Hungary Museums - Restaurants

Karolyi Etterem is hidden in the wonderful garden of the Karolyi Palace which houses The Museum of Literature Petőfi. After visiting one of the exhibitions at the museum, you can rest in a charming garden, surrounded by trees and the historic Palace, and enjoy a light lunch (e.g. Sesame Crusted Fried Cheese with salad ) or just a cup of coffee. In the evening, the extensive menu offers pasta, meat, and fish dishes. There is also live piano music from the main dining room of the restaurant. The service is very friendly and the atmosphere is great for quiet, relaxing conversation. 

Situated in the heart of the Castle District, the Pierrot Café is an excellent place to stop for a bite to eat when exploring the ancient walls or visiting the many museums. It is well established and popular amongst Hungarians as well as visitors: Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith dined here when they were in town for the filming of Evita. The decor is cool and calm with cane chairs and cushions. A large grand piano dominates the front room although there is more space out the back and a few tables and chairs are placed on the pavement in front. Live music is featured in the evening and the atmosphere is laid back - this is a real haven of peace after the tourist whirl. You can sit and sip a coffee or an alcoholic drink for hours undisturbed - coffee and tea are priced at around HUF 300. Salads, crêpes and the famous Pierrot steak served with green pepper sauce are available all day. Cocktails are also good here and cost around HUF 700.

Alkoholos filc Café is a lovely little café 'in charge' of promoting the art galleries around: it's definitely the place to ask the waiter for a good exhibition in the small galleries of the castle and to avoid mass museums, or to simply have a look to the walls covered with paintings offered by local artists. They serve good coffee, great wines, snacks and the entire place with its five tables gives THE perfect friendly, easy going atmosphere. As it easily gets crowded during peak hours, the owners ask clients to share tables, so it's also the place where you'll quickly get to know regulars who are mostly local artists. -Judit Marothy

The Saint Stephen Basilica is so well located downtown and so famous that its inevitable to visit during your stay in Budapest. After this cultural experience you may want to warm up your afternoon experiencing with a totally different tradition: the wine culture of Hungary. Domus is a wine shop with a main attraction that includes a 550 m2 wine cellar in the basement of a 19th century building. Their collection includes about 200 different wines and 50 spirits all made in Hungary in the last 40 years. The cellar is decorated with museum pieces of wine making and the English speaking sommelier will happily show you around the cave while you taste some of their liquid treasures. For larger parties, booking is recommended, but you can show up any time of the day with a few travel mates and see if you're willing to taste the famous red Bikav�r – Bull’s Blood – or the girly and sweet ‘wine of the Kings’ the Tokaji Asz�. If you feel like you need to grab something to eat before you get back to the sun light, the cook will quickly serve you some good local meal in the cellar. -Judit Marothy