There are more and more culinary revolutions going on in Hungary, and sweets are no exception to this flavorful phenomenon. While there is still no shortage of classic Magyar delights like Dobos Torte and marzipan statuettes, the sugary specialties offered at the following Budapest shops and cafés are notably modern and inventively delectable. Visiting the following places can be a challenge for calorie counters, but it's definitely recommended for anyone with a sweet tooth.
1/14
Cake Shop - József Attila utca
This cute locale on József Attila Street is like the kitchen of a little girl's dollhouse. Fortunately, instead of Barbies dressed as princesses or cowgirls, here we find cakes. Cake Shop is constantly coming up with new versions of classic desserts, like cheesecake and chocolate cake (650 HUF/slice), macarons, cake pops, and pies topped with seasonal fruits. The workshop in Szigetmonostor operates at full power, just like the shop's open kitchen: the two create award-winning walnut cakes along with a new line of cakes free of gluten, sugar, and lactose.
2/14
Zazzi Cukrászda (Closed)
One would think that if a medical doctor and a bachelor of arts joined forces, the result would be a punchy novel full of hospital stories, or at least a film presenting black humor as an attitude to life. However, Margit and Melinda decided to open up a confectionery instead, which received a similar success story as Cake Shop: they grew out of their little store in Solymár and moved their headquarters to a spot near Kolosy Square. What we liked about them is that they did not start by manufacturing Dobos Torte to give in to the public's old-fashioned demand, but pursued a self-proclaimed gastro mission, and brought new-wave French sweets to the Hungarian capital – or rethought our traditional favorites. And, it worked! They succeed because in addition to professional recognition, Zazzi found its own medium where even the smallest carbohydrate bombs can cause a big boom, and recently many customers feel confident enough to try a nutty-caramel or strawberry-and-cactus cream creation for about 600 HUF.
3/14
Asztalka
Since most of the places featured on this list have a modern interior, it was rather surprising to find a new-wave confectionery filled with antique furniture. Anyway, antique does not necessary mean old: the upside-down hanging cups transformed into lampshades and the portrait of a young lady with a fox on her head give the place a surreal atmosphere. Asztalka's variable selection includes cakes, pies, and even fruit tarts. A particularly positive point is that they seem to work with seasonal fruits, since lately they had so many red fruit sweets, it looks like a strawberry field exploded there.
4/14
CuppCake
In Lilla's Buda store we should not be surprised when faced with a crowd similar to the masses on Budapest's 4-6 tram line at 6 in the afternoon. The small place presents a particularly strong selection, and cupcakes and tartlets clearly triumph over cakes: for about 500 HUF, we can give our blood-sugar level a nice boost with sweets that have never heard of the word 'mass production'. Our favorites were the caramel or the triple-chocolate cupcake, not to mention the blueberry cheesecake. However, if we want to order a whole cake, it's a good idea to contact them a week ahead – CuppCake's crew is frequently overwhelmed with orders for weddings and corporate events.
5/14
The Bake Shop (Closed)
On this confectionery's Facebook page, Domi writes that her life is a piece of cake. Looking at her workplace, we could not agree more: she makes pies, cakes, and macarons every day. Domi's pies conquered Weiner Leó Street and its surroundings with their fruit and chocolate varieties. The cookie factory operates within the shop, producing sweets that are free of gluten, lactose, and sugar, along with paleo-compatible options as well. We can taste the macarons for 280 HUF per piece, while the cakes and pies cost about 600 HUF.
6/14
Édesmindegy
Along Pozsonyi Street and its surroundings, a real confectionery jungle grew over the years, where one of the big hits is the Édesmindegy Dessert Bar. Perhaps Kobe Bryant will come visit here, since this year their cheesecake flavored with peanut butter was named Black Mamba, sharing the nickname of the Los Angeles Lakers' demigod (from which Robert Rodriguez made the best of in an insanely cool promotional film). In addition to sweet homages to NBA stars, they have panna cotta, all kinds of cakes, and tarts. The prices are of a higher range in Édesmindegy, but if we pay 800 forints for a slice, we can be sure that it will be well worth the money.
7/14
SÜTI.
