One of the grandest cities in central Europe, Budapest is home to some truly amazing coffee. However, not all cafés do coffee equal, and not all cafés are worth writing about. read on for our list of those that are.

MY LITTLE MELBOURNE CAFE

Tucked away in the fifth district of Budapest, My Little Melbourne is a perfectly situated joint in the heart of town that serves up some of the best coffee anywhere. While any café claiming to do coffee as good as Melbourne is playing a very dangerous game, My Little Melbourne certainly left us feeling pretty impressed. The flat white I had was as good as any that I’d expect to get in Brunswick, and Carlie’s batch brew was reportedly pretty damn fine. The decor in here is thoroughly relaxed, with both an upstairs and downstairs dining area, and a stand up espresso bar on the bottom floor. they also have a stand up brew bar next door, which sadly wasn’t open when we visited. However, our experience here was perfect, and I feel no hesitation in recommending My Little Melbourne. The staff here are passionate, knowledgeable, and care about coffee - if wanting to chat shop with them they’ll talk you through the beans they’re using, the roast and tasting notes. Definitely my top pick for cafés in Budapest.

Address: Budapest, Madách Imre út 3, 1075.

Website: http://mylittlemelbourne.hu/

Instagram: http://mylittlemelbourne.hu/

Hours: Monday - Thursday: 7 am - 6 pm. Saturday/Sunday: 8 am - 6 pm.

Espresso Embassy

Ignore the formal name, Espresso Embassy is a relaxed, single room café also located in downtown Budapest. We had two espressos and a batch brew here, and both were utterly sensational. The vibe of this place is supremely relaxed; they were playing nothing but 80’s power pop the whole time we were here, and the staff were attentive, friendly and spoke perfect English - which is always helpful when the wash on your batch brew is being described. One thing to note: if they have the pistachio croissant on offer when you go, get this. Without any doubt in the world, get this. They are mouth-wateringly amazing and no words can fully describe how awesome they taste. Stop by for an espresso and a chat, this spot is worth a visit.

Address: Budapest, Arany János u. 15, 1051

Website: http://espressoembassy.hu/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/espressoembassy/?hl=en

Hours: Monday - Friday: 7:30 am - 6 pm. Saturday/Sunday: 9 am - 6 pm

DORADO CAFé

Undoubtedly the most aesthetically pleasing café in Budapest, the sleek interior of Dorado is all restraint, muted colours and low light. Design notwithstanding, the coffee served up here is truly outstanding - we sampled a v60, Batch Brew and an espresso - all were extremely good, made by a small team behind the machines that took the time to explain the tasting notes for each cup. We sat there for about an hour slowly drinking coffee, chatting with the owner and patting the myriad of dogs that were brought in by patrons. It was clear to me that the team behind Dorado Café care deeply about coffee, visitor experience and maintaining a calm and enjoyable space - each coffee served was done with love and a scientific precision. My time here was excellent, and I thoroughly wish I was heading back there tomorrow, but alas.

I also have to put a huge shout out to the cardamon bun that I ate here - an utterly amazing baked good. Stop by for a coffee and a chat, this place is good.

Address: Budapest, Klauzál u. 35, 1072

Website: https://dorado-cafe.business.site/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorado_cafe/

Hours: Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 6:00 pm. Saturday/Sunday: 9 am - 4:30 pm.

NOR\MA

While strictly speaking falling more into the category of a bakery, rather than a purveyor of specialty coffee, NOR\MA absolutely deserves mention on this list. Step inside the understated doors and you enter into a room that is part café, part working bakery, and all around good time. Located centrally on the Pest side of the river, NOR\MA serves up some of the best baked goods anywhere in town. Think pistacchio cream croissants, fresh bread and fluffy doughnuts, all fresh out of the oven and served up alongside a basic coffee menu. You can get a batch brew, espresso, flat white or V60 - realistically, how much more do you need? You won’t see a complex list of syrups, milk types and roasts here - the team at NOR\MA seem to be truly around the concept that doing less is often doing a whole lot more. Stop by for a stand up espresso, eat a danish, and buy some bread for the road. Tell me how you feel about this decision later.

Address: Budapest, Kecskeméti u. 11, 1053

Website: https://www.facebook.com/normabudapest/

Hours: Monday - Friday: 7 am - 7 pm. Saturday: 8 am - 6 pm. Sunday: closed.

LUMEN CAFé

Set in the trendy Jewish suburb of Budapest, and probably the most student-friendly café on the list, Lumen is a perfect spot to soak up some natural light and drink some kava - the café is beautiful; a massive open shared dining area leads out into a small garden space out the back. While we only had an espresso here before rushing off, our experience was really good. The coffee was pretty spot on, the service good, and the atmosphere pretty tranquil - everywhere we looked there were students reading, working on their laptops and hanging out. It certainly reminded me of my university days, sadly long gone. However, Lumen is a perfect spot to while away a few hours. Thoroughly recommend. They are also open to midnight most nights, and often have gigs and live music there, so also a decent spot to have a few beers before a night out in Budapest.

Address: Budapest, Horánszky u. 5, 1085

Website: https://www.facebook.com/lumen.kavezo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lumenkavezo/

Hours: Monday - Friday: 8 am - 12 am. Saturday/Sunday: 10 am - 12 am.