Budapest is a wonderfully beautiful and hip city that I would recommend to anybody that has a taste for art and history. It’s also known to be an extremely meat heavy city. But thanks to a little research, I managed to eat some pretty amazing vegan food on this trip. My boyfriend and I ate our way through Budapest for 5 days straight so we could determine where the BEST food is located. So without further ado, here are my favorite places we ate in Budapest:
1.Napfényes Ètterem
This place was my all time favorite restaurant in Budapest. Everything from the atmosphere to the waitress to the food was just wonderful. My boyfriend and I arrived for dinner after a somewhat traumatic experience at a bar (long story short – we got ripped off) and had no idea what to expect. We wanted to try real Hungarian food. At least, without the meat. Hungary is incredibly meat heavy, and many vegan spots around the city were alternative types of cuisine like Indian or Thai. We were super excited to try Napfényes.This restaurant did not disappoint. Our waiter (I wish I could remember her name) was the kindest, smiliest lady I’ve ever met. People warned us that Hungarians could be a bit gruff, but I didn’t experience that at all.
I finally got to try goulash (it was super yum) and we also ordered the Napfényes Lavish Platter for 2. It came with fried vegan cheese, seitan cutlet, oat fritters, vegan mayo, and much much more that I cannot remember (I said it was good, not healthy). Make sure to come hungry because the food is super filling and you won’t want to stop eating until your plate is literally empty. We loved this place so much that we came back the next day for lunch. I also recommend the Seitan Roast and the Caesar Salad.
2. Slow Foodiez
This place was another gem. It offered both vegan and vegetarian food with amazing daily specials. My boyfriend and I had stumbled into the restaurant for lunch after a long morning of sightseeing in the August heat. The inside of the restaurant had a super bright and “chill” vibe and the atmosphere was laid back and relaxed. The cuisine included a mixture of international and contemporary fusions, and all of the options were actually pretty healthy. They also had raw options, but I’m allergic to Brazil nuts and often encounter them when I order something raw, so I tend to stay away.
I highly recommend the tomato rice ball soup. I believe it was a daily special, but it was so flavorful and soothing. I also got the “Daily Vegan Offer” which was eggplant stuffed with lentils and pomegranate seeds with a cashew sauce drizzled on top. It was so hearty and just what I needed to refuel me before going back out to tourist around Budapest some more.
3. Madal Cafe
If you’re looking for a quintessential European cafe, this place is for you. Medal Cafe offers a variety of hot and cold beverages and even had oat milk as a dairy alternative! They had a variety of vegan pastries and sandwiches. The croissants are super fluffy and the cheesecake is really delicious as well. We ended up getting our morning coffee from here two days in a row. I highly recommend sitting outside if the weather permits.
4. Vegan Garden
This place isn’t so much a restaurant as it is a Garden of Eden for vegans. Its comprised of several vegan food trucks with some incredible options from all over the world. The only problem is that it’s only open when it’s warm. I believe it’s opening in March 2019 this year.
The vegan ice cream was perfect for those hot August days and the vegan hot dog with sweet potato fries was so good. The hot dog was almost too meaty for me. If you go here, I would recommend getting something from every truck and sharing with someone so that you can try everything.
5. HummusBar
This was the #1 place recommended to us when we came to Budapest. I’ll admit, it has a TON of vegan options and it’s really cheap. However, make sure to sit by a window if you are going on a hot day (no air conditioning) and try your best to flag down the servers when you’re ready to order. If it’s busy, they won’t come to your table on their own accord.
I recommend the Complete Plate, which comes with chickpeas, falafel, mushrooms, hummus, tahini, and pita. I’m pretty sure it was only $6 American and it filled me up for the entire day. I also ordered an espresso while I was here because I was so jet lagged that I was falling asleep at the table.
My other recommendations for Budapest:
- Do a night cruise. The city is so beautiful from the water and I don’t remember it being super expensive. Pictures don’t do this beautiful city justice.
- Szimpla Kert is a really cool, quirky ruins bar in Budapest. We had such a fun time wandering through the different rooms and admiring all the interesting artwork. Be warned: the drinks are really expensive. I recommend buying a cheap bottle of wine ahead of time and drinking that before you go.
- Instant – if you are looking for a good club, this is the place to go. Just don’t go before 11 PM (it’s labeled as a rooftop bar during the day but they will charge you way too much money). The music was great and my boyfriend and I had so much fun dancing the whole night!
Jet Lagged Gianna 