Budapest is studded with incredible bars of all shapes, sizes and atmospheres. From glitzy cocktail bars, to underground speakeasies, to (nearly literal) holes in the wall, Budapest has a little something for everyone.
Live music is a huge part of Budapest’s lifestyle and nearly all of the bars I visited on my short trip had some sort of live musician playing. Depending on the location, you could expect anything from a string quartet to a DJ live mixing next to the bar.
On my short visit to Budapest, I was delighted to experience its vibrant youth culture and abundant art and music scene.
I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite bars from my visit to Budapest, with my recommendations running from the most to least expensive option.
Fair warning: it is possible to explore Budapest cheaply, but I was very clearly spoiling myself on this trip.
MÙZSA
Located inside the Four Seasons Gresham, MÙZSA bar is just as high end as you’d expect. The curated cocktail menu changes throughout the year, and was based on the Greek muses during my visit. The drinks are expensive, but the presentation is exquisite.
We sat at the bar just to watch the drinks being made! We got Pornstar Martinis here, which were served with fresh passionfruit and high quality champagne in a small cordial glass on the side.
Cocktails here run about $25 each, with the prices skyrocketing dramatically for some of their specialty liquors.
The Duchess
Reservations are required for this one- and for good reason! This rooftop bar overlooks the Danube River and Liberty Bridge, making it a premium spot for sunset drinks.
We were seated at a table facing away from the sunset, but the staff were good sports about us getting up for pictures a few times throughout our evening. At the very least, they didn’t call us out on it!
Keep an eye on the time here- since the bar runs on reservations, the staff will have you move on after an hour or two to make room for their next reservation.
Cocktails will run you about 22 USD here, with wines closer to $15 a glass. I can also highly recommend the cheese platter here.
W Lounge
Just across the street from the Budapest Opera House, the W Lounge at the Marriott had some of my favorite interior design of the trip!
The inside of the lounge is a spectacular demonstration of clashing colors, patterns and light fixtures that all somehow fit together in a visually delight that had me taking notes. The exterior bar area plays more into the gothic architecture of the building, and the classy atmosphere is was drew us towards the bar in the first place.
Drinks aside, I would have found it worth a visit for the aesthetic alone.
As it is, the W Lounge has a great happy hour with 2-for-1 drinks available with any purchase from the food menu. The staff here was nice enough to offer us espresso martinis when we asked, even though they aren’t usually included in the deal, and we used this opportunity to try Somlói Galuska!
Drinks here are around $20 each, so that 2-for-1 deal was really worth it!
Schrödinger Macskája Cocktail Bar
This small bar is known for its Japanese inspirited cocktails- and interesting ones at that! There seemed to be a real lean towards savory style drinks; several even include shiitake mushrooms.
I was a little intimidated by this menu since I usually prefer sweeter drinks, but the bartenders were super nice and talked me though my options- even offering to customize my drink if I preferred.
Schrödinger will run you about $16 per cocktail, though the portion sizes tended to be small.
Twentysix
Although more of a restaurant (more on that later), I’m including Twentysix in this bar round up because I had a truly excellent gin and tonic with my meal here. You’ll likely need to make a reservation here- we certainly needed one for dinner.
The restaurant area is in an interior courtyard that is absolutely smothered in plants. It’s a really lush experience, like dining in a greenhouse, but it does get dark at night!
The menu includes 9 different gin and tonics alone, including one that contributes a portion of the profits to planting trees! I got the 8th gin and tonic, the Ruby Rose which was a fruity option that came with dried rose petals.
The drinks menu extends far beyond gin and tonics, and I’d be curious to try some of their specialty cocktails in the future.
My gin and tonic ran me about $16 here and was definitely worth the price.
Hotsy Totsy Budapest
Inspired by the Prohibition Era, this speakeasy style bar is located in a cosy underground bar. The massive copper bar is complimented by brink lined walls and velvet seating- and a huge liquor collection.
The bartender refused to give us a menu “since it was close to closing time”, but offered to make us a drink based on our preferences instead. I’m not sure what difference that made in the long run, but the gin based drink I received really was excellent.