We do not frequent the Rózsadomb district often, but SÜTI. in the Rózsakert Shopping Center is an excellent reason to head to the Buda Hills. Szandra and her crew bake cakes and pies from strictly natural ingredients in a tiny place day by day. Gluten-free and diabetic are buzzwords here, and the sweets are served up in an innovative-yet-homey style. If you drop by, be sure to ask for a taste of Szandra's fairy cream, and tell them we sent you.
8/14
The Donut Library - Újlipótváros (Closed)
When he discovered that there were no decent donut places in Budapest, the owner of Donut Library opened his own donut shop. More specifically, he opened a donut library, where John Lukács and Nick Hornby greet us from the shelf while we munch on sweet rings, surrounded by rhubarb-cream-colored walls. But the vibrant colors do not stop at just one shade: 25 different flavored and colored donuts mix on the shelves, all for 290 forints apiece. We can follow their current bagel stock throughout the day on their website, which is especially useful in the afternoon, because often the store closes after selling everything as though Homer Simpson had raided it.
9/14
Fánki Donuts
Fánki delivers roughly the same quality as the Donut Library for about the same price (300 HUF apiece). The greatest difference is that Fánki's selection is slightly smaller, but in return, they offer different kinds of homemade cakes as well. However, the focus us still on the holey or filled flavor bombs. Who needs Dunkin' Donuts after all this?
10/14
Go-Free Bar
The first things that come to our minds about Belgium are the Brussels bureaucrats, the Atonium, the little pissing boy statue, or the Flemish-Walloon conflict. We have plenty of peeing boys in Budapest as well, and the other things – other than beer and waffles – are just not worth importing. We put the beers aside now, since we are still digesting the beer festival from a few weeks back. Instead, let's talk about waffles, which we can buy on Dohány Street for about 600 forints. Their secret is that they get the frozen dough from a Belgian factory, which they bake with sugar in the middle. The result is super-thick dough that is sure to fill us up, regardless of what we top it with: Nutella, fruits, or ice cream.
11/14
La Delizia - Terézváros
La Delizia's macarons represent a more natural line: they do not even contain food coloring, only almond flour and other strictly natural ingredients, from which a deluxe macaron is born. It is as if the workshop in Jókai Street would have used grandma's cookie cutter instead of a mini one, and so we get palm-sized macaron bulbs from the assembly line. Many put exploring La Delizia's full selection on their bucket list, which is always just the first step in becoming a full-fledged addict. There is no other way to deal with the pies, made with jam and fresh fruits, the mousses and different creams, or the cutting-edge cakes. We will not get a slice for under 500 forints, but the price is well worth it for cakes with such fresh strawberries on top.
12/14
Macarooon Concept Store
If a stone was thrown at you, throw back some macarons in return – according to the old saying we made up just now. One thing is sure, if there will ever be a macaron-throwing contest, we want to be on the team with Sugar Shop's branch office in Kempinski's lobby – it is easier to play Grand Theft Auto with infinite ammunition, as well. The selection might only miss a potato-salad flavored macaron, and we only exaggerate a little: at the explicit request of the hotel, there is a strong Hungarian line with Esterházy cake, floating island, and even arany galushka variations, but if you cannot find something fitting from the 40-something options, you probably should not even be reading this article. Instead, try this one.
13/14
ChocoDeli (Closed)
Everyone knows Balázs in this area, so usually there are a lot of customers in the confectioner's workshop at the corner of Hunyadi Square. The situation unfolded by itself: on the other side of the square he opened a café where he offers different sweets every day. The cake slices are priced at about 600 forints each, but the selection is changing so soften that there is no permanent menu. If you are lucky and visit the café disguised as an antique shop when they have gauzy pavlova, grab the opportunity in the form of a slice.
14/14
Műhely Gallery Café (Closed)
Műhely is living proof that art and confectioneries get along well with each other. In addition to being a gathering place of talented people, visitors can eat cakes and pastries of exceptional quality while surrounded by exhibited photos, pictures, and graphics. Similarly to the exhibitions, the cake selection is constantly changing as well, but Műhely's real star is the cheesecake that adapts to the current season. The slices cost 500 forints each: when we were there, they had cherry pie and chocolate-covered carrot cake, which had a unique homemade feel to them.
