Budapest has lots of cocktail bars. Some are great while others leave a lot to be desired. We’ve compiled a list of the best fancy cocktail bars in Budapest. If fancy isn’t what you’re looking for, keep an eye out for our future article on The Most Underrated Cocktail Bars in Budapest. As for these fancy cocktail bars, you can get seated at many of them without a reservation, but it might be wise to make a reservation, especially if you’re going at a busier time. Let us know what you think of these cocktail bars, or if there’s any we should add to this list!
Our Favorites: Top 3 Fancy Cocktail Bars in Budapest
We chose these three cocktail bars as our favorites, among the top fancy cocktail bars in Budapest.
Where Budapest cocktail bars started: Boutiq’Bar
When Boutiq’Bar opened in 2008, there were not many cocktail bars in Budapest yet. It was truly one of the first good, high-end cocktail bars in the city, at least of those that still exist. Internationally acclaimed Romanian-Hungarian bartender Zoltán Nagy had already been teaching others at the London Academy of Bartenders for 2 years when Boutiq’Bar opened its doors. Not much needs to be said about Boutiq’Bar after seeing their list of awards:
- The World’s 50 Best Bars – 2012 – #42 by Reed
- Best Bar in Hungary – 2019 by Dining Guide
- Top 6 Bar Teams – Award of Excellence 2019 by Bols Around The World
- Best International Barteam – Europe – 2020 Tales of the Cocktails
- Best Bars in Hungary 2017- 2022 by Barshow Hungary
- 50 Best Discovery – 2021 Budapest by Reed
- Top 500 Bars – #327 Bar in the World – 2022
- Travelers Choice – 2018- 2023 by Tripadvisor
- Top Ten Bars in Hungary 2023 by Barshow Hungary
New cocktail bar on the block: Seven
Seven is one of the newest cocktail bars on our list. Their impressive menu and talented bartenders are sure to sweep you off your feet and delight your taste buds. The menu actually shows a chart for each signature cocktail, which lets you know the drink’s qualities based on 8-10 different characteristics like sweetness, ABV (alcohol strength), acidity, volume, and different flavors. The name of the bar comes from their own distillery, Seven Hills Distillery, in the Tokaj wine region.
Menu? What Menu‽: Warm Up
Warm Up is one of two VERY SMALL cocktail bars on our list (the other being Pharma). Barely big enough for 20 people, Wamp Up has no menu. Instead, guests tell the bartenders what kind of drink they want, along with their likes and dislikes, and the bartenders make a cocktail suited to that guest’s tastes. While this can make prices difficult to determine ahead of time, bartenders are always willing to work within a reasonable price range for cocktails of this quality.
More Fancy Cocktail Bars in Budapest Worth Visiting
While our top 3 fancy cocktail bars are sure to please, here are some other great ones we had to include on our list of best fancy cocktail bars in Budapest.
The only basement bar on this list: Hotsy-Totsy
This dimly-lit basement bar on a side street in a bustling area of the “party district” (“bulinegyed“) is a mixed bag. The cocktails are great, but they’d have to be to make up for the poor lighting (making the tiny print on the “menu” next-to-impossible to read). The menu is printed like a deck of cards, which seems like a good idea at first, allowing them to swap out drinks as they see fit, adding new ones without having to reprint the entire menu. Unfortunately, the small size and dark colors make it difficult to read in the underlit basement. (The image we included is a bit misleading when it comes to lighting.) The bar staff take care to make the drinks well, as evidenced by the excruciatingly long wait some guests encounter. In the end, the drinks are worth it, but hopefully we helped to manage your expectations.
Good things come in small packages: Bar Pharma
If Warm Up is small, Pharma is downright TINY! What is lacks in size it makes up for in character. The pharmacy theme gives Pharma a nice atmosphere, and the intimate space makes it great for a date or getting to know your bartender.
Not actually a mobile bar: Tuk Tuk Bar
Nestled on a quiet street, but not too far from the action, Tuk Tuk Bar is a small, yet trendy cocktail bar. Previously, the street it sits on was much busier, with a large ruin bar on the same block. Since the ruin bar closed, the walking traffic at night near Tuk Tuk Bar has declined, but the bar is hanging on. Their eclectic and unique cocktail menu keeps them on this list, above those that didn’t make the cut.
Bottle shop and cocktail bar: Good Spirit
Originally just a bottle shop for high-end whiskey and gin, Good Spirit now boasts a respectable cocktail bar. Their huge selection and extensive knowledge of whiskys and gins gives them a big advantage among fancy cocktail bars in Budapest.
Never underestimate an Indian restaurant: Bombay
The only restaurant on this list, Bombay also boasts an impressive cocktail bar reputation. With a respectable list of signature cocktails, a gin and tonic menu, and some of the best bartenders to grace Budapest in recent years, Bombay is certainly worth a visit. While it’s certainly at the higher end of prices for Indian restaurants in Budapest, we guarantee that it won’t disappoint!
Address: Október 6. utca 17. (V. District)
Website: bombay.hu
Facebook: @bombaybudapest
Instagram: @bombaybudapest
Budapest has many other cocktail bars: some good and some not so good. These were just our favorites of the fancy variety. Come back for more great cocktail bars when we publish our list of The Most Underrated Cocktail Bars in Budapest.
Did we leave something out? Get something wrong? Let us know! Write a comment below, or send us a message on our Contact Page.