazily flow by. If this sounds like something you’d like to try, head to Evezős Sörkert – a place that’s been a haunt for locals for more than 40 years – to enjoy amazing fish dishes, cold drinks and a pretty panorama over the Danube. You’ll often find families, groups of friends, and bikers at Evezős Sörkert, enjoying traditional homemade dishes, the friendly atmosphere and green scenery. If you're up for experiencing Hungarian retro vibes in a modern setting, Evezős is a great choice.
Cziniel Confectionery
If you visit Római-part, it's worth stopping by one of the area's most famous confectioneries, Cziniel, where a whole range of refreshing ice creams elevate summer days – it is also the perfect spot for brunch lovers. The terrace is sunny and spacious and is right next to the Danube. You can enjoy ice cream, cocktails, fruity lemonades, desserts, breakfast, brunch as well as other tantalising dishes here. Whether it’s a family outing, a date or a day out with friends, Cziniel is always a lovely choice.
Spoon the Boat
Spoon the Boat is a reliable restaurant aboard a stationary boat, offering classic Hungarian and international dishes in a bistro-style setting, as well as front-row seats to major landmarks like the Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge, the illuminated bridges and the riverbank. You can enjoy great cocktails aboard as well, and take in some of the best views of the city that will make you fall in love with Budapest.
InterContinental Budapest
When in Budapest, a walk along the Danube Promenade admiring the stunning panorama of the Buda Castle, Gellért Hill and the beautiful bridges is almost mandatory. If you’re looking for a place to sit outside here, either restaurants of the InterContinental Hotel are perfect for a dinner with family and friends or a date. ARZ Lebanese Restaurant brings the best of Middle Eastern cuisine to Budapest by offering fresh and delicious Lebanese dishes, while Corso Bar and Restaurant fuses traditional and modern kitchen techniques to offer Hungarian dishes made of fresh seasonal ingredients.
The Duchess Rooftop Bar
When it comes to stunning panoramas, we cannot leave rooftop bars out of this list either. If you’re after decadent elegance, premium-quality drinks and cocktails and captivating views, The Duchess Rooftop Bar on top of Budapest’s elegant Matild Palace, a secret liqueur library for the socialites of the city, awaits from 5 pm between Tuesday and Saturday. The Duchess is a perfect date venue, while Wednesdays are girls' nights when all ladies get a glass of prosecco as a gift while a DJ spins disks in the background.
Sky Garden Rooftop Terrace
Amazing cocktails, wonderful views, delicious dishes, live music and lush plants… just to mention a few attributes of Sky Garden Rooftop Terrace atop the five-star Mystery Hotel Budapest. This rooftop terrace is a prime sunset-watching spot, best on Fridays and Saturdays, when sometimes acoustic live music, and other times DJ music plays. The menu reflects a Mediterranean vibe complete with some Hungarian favourites, while the drink list features special premiers each month over the summer. Lactose- and gluten-free dishes and non-alcoholic drinks are also available, so everyone surely finds something to their liking here.
Gundel Restaurant and Garden
City Park is the largest green spot of the Pest side, home to one of the city’s most iconic restaurants, Gundel Restaurant. It is a classic, old-timey and romantic place, complete with a lovely garden where live music often plays and the park’s catchy buzz is within arm’s reach. Besides all-time Hungarian favourites, the revamped summer menu also features delicious and fresh summertime dishes. Our tip: the Gundel pancake is a must-try, order it flaming.
Zenekert (Garden of Music)
If you find yourself in City Park, there’ll be heaps to do from exploring the Museum of Ethnography to flying high on the Ballon Fly. If you’d like to sit down for a bit in the shade with a cold drink in hand, the House of Music Hungary’s terrace is a perfect choice. In the summer, DJs will play here occasionally and the menu features smash burgers, cocktails, lemonades, wine and quality spirits.
Centrál Café
Centrál Café is one of the city’s oldest coffee houses, where sipping coffee amid a charming atmosphere, old typewriters and a lovely modern-yet-nostalgic décor feels like a trip back in time to Budapest’s glamorous Belle Époque. You can take a seat on the terrace decorated with green plants, but the huge windows are usually open in the summer, so there’s a lovely breeze inside as well. The coffee is outstanding, and the best thing is that breakfast can be ordered all day long. Live music plays between 10 am and 2 pm.
Séf Asztala – Deli • Cafe • Bakery
Séf Asztala offers iconic Hungarian favourites like goulash and wiener schnitzel with a view, as the terrace is right by the city’s stunning Parliament building. It is everything you can hope for when looking for a hearty yet top-quality meal in the heart of town. The restaurant is huge, and it offers all kinds of experiences from a quick coffee and pastry or sandwich to a more leisurely sit-down dinner. Afterwards, you can take a nice walk around the Parliament or even explore Margaret Island.
Urban Betyár
Urban Betyár is just a few steps away from the city’s stunning St. Stephen’s Basilica, on ever-busy Október 6 utca. The terrace provides ample shade and perfect seats for people-watching. Both Hungarian and international dishes feature on the menu, and the steak selection is outstanding, including everything from Tomahawk to Angus ribeye and Hungarian T-bone steak. Plus, thanks to a great exhibition space, visitors to Urban Betyár can admire a wide-ranging collection of captivating regional relics that are treasures of Hungarian folklore, like ornately embroidered outfits and hand-painted wooden furniture.