From what I can see online, it seems that the menu is extremely creative- and now award winning! I would have liked the chance to choose my own drink, but that’s on us for getting there late I guess.
To be clear, I still highly recommend this bar! The service was excellent and our custom made drinks were not any less involved than the drinks on the menu. It was maybe even more special since our drinks were custom made for us.
Its hard to say what a normal cocktail costs here since, again, I never saw a menu, but they did charge us about $14 per drink here, which seems to match what I’m seeing online.
Unit Bar
Unit Bar is another location that came highly recommended- mostly by our other bartenders. The bar is open late and has an extensive variety of liquors. This is where I first tried Pálinka!
It was a nice night, so we elected to sit outside and enjoy the weather. Unit is open late, so it’s also a great option to end your night.
Unit Bar’s wide variety of liquors makes it a great place to do some taste testing, but cocktails like ours ran us about $12 each.
Kadarka Wine Bar
This wine bar was repeatedly recommended to us, and seemed to be a favorite with locals and visitors alike. The wine selection is exceptional, and I highly recommend chatting with the bartenders about their wines. They’re so knowledgable!
Upon our bartender’s recommendation, I tried a glass of Holdvölgy Vision 2020 and it easily flew to the top of my favorite wines. It’s too bad it’s so difficult to get here in the States!
Wines come in a few different sizes; a 2oz tasting, 5oz glass, and a .75 liter, which is offered both in the bar and for take away.
Because of this variety of both wines and sizes, prices can vary pretty extensively. The 5oz glasses tend to sit around the $5-$10 range, and the tastings make it easy to try plenty of options for a great deal!
Szimpla Kert
Budapest is famous for their “Ruins Bars”, the most famous of which is Szimpla Kert. This popular venue opens into a packed club area, winds its way through cozy seating areas, up stairs, over bridges, and into even more dancing areas. It’s actually kind of incredible to experience, especially while tipsy.
Graffiti and neon is everywhere in this crumbling venue, and it was super fun to explore! Don’t worry, no matter how far you wander, you’re never far from a bar. Szimpla Kert has something like half a dozen bars scattered throughout the premises. It’s hard to tell!
This is a huge party, so don’t expect anything exciting from the drinks menu. Think your standard liquors, beers, and wine- plus Pálinka, of course!
I spent $6 on a .5L pilsner here, which I carried around with me like a teddy bear while getting lost in the maze that is Szimpla Kert.
Unlimited Prosecco Boat
Although this isn’t a bar, exactly, taking a cruise on the Danube with unlimited Prosecco seems to be mandatory when visiting Budapest. There are a several options of varying prices and atmospheres to choose from.
We selected a cheaper option, so our crowd was unsurprisingly young, friendly, and ready to start a conversation. I brought a girl her sunglasses after she dropped them on the stairs and she thanked me my showering me with tipsy compliments.
Even the event photographer struck up a conversation with me about my camera!
The Prosecco was not great, which could be expected by its price, but it flowed freely and was poured generously.
Now, would I recommend this experience? Yes, absolutely!
Budapest is gorgeous from the water, and it’s a wonderful way to be welcomed into the city. It really is a great way to experience the city from the Danube!
I picked out a few options for Prosecco cruises below. Just make sure to read the descriptions carefully to make sure you’re booking the experience you’re looking for!
If you choose to book through these links I may earn a small commission with no additional cost to you!
Drinks to look out for:
Pálinka
Pálinka is a traditional Hungarian fruit brandy that dates back to at least the 1300s. This brandy is ranges from about 40-70% alcohol, so be careful when drinking it! The liquor is often served in pretty tulip glasses, which can make for a great souvenir.
Unicum
Another traditional alcohol is Hungary’s herbal liqueur, Unicum. The dark liqueur is unsurprisingly bitter, often with notes of fennel or citrus. I wasn’t a huge fan of this one!
Tokaji Wine
Tokaji wine comes from Hungary’s historic wine region. It’s kind of like how Champagne comes from a specific region of France. In this case, Tokaji wine is very sweet, often with flavors of honey and apricot. Definitely save this one for dessert!
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