12 best bars in Budapest right now

Nightlife and bars in Budapest once revolved around ruin bars – dilapidated buildings transformed into bastions of bohemianism. Ruin bars are prominent symbols of Hungarian culture and certainly should be savoured as much as a tour, say, of the sprawling Hungarian Parliament Building facing the majestic Danube River and a bowl of hearty gulyás served in a no-frills vendéglő.

But now, there are fewer of these haunts still surviving, and the ones that have are more a tourist attraction than a true conversation-fuelled hideaway for locals. For a more expansive view of the Budapest drinking landscape, it’s better to minimise the nostalgic kitsch and unwind at the lairs centred on wines and craft beers from ambitious Hungarian and international producers alike. Even the cocktail scene, albeit small, is growing mightier by the year, reflective of an increasingly luxurious Budapest. Still, the simplicity of drinking rituals endures. For winter, locals escape the chill with forralt bor (mulled wine). By the time summer rolls around, it’s the kerts, the outdoor gardens, they flock to for wine spritzers. From the sophisticated to the chilled-out, here are the best bars in Budapest to imbibe right now (perfect post-thermal bath trip).

Boutiq Bar and Pink Pony Club

Best for: eye-catching cocktails in a complementary duo of moody spaces
Drink to order: Pick a Chee

Zoltán Nagy opened Boutiq Bar, the blue-door bolthole credited with introducing craft cocktails to Budapest, in 2008. It’s classy and dimly lit, and despite other like-minded bars that have sprouted in the city, it remains a favourite for consistently well-wrought drinks accompanied by cordial service. Order a martini, for instance, and discussions about gin, vodka, and Moena vermouth – the brand the restless Nagy launched with fellow Budapest bartender Balázs Molnár – are sure to organically flow. Downstairs is home to Pink Pony Club, another more casual concept founded in 2019 by Molnár and now helmed by Diego Rastellà. At this sexy dive bar, it’s the vodka-lychee-pickle Pick a Chee and Petite Ballerina, a tropical Gin & Tonic riff on the Pornstar Martini with gin, vanilla, passion fruit and mango soda, Prosecco, and lime paint that are go-tos.

Address: Paulay Ede u. 5, Budapest 1061
Website: boutiqbar.com and instagram.com/ppcbudapest

Kadarka Wine Bar

Best for: discovering Hungarian wines
Drink to order: one of the bar’s namesake grape selections

Oenophiles have been crowding Kadarka since 2011, for the bar’s mission of illuminating Hungarian wines has never wavered. Hungary is indeed a small country, yet it boasts 22 wine regions, and Kadarka is the ideal starting point for exploring them. More than 100 options grace the list, and the knowledgeable staff are keen to guide customers through the confounding array, but do seek out the Hungarian varieties first. Furmint, the star of famed Tokaj dessert wines, also yields fresh, dry whites. Try Szent Benedek’s rendition alongside eggplant dip before delving into the reds, including the peppery, Pinot Noir-style Kadarka from Szekszárd’s Pastor Garage Winery.

Address: Király u. 42, Budapest 1061
Website: kadarkabar.hu

Blue Fox The Bar

Best for: date night in the company of reimagined classic libations
Drink to order: Fig Sour

Inside the centrally located Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest, Balázs Molnár (partner with Boutiq Bar’s Zoltán Nagy on Moena vermouth) presides over Blue Fox the Bar. The globe-trotting Molnár previously worked in London, Hong Kong, and Sydney, and he brings a cosmopolitan flair to the elegant boîte buoyed by glowing cobalt and mirrored columns. Classic cocktails get a contemporary twist here. Take the whiskey sour reinterpreted with fig and cream or the 50-50 gin martini elevated with lemongrass. Ever-changing concept menus also reel in the curious, and the current one, dubbed Life Cycle, highlights seeds, flowers, and fruits. Lavender gives the Run Rabbit with dark rum, maraschino liqueur, and citrus a delightful botanical lift. After schnitzel at the hotel’s underrated ÉS Bisztró, order one for a nightcap.