Nothing brings back vacation vibes like local food. Just think of a bowl of steaming Italian pasta, a sizzling souvlaki, or fresh coriander and lime… a Mediterranean meal can warm you up from the inside out – even on the chilliest days. Here are the hotspots in Budapest where you can sample authentic Italian, Spanish, Greek, Mexican, Peruvian, or Middle Eastern cuisine. Because, you know, one of the best (and definitely the tastiest!) ways to discover other cultures is through food.
Goli
A cosy place with shared meals is just what you need if you crave a break from the hustle of the city. Goli's Middle Eastern restaurant will surely brighten up your gloomy autumn day with the colourful gastronomy of the Mediterranean. Ingredients, drinks, and plants adorn Goli’s wide counter, which will instantly make you feel like you’re in a friend’s living room. Courtesy of the open kitchen, you can even see how the food is prepared. Make sure to taste Mediterranean classics, such as labneh and tahini, along with some truly exciting and innovative dishes. Our favourite is a special autumnal dish, charcoaled pumpkin with spinach and labneh, and one of Goli’s newest offers, lamb empanadas, also grilled over charcoal. For those who prefer plant-based meals, everything is vegan and gluten-free, except for the meat and the bread. On top of all that, the chef, Harel Zakaim, used to be Tel Aviv's vegan culinary sensation – even Jamie Oliver visited his restaurant.
Details here.
Baalbek
The cool thing about Lebanese cuisine is that while it draws on Israeli, Arabic and Turkish gastronomy, it spices them all up with French influences. To taste the best of that in Budapest, head to Baalbek on Belgrád rakpart. Behind the counter, a team of Lebanese chefs prepare the dishes, focusing on authentic flavours and aromas with fresh ingredients. Lovers of quality grilled meat must taste soujuk, a spiced lamb sausage cooked in a tomato sauce. The mixed grill platter is also super delicious and great for sharing. It includes shish tawouk, lamb kebab, chicken kebab, shish kebab, and lamb chops, served with pita bread, tahini, and garlic paste. But Baalbek also serves many meat-free dishes too. Their hot and cold mezzes are fantastic, including moutabbal (grilled eggplant mixed with tahini), tabbouleh (parsley salad, tomato, bulgur, lemon juice, olive oil), fattoush (fresh vegetable salad with sumac and crispy bread), and muhammara (roasted bell pepper and grilled tomato cream with walnuts).
Details here.
Gozsdu Udvar
Gozsdu Udvar (Gozsdu Courtyard) is Budapest’s most famous passageway in the 7th district that consists of seven buildings and six interconnecting courtyards, linking the bustling Király utca with Dob utca. As the downtown’s beating heart, Gozsdu is the perfect place for sampling more than one Mediterranean cuisine in one evening. It’s a multicultural melting pot of fantastic culinary experiences.
- Vicky Barcelona: Mediterranean vibes are often associated with Spain. Vicky Barcelona offers a Spanish-inspired fusion tapas menu along with exciting cocktails that blend perfectly with flavoursome dishes. During happy hour from Monday to Wednesday, they offer a complimentary half-litre jug of Sangria with every order of two tapas. On Thursdays, live music brings a real fiesta to the house, with a lively Latin party from Thursday to Saturday. In other good news, Vicky Barcelona is about to completely revamp their menu, so you’ll be in for a treat even if you’ve been there before. More details
- 2 Spaghi: Alessandro, Jacopo and Matteo are three good friends from Milan, who bring true Italian spirit and the best fresh pasta to town. In Italy, the expression 'farsi due spaghi' means a quick and light meal with family or friends. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in 2 Spaghi: a quick and nutritious meal of fresh pasta with homemade sauce, cooked just like in an Italian home. This eatery is exactly what you’d expect from an authentic Italian place: loud, passionate, a bit chaotic, but very friendly and incredibly delicious. More details