Flava Kitchen & More
Flava Kitchen & More is a vibrant, laid-back and cool meeting spot on Szabadság tér, halfway between the Basilica and the Parliament. This is a superb restaurant with excellent service, and while the kitchen received a Michelin recommendation, Flava still remains a friendly, comfortable and fuss-free place. The menu features North African, Latin American and Middle-Eastern-inspired dishes, as well as traditional Hungarian favourites.
MOST Bistro
If you’re looking for a hidden garden in the heart of downtown, head to MOST Bistro on Zichy Jenő utca. The menu is eclectic here, featuring everything from Asian flavours to iconic Hungarian dishes and snacks, and brunch is served between Thursdays and Sundays. There’s always something exciting taking place here from vinyl and design fares to the exhibitions of Hungarian painters and artists.
Fröccsterasz
Fröccsterasz is an iconic place in Budapest, as it is right in the city centre, on Erzsébet tér, so over the years it has become a go-to meeting spot for Hungarians and foreigners alike. If you’d like to drink your wine with fizzy water like a Hungarian and mingle with locals, this is the perfect spot. Over the summer, cool events will take place here pretty much every day, including jam sessions, DJ sets, Cuban dance nights and acoustic concerts. If you get hungry, you can order burgers, homemade hummus and pizzas.
Gin Corner Bar
A must for gin lovers, Gin Corner on central Erzsébet tér right next to Fröccsterasz offers more than 100 types of gin from all over the world, including Japan, the Netherlands and Spain. The oriental bar garden is comfortably separated from the noise of Erzsébet tér, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the exquisite gins, friendly service and eclectic décor. Upstairs, a panoramic rooftop terrace, Gin Corner Botanist Gallery awaits with green plants, a bohemian vibe and amazing cocktails.
Mad Garden Buda
If you are a fan of craft beer and open-air locales, head to Buda's 3rd district, Óbuda. As the love child of downtown craft beer bar MADHOUSE and Mad Kert, Mad Garden offers top-notch beer from a renowned Hungarian brewery, Mad Scientist. Here, you can escape the buzz of downtown and rest in the shade of trees or enjoy some sunshine, beautiful evening lights, concerts, street food, and DJ sets. Plant, flower and design markets, acoustic concerts, yoga sessions and other exciting events will take place here over the summer.
VAJ Buda
Over the past few years, VAJ on Budapest’s busy Grand Boulevard has become one of the city’s favourite bakeries, so a second unit soon opened in Hello Buda. VAJ is known for their outstanding pastries, but in May, the brunch menu got extended, so you can now also enjoy various egg dishes in the morning here. You can accompany these with specialty coffee, homemade kombucha, lemonade or freshly-pressed juices. At VAJ Buda, most ingredients are homemade, from jams to pesto and juices. On the last Sunday of May, VAJ Buda will turn into a profiterole bar for one day, so keep an eye on their Facebook page.
Spíler Buda
If Mick Jagger and Lana Del Rey wanted to hang out together somewhere chic in Budapest, it would be at Spíler Buda, the Hegyvidék district's rockin' bistro by the foot of MOM Park. The rock & roll-themed bistro is characterised by a real sense of recklessness. Whether you're planning a girls' night filled with laughter and cocktails or a sophisticated lunch with your family, Spíler Buda delivers. Its menu boasts premium burgers and succulent steaks, a variety of bowls and superfood dishes. The drink list offers top Hungarian wines, craft beer and great cocktails. On sunny days, their delightful terrace becomes the perfect spot for catching up with friends and vibing out.
Larus Étterem
Larus is a special restaurant in the Buda Hills with a lovely terrace overlooking Gesztenyés Park and a green vineyard by the foot of Sas Hill. It is a piece of the countryside in the capital. The menu includes grilled dishes, light salads, fish, meat dishes and vegetarian options, all prepared according to sustainable principles. If you’d like to clink your glasses, order amazing cocktails, fresh lemonades or gin and tonics. On the weekends, a special kids' lunch menu features, while staff look after the little ones while you sit back and enjoy your meal.
Aranybástya Függőkert ('Hanging Garden')
If you’re looking for a terrace at one of the most magical parts of Budapest, the Buda Castle, the garden of the elegant Aranybástya restaurants is a perfect choice. Authentic Neapolitan pizzas get centre stage here, made from a traditional recipe but with modern kitchen technologies. Besides pizzas, Italian antipasti, panna cotta, profiterol and tiramisu also made it on the menu, and if you’d like to toast the high life, a glass of prosecco, an extravagant cocktail or a fresh lemonade is always a good choice.
Baltazár Bar & Grill
Baltazár, on the other side of the Castle District, is a big favourite in Budapest, and it is as cool of a restaurant as they get. It boasts a romantic cobble-stoned terrace, a playful atmosphere and a unique design. Grilled dishes are prepared to perfection in a handmade Josper charcoal grill, and there are also gourmet street food, plates for sharing, great vegetarian options, melt-in-the-mouth meats and Hungarian classics. Baltazár is upscale yet down-to-earth, the food is excellent, the ingredients are always fresh and high-quality, and the drinks are decadent, featuring great cocktails and gin & tonics besides outstanding wines.
Vapiano
Vapiano is an Italian restaurant with joints offering terraces at four spots in Budapest; two on the Buda side at MOM Park and Bécsi Corner, and two in Pest at Westend and Vörösmarty tér. It is a perfect destination for lunch, dinner or a date, and besides the all-time favourite pizzas and pastas, it’s worth taking a look at the special spring menu offering soups, salads, pizzas and pastas. You can accompany your lunch with a fresh lemonade and your dinner with a long drink. Vapiano’s bar offers a vast selection of wine, champagne and cocktails.
