Best of Budapest Desserts

Café Vian

The traditional Hungarian dish of mashed chestnuts might not sound like a delectable dessert, which might deter you from ordering it. That would be a mistake. Especially at Café Vian [Liszt Ferenc ter 9., Budapest 1061, Hungary] where this after dinner treat is sensational! If you’re into pralines, marzipan, almond butter, or anything with a nutty taste you will definitely love the taste of these mashed chestnuts.

They are sweetened up and covered in a mountain of whipped cream in the true dessert fashion. Café Vian is a relaxed café with open air seating in Gozsdu Udvar, a lively courtyard filled with restaurants. Great food, atmosphere, and service had me wishing we experienced a full dinner here.

Chimney Cake

The chimney cake or ‘Kürtőskalács,’ is a popular Hungarian sweet street food.

You can find stands throughout the city, I visited the one near Elizabeth Square at the start of Andrássy Avenue. If you see the ladies rolling them in the back of the stand, you know they’re going to be fresh.

They come in a variety of flavors including walnut, coconut, chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla. I asked which was best and ended up with a cinnamon. These fun hollow cakes unravel into curly strips. The dough is dense and not overly sweet, but perfect with the cinnamon coating. They will only run you around $1, and they are very easy to walk on the go with – so grab one and hit the streets!

Bar Pharma

If you are walking down the length of Kazinczy you’re probably heading to one of the many bars or restaurants on the strip. You will no doubt pass by the Bar Pharma [Kazinczy utca 35. 1075 Budapest] and notice the colorful and enticing gelato stand.

All of their flavors look tempting. Are you looking for traditional gelato? Or maybe a frozen yogurt variation is what you’re looking for. They have alcoholic versions if you’re looking to kill two birds with one stone. You can’t go wrong with this popular gelato stand, perfect for a hot night.

The Donut Library

Donuts are the new cupcake. They are so darn trendy. The Donut Library [Pozsonyi ut 22, Budapest, Hungary] is a cute shop to take a sweet little midday donut break in. They have a great variety of interesting toppings on their donuts here.

Pick a flavor and find yourself a cozy corner to sit and nosh. The donuts are soft and flakey, fresh and delicious. I chose one with a healthy coating of vanilla frosting, plentiful cubes of colorful sugar, and some salty pretzel sticks for good measure.

Yum. This is a great unique little shop to spend some down time in during your adventures in the city, while enjoying a darn good donut!

The Book Store Café

You could walk by the exterior of this building on Andrassy a thousand times and never know that a stunning café lies inside.

On the ground floor of the Book Store Cafe [Andrassy ut 39, Budapest 1061, Hungary] you have a large bookstore, worth some time to peruse if you are a book lover, but nothing out of the ordinary. If you are in the know, however, you are aware that just an escalator ride up will open a whole new world. Chandeliers, gilded frames, and epic murals on the high ceiling are a feast for the eyes.

Take a seat and decide, coffee or tea? What dessert to get? Place your order and while you wait tap your feet to the music and see how many golden faces you can spot.

The cake is decadent and sinfully good.

Head up to the Book Store Café to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind, it is an elegant world away from it all.