- Meshuga: As a genuinely bright spot in the multicultural Gozsdu Udvar, Meshuga brings Tel Aviv’s lively atmosphere to Budapest with the fusion kitchen of the half-Israeli, half-Turkish chef. It has a true Mediterranean feel with a little Turkish and Arab culinary influence thrown into the mix. What you can expect here is a casual mezze dinner, spirited yet relaxed music, and vibrant vibes all around. Meshuga offers a unique culinary experience where the flavours, the music, the staff, and the cocktails all come together to create unforgettable moments. More details
- Csicseri: It’s not by chance that Csicseri in Dob utca is often referred to as 'hummus heaven' with the freshest and healthiest meals. Csicseri’s ingredients and flavours are inspired partly by Israeli-Arabic cuisine, and partly by Hawaiian poke ideas – a truly fresh and unique combination. The meals here are prepared with great care and with the aim of making healthy eating a real treat. Csicseri's menu is full of nutritious hummus bowls, salads rich in vitamins, and heart-warming pita sandwiches. More details
Blue Agori
Blue Agori has been bringing the best of Greek cuisine to Budapest for six years now. Dressed in their trademark blue and white, their three eateries across the city are loved by locals and tourists alike. You can find them in Hercegprímás utca at the foot of St Stephen’s Basilica, at Madách Imre út 1 near Madách tér, and on Margit körút on the Buda side. Blue Agori’s quality kebabs and platters are delicious and healthy thanks to the fresh ingredients and the unique 48-hour marinating process. Keeping the regular favourites like gyros and souvlaki, the menu changes seasonally. This autumn you can taste new wraps with authentic Greek flavours in every bite, including Kalamata (chicken souvlaki, feta cream, Kalamata olives, iceberg lettuce, and fresh vegetables), Naxos (bifteki, smoky paprika cream, fresh yoghurt, iceberg lettuce, and crispy bacon), and Thessaloniki (chicken souvlaki, honey mustard sauce, iceberg lettuce, tomato, and chips).
Details here.
Byblos Budapest
Born from the marriage of Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, Byblos Budapest relies heavily on traditional and local ingredients. Led by two Syrian brothers, this Lebanese restaurant serves the true flavours and specialities of Levantine cuisine, taking Middle Eastern hospitality to the next level. Although the hot and cold mezzes are listed on the menu individually, one of the greatest inventions of Middle Eastern cuisine is sharing food. That’s why we recommend ordering multiple dishes to fully enjoy slow meals in great company. Pick rahib (grilled eggplant), yalanji (stuffed vine leaves with rice), or kebbeh nayeh (raw lamb meat tartare with bulgur). Besides mezzes, they also serve mouth-watering grilled dishes with smoky flavours and succulent textures. Meat, as well as all vegan dishes on the menu, are exclusively Halal. Thanks to the open kitchen concept, you can even watch the dishes being prepared. What’s more, one of the owners, Osama Kutaini, often ventures off to the tables, giving guests his tips and tricks on how to consume an authentic Middle Eastern meal.
Details here.
Jouri
For more of Osama Kutaini’s charming Levantine cuisine, try Jouri, Budapest’s first Moroccan restaurant. The owner of Byblos opened this hotspot right next to his first restaurant in Semmelweis utca. Jouri specialises in the Moroccan branch of Arabic cuisine at a depth and width that hasn’t been part of the Hungarian culinary map before. The menu is a sophisticated fusion of timeless recipes enriched with modern twists that impress gourmets and adventurous foodies alike. If you’re just getting to know Moroccan gastronomy, start with a mezze platter featuring spicy pepper cream, spicy olives, salty lemons, and a variety of dried fruits. Alternatively, if you crave a truly authentic feast, harira soup is a must, followed by a flavoursome tagine (meat stew slowly cooked in a traditional Moroccan clay pot). At Jouri, dinner is more than just a meal - it's an experience of heritage, intimacy, and the present.
Details here.
