What to Eat in Budapest: Lángos, Goulash

Called the Most Beautiful Café in the World

Its 19th-century gilded interior is why it gets called the most beautiful café in the world; it was built as the ground floor of an insurance company's palace. The writer Ferenc Molnár is said to have thrown the key into the Danube so it could never close, and a tiny bronze statue of someone fishing that key out sits in the side street.

• Booking: recommended at busy times

Lángos and Chimney Cake (Kürtőskalács)

We liked the lángos here more than our first one. Next to it, chimney cake (kürtőskalács) turns over the coals. We had not found a good one at the Prague Christmas markets, so in its homeland we tried almond first, then came back one evening for pistachio and cinnamon.

Goulash and a Hungarian Starter Platter

We came here to try proper Hungarian cooking. The starter platter had the house spicy salamis, beef tartare, duck liver, crispy fried duck skin and an egg dish, with tomato, cucumber and onion. The beef tartare was the highlight.

Lángos and Paprika Meat

We came to try Hungary's local food. Lángos is basically deep-fried dough, served here with sour cream and cheese; today you can get every topping you can think of. We were surprised by the size of it.

The Historic Café on Vörösmarty Square

One of the city's most famous cafés. We ordered its best-known walnut layer cake; without the fondant-like topping it would have been much better. The interior is beautiful, so stop in while you are on the square.

The Italian Place We Went Back To

We had been before and came back on this trip because it is genuinely good. We ordered burrata, pizza and penne all'arrabbiata; the olive oils on the table were excellent and the arrabbiata was not as fiery as we feared.

• Slow service

Street Food in the Jewish Quarter

A courtyard packed with food trucks, from burgers and fried chicken to chimney cake, lángos and Mexican, with drinks stalls too. They had a lángos burger, so we ordered it: a burger in fried dough instead of a bun, and it was good.

The Queue Is Always There

The most talked-about burger in town, with a long queue outside every time. They smash the patty so the edges come out crispy, and the sauce tastes a lot like Big Mac sauce; it is very saucy. We liked it.

Our Best Breakfast in Budapest

Our first breakfast in Budapest. We ordered two breakfast plates and pancakes; the plates were generous and the eggs were cooked exactly right. After a trip round Scandinavia, the prices felt very reasonable.

• Expect a queue

Breakfast on Our Last Morning

On our last morning we did not want to go far; people told us the breakfasts here were famous, and it was very close to our apartment. We had an avocado bagel and a beef burger, both good. Our second best breakfast in Budapest, after Blueberry.

A Restaurant Inside a Garden

It was right by our apartment; we saw it and walked in, and every surface is covered in plants. We had a quinoa salad one evening and came back for breakfast another morning, with an omelette and avocado toast.

The Giant Cookies

We had spotted the queue on the way to Blueberry and put it on our list. The breakfast did not suit our taste; Blueberry is much better for that. The giant cookies were good, though; ours came cold, so ask for yours warmed.

• Ask for it warm