Best Cocktail Bars In Budapest

Normally I don’t spend enough time in a city to write about the best cocktail bars, since I normally don’t go to cocktail bars every day. However with Budapest I actually spent quite a bit of time in this beautiful city. If you are heading to the capital of Hungary and want to go out for some nice drinks, then this list of the best cocktail bars in Budapest should provide you ample information!

1. Jardin Cocktail Bar

Jardin is a hip and trendy cocktail bar located on Kazinczy street, a charming walking street lined with many pubs and restaurants. The venue is primarily a cocktail bar, although they do serve tapas from the restaurant next door if you feel like having some small bites. 

The menu features quite a few custom creations with tastes for everyone. Sweet, sour, bitter etc. I had the Passion which was a bit like a gin-passionfruit sour and Cody had the Tatted Deer which is a jagermeister based drink with raspberry and chocolate notes. Both drinks were 2700 Forints, or about $8 USD.

We also ordered some jamon croquettes which helped to balance the sweetness of our drinks. 

Location: Budapest, Dob u. 16, 1072 Hungary

2. Rumpus Tiki Bar

Ok first I’ll start off by saying Rumpus tiki bar 100% impressed me with the aesthetic. I’ve been to quite a few tiki bars, but this one is up there with the best of them. The cocktail list is massive and features plenty of classic tiki drinks along with their own creations. 

What is cool about Rumpus is each drink has not only a strength meter, but also a flavor profile. This way you know if you are ordering something that might be too strong for you. As soon as we got our first drinks, we knew immediately we were staying for another. 

At this bar I got the Mr. Rumpus and the Waikiki Punch, and Cody got the Naked Ape and the Pogo Stick. The presentation was gorgeous, the mugs divine, and the service impeccable. There’s another tiki bar in Budapest that doesn’t make my list, because frankly it would be quite hard to top Rumpus on Kiraly street.

Location: Budapest, Király u. 19, 1075 Hungary

3. Tuk Tuk Bar

Tuk Tuk is a very small, Shanghai inspired cocktail bar that is attached to the Casati hotel. Located right near Andrasy Avenue (the main street of Budapest) this bar has some very unique offerings. 

There are only 12 permanent drinks on the menu, all named after Lunar Zodiac characters. However there is also a possibility of a special menu depending on the time of year. 

Now, there are only about 5 tables so if you plan to go on a weekend you should make a reservation. We were lucky to be seated right away since we showed up quite early on a Thursday.

The drinks here are well crafted, however in my personal opinion they rely a bit too much on vodka which I tend to find quite a useless ingredient in cocktails. The two drinks we got were the Dragon (Lychee, Ginger, Chili long drink) and the Rooster (a rye and bitters drink, which to be honest I found oddly sweet).

Total price for our two cocktails was 6490 HUF (about $19 USD) including the 10% service charge. 

Location: Budapest, Paulay Ede u. 31, 1061 Hungary

4. Black Swan Labs

I know this is number four on the list, but as the list isn’t ordered from best to worst (or vice versa) it doesn’t matter. If you only go to one cocktail bar in Budapest, make sure it is Black Swan Labs. In fact, this is probably one of the best cocktail bars I’ve been to in the world, and that’s saying something. 

So much of their creations use their own distillates and tinctures, you’re guaranteed to try something you’ve never had before. In fact, there were flavor combinations I had never even thought of before. 

The prices here are quite high for Budapest, and there are only a few tables so you should absolutely make a reservation. However if you really want the best of the best, then this is where you have to go. From the creations, to the atmosphere, to the amazing service, I for one will say that the price is worth it.

We ordered four drinks here and nothing disappointed. To start with I got Greenery from the menu and Cody got a bleu cheese Negroni. Apparently they fat wash their gin with blue cheese and the drink turned out amazing. The second round had Cody get a Beauty and the Beast from the menu, which is a riff on a rum sour with poppy seed and soy sauce notes (amazing!) and I asked for something spicy – ended up with a customized drink that included smoked mezcal, pineapple cordial, and habanero jam.

After service we ended up paying around $55 for four drinks including service. You can make a reservation at their website here. 

Location: Budapest, Klauzál u. 32, 1072 Hungary

5. Hotsy Totsy

Hotsy Totsy easily makes my list of best cocktail bars in Budapest and it’s easy to see why. The creativity, service, and atmosphere are just so charming it’s hard to have a bad time. In fact, while we came with the intention of just getting one drink pre-dinner, we ended up getting two! 

The menu isn’t large, but like most top quality cocktail bars you can always just order a classic or have them make you a custom drink off menu. In fact that’s what I did for my first one since I was in the mood for something spicy. 

Hotsy Totsy is located slightly underground in what looks like a brick domed wine cellar. But the similarities end there. The banquette seating all along an entire side, cozy low sitting areas in the corners, and ample bar seating actually allow this place to get quite lively. We were lucky we came early as we didn’t have a reservation and felt lucky to get a seat.

On their main menu, all the drinks are named after unsolved murder mysteries, feeding into the 1920’s speakeasy style they seem to be going for. While I started with an off menu drink, the other 3 we got were from their custom creations, and were quite good. 

Prices are about $8 USD a cocktail including service – a very good value for a top cocktail bar in Budapest.

Location: Budapest, Síp u. 24, 1075 Hungary

Honorable Mention:

Warm Up Cocktail Bar

Warm Up is one of those trendy type cocktail bars with no menu. You just tell the bartender / server what type of flavor profile you’re looking for and they’ll make you something. To be honest I usually prefer places with specialties so I can judge the creations for what they are, but I know a lot of people like this style of cocktail bar as well. 

They advertise each drink is 10 euro, but as you pay in HUF (Forint) and the currency is quite weak it is actually more like $9 USD per drink. 

We only had one drink each, but to be honest I would like to give this bar another chance since it is entirely possible we just weren’t creative enough when ordering to taste something super amazing. I will say what we did receive was not bad at all, but did feel more like a simple mixed drink than a skillfully made cocktail.

Location: Budapest, Nagy Diófa u. 26, 1072 Hungary

Best Cocktail Bars In Budapest