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Photo Article: Best All-Day Breakfasts In Budapest

Xpat Opinion: Where To Eat Breakfast In Budapest?

A decent coffee is what concerns most folks in the morning. A breakfast menu offering a variety of dishes that can satisfy sweet-toothed guests and ham-and-eggs lovers alike is important too. The availability of major newspapers is useful, although wireless internet might be more essential these days.

A venue with a cosy feeling, where the waiter welcomes regular customers as acquaintances, and where guests can sit back comfortably over a cuppa without being rushed along after half an hour is key.

The following selection presents ten top cafés and restaurants (rather than hotels) that tick just about all the boxes above; plus they are unique places worth visiting at least once as their atmosphere might transform any of us into regular customers.

1. Déryné
New York-style cosmopolitan bistro at its best, with a hip audience, including celebrities, successful business folk, and upmarket expats. The tasteful design covers all the right points, and the extremely professional and thoughtful service attitude defines the whole restaurant and gives a clue about its increasing success. They offer three kinds of breakfast menus from half past seven. Besides the French, English and bistro menu Benedict eggs, bagels and even burritos are available.

2. Villa Bagatelle
The villa at the intersection of Királyhágó Square and Németvölgyi Road has regained its old glory. It houses the Brót bakery, a café and a boutique of interior design. That bakery directed by Mihályi László, and its amazing pastries fit the architectural style and its modest modernist message perfectly. The always-fresh baguettes have a thick crispy crust but a foamy, light interior. And the real French croissants are remarkable in a city not known for knowing how they are really meant to taste. The point here is that the venue is true to itself, it is nothing more or less, just what it promises to be.

3. Két Szerecsen
Két Szerecsen offers classical English and continental breakfast varieties in pleasant surroundings, usually withattentive and fast service. Two kinds of freshly squeezed juice are on offer each day, plus mint or fruit tea, hot chocolate and fresh coffee of course. Croissant or toast with butter and jam, fruit salad, 'gypsy toast with sour cream', and a variety of egg dishes are on the menu. There is nothing too special on offer, but everything is here that belongs to the traditional breakfast, however dishes may be asked for separately or as part of a 'club breakfast'.

4. Sarki Fűszeres
This place is in fact an excellent mixture of a “little neighborhood café”, a well-established gourmet business and a convenient take-away. Customers go in and out constantly. It has a French, Italian, Spanish and Hungarian cheese repertoire, wines from the world’s major wine-producing regions, and last but not least ham and salami specialties from Italian, Austrian, Hungarian and Spanish homesteads. Moreover, excellent coffee and sandwiches, homemade “szörp”, freshly squeezed orange juice and lemonade are also part of the daily offer.

5. Coyote
The scent of freshly ground coffee fills the air every morning at this American style café near Batthyány square, with many regular customers packing into the place even at the weekends. The specialty of the house is a bagel with salmon, but the grilled vegetable baguette is also a winner. Different brownies, smoothies and the cakes complete the menu. Smoking is completely prohibited, and customers can ask their coffee with soy or organic milk. Breakfast can also be taken away from this located in the 1st district on Markovits Iván u. 4.

6. Fruccola
It would stand the test in any modern European city: elegant, friendly, with a bright interior and a huge selection. This is the first impression any visitor gets. All the pastries are freshly baked and the vegetable and fruit juice selection is impressive. Traditional menus include a simple croissant and coffee, or the full English breakfast containing an omelette with sausage and beans of course (apparently the sausages come straight from England) is a good starter for an active day. Those who prefer lighter food in the early hours may choose from a wide range of yoghurts and mueslis, however the exciting baguettes varieties and pressed sandwiches, especially the pesto-grilled vegetable ones, are worth trying. Service is fast and friendly.

7. Dzsem
This small restaurant with a fresh and modern interior design can easily become a local hang-out for residents who live in the neighborhood because of its familiar atmosphere. For a tasty petit dejeuner there is a huge selection of freshly made French bakery products, with at least seven kinds of croissants on the menu. Here it looks like the bagel can start conquering the morning in Budapest with the herb-cream cheese variety being especially delicious. Certainly many guests at this downtown venue located in district 5 at Vigyázó Ferenc utca 7. feel the prices and service make the experience worth a repeat visit.

8. Briós Kávézó
This is a small café with a 'pre-war atmosphere' and attentive service. Situated near Margit Bridge and the Danube it is a perfect choice for a leisurely family breakfast as the spacious multi-table children’s playroom upstairs allows parents to enjoy a cup of hot coffee and read the latest newspapers in a relaxing surrounding knowing the kids are happy. There is a wide selection of breakfasts, including a spicy Mexican omelette, and the very special baguette with liver paté and feta cheese.

9. Mezzo
'Mezzo Music Restaurant' fairly recently replaced the long-standing John Bull Pub in the 12th district. It now offers a cozy atmosphere, and is a well furnished spot for an elegant business breakfast or a high-end leisurely weekend brunch. The restaurant enriches the list of places in Buda where customers can sip their morning coffee or consume breakfast in a peaceful yet smart interior which includes a unique 'winter garden' space. The menu is assorted and fits a wide variety of tastes, ranging from those who fancy a hazelnut-chocolate croissant, and those how desire a meaty 'mangalica plate'.

10  Central
Few places in Budapest serve a true Hungarian-style breakfast these days, one with true Hungarian flavours like “csípős paprika” and fried Debreceni sausages, but Central does. Even if not for its intimate charm, customers might like this place for its generous spaces, its airiness, and the bright atmosphere.

Additional places for a good breakfast in Budapest include:

Jókenyér Bakery
It is a lovable French-style bakery on Törökvészi road, it's simple, fast, and affordable. The bakery sells several kinds of high-quality sweet and salty style pastries, biscuits, scones, and croissants of course - from the plain variety to those with ham and cheese fillings. They also offer fresh bread and a few varieties of sandwiches, made in traditional buns and croissants with fresh salad fillings. Canned breakfast drinks, juices and yoghurts in plenty of flavors line up in the fridge. Coffee is served in many variations and freshly pressed orange juice is available at a fair price. A true boulangerie Parisiene in the Hungarian capital.

Nedű (Nectar)
A unique and cozy place on Nagymező (utca 8.) that has an incredible selection of freshly squeezed vegetable and fruit juices, plus fair-trade coffee and tea varieties. It is set to be a favorite with those who want a quick but extremely fresh starter to the day. The interior design is very modern; customers can eat their homemade bagel or sandwich and drink a carrot-apple-orange combination spiced with freshly rasped ginger sitting at tables made of pallets.

Panini
It is a bright basement café on Újpesti Rakpart with a beautiful view of Margaret Island. The light penetrating through the wide windows gives a friendly atmosphere to the home-style interior with bookshelves, family photos and a modest children’s corner. Panini offers different baguettes, pâtés, homemade cakes, mueslis, salads, fried bread, omelettes, and the name-giving Italian sandwich of course. The service is responsive although a little bit 'stiff'. The prices are not too high and they are appropriate to the quality of the dishes.

Translated by Ana Minadora Sbarci for XpatLoop.com from a related article on DiningGuide.hu