Twentysix
Twentysix on Király utca is surely the place to be during the autumn-winter season – not only for its lush vegetation reminiscent of summer but also for its revamped menu. The Southern Italian chef, Francesco Pastore, combines the best ingredients and flavours of his region with the rich and varied tastes of the Mediterranean. Make sure to try the new beetroot borani or the sautéed chilli shrimp. Plus, the hot and cold mezze variations are perfect for sampling with friends, making dinner a truly shared experience. On colder days, a spicy and savoury lentil soup or pumpkin soup is also a great pick, while the grilled dishes will surely remind you of summer times. Finish your meal with a unique dessert, like Twentysix’ one and only special cheesecake or a truly exotic treat, the Persian orange and rosewater malabi. Twentysix’s constant 26 degrees among the huge palm trees will make you want to sit back and enjoy one or two cocktails, or a glass of wine.
Details here.
Riso Ristorante & Terrace
Nested at the foot of the Buda Castle, Riso Ristorante & Terrace is a truly homely place where Italian-inspired flavours await in an evergreen setting – thanks to the heated terrace. At Riso, you can feel the friendly and casual atmosphere from the moment you enter. They greet returning guests like old friends and welcome new visitors with warmth. The pizza is baked in a wood-fired oven, strictly after a minimum 24-hour prooving time. That’s what makes the dough thinner in the middle, chunkier at the edges, crispy, but not overcooked, and perfect with any topping. Yet, there’s more to Italian cuisine than pizza, and thankfully Riso is also great at making homemade pasta. Our favourite is the casarecce with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and rocket. Riso’s spaghetti dishes can also be ordered with gluten-free pasta. When in Riso, you cannot leave out the eponymous risotto. The chilli-ginger prawn risotto with tomato cream and parmesan chips is divine, just like the wild mushroom and seafood versions. After so many tasty main courses, Riso’s sweet Mascarpone cream served with soft chocolate and homemade cantuccini (crunchy almond biscuits) is really the icing on the cake.
Details here.
Hugo’s Mexican Bar & Kitchen
Fiery and fresh flavours, Tex-Mex offerings, sports pub vibes and spicy cocktails are just a few highlights of Hugo’s Mexican Bar & Kitchen in downtown Molnár utca near Szabadság híd. Coming here on any day of the year will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a Día de los Muertos celebration. The colours and lights of the interior are intense and the drinks menu lists almost 20 different tequilas and a whole selection of mezcals to make you feel like you’re in Mexico. Characteristic, spicy and filling Mexican dishes dominate the menu, supplemented by flavours from the Southern states of the US. For those new to Mexican cuisine, we recommend the taco-burrito-quesadilla trinity. The taco is made with cornflour, so it’s 100% gluten-free and comes heaped with toppings. If you’re ready to venture deeper into Mexican gastronomy, try the jalapeño chilli poppers, a cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped chilli-dominated dish with an extra twist. Before tasting, you never know if the chilli is super hot or just medium hot. With these spicy, flavourful meals, more acidic drinks go best. Take your pick from the cocktail menu featuring frozen Margaritas, Martinis, and Caribbean-inspired tropical drinks.
Details here.
Tigre Basilica
Strolling along St Stephen’s Basilica, it’s easy to get lost in the gastronomic whirl of Budapest, but the cuisine of Tigre Basilica is like no other in the Hungarian capital. This spot brings together two very different culinary traditions: the cuisine of Japan and Peru. This type of fusion cuisine may be a novelty in Budapest, but it actually goes back a long way and materialises in excellent dishes. Although the relationship between Peru and the 19th-century Japanese immigrants has not always been a success story, it clearly is from a gastronomic standpoint. That’s how the so-called Nikkei cuisine came to life, combining Japanese gastronomic techniques and dishes with traditional Peruvian dishes and local ingredients. Similar to Mediterranean food, Nikkei dishes are also dominated by fresh citrus flavours and the frequent use of seafood, such as calamari, octopus, and cod. Plus, it’s complemented by dishes like grilled padron peppers and patatas bravas. Great news for lovers of gourmet meat is that Tigre Basilica serves meat and fish grilled on charcoal. Don’t miss out on the South American Angus chuck roll – and make sure to order it with grilled baby corn. To make the dining experience even more complete, on Thursdays and Saturdays, live music accompanies the tasty treats.
Details here.
(Cover photo: Meshuga)
