Where To Drink With The Locals: The 36 Best Bars In Budapest

If you'd like to escape the rowdy bachelor-party tourists in Budapest's party district but stay in the neighborhood, make your way to Fekete Kutya. Despite its location alarmingly near Kazinczy Street, the main artery of the area, Fekete Kutya somehow flies under tourists' radars and remains an unfussy bar still mainly frequented by local Millennials.

During the warmer months, people spill out to the small outdoor tables underneath the arched alley. Fekete Kutya serves excellent craft beers on draft and better-than-average bar food — the chorizo tapas is a must.

Buda is better known for its rolling hills and tranquil streets than for its lively bars. Even the denser, urban sections are short on places that are worth trekking out to from the Pest side. One of the exceptions is Nemdebár, a dim neighborhood joint drawing an eclectic local crowd of hip college students, office workers, and favorite-uncle types.

The alternative-chic bartenders serve three types of draft beers and an array of liquors while a DJ spins house, electronic, or drum and bass beats well past midnight most days. Nemdebár is located right by Széll Kálmán tér, a major transportation hub formerly called “Moscow Square” — many people still refer to it as such — so it’s easily reachable from near and far.

Eastern European bohemian-intellectual vibes ooze from Gdansk Bookstore Café, located on Bartók Béla Boulevard on the Buda side of the city. Run by a Polish native from Gdansk, the port city on the Baltic coast, and her Hungarian husband, this dim and densely furnished bar features cheap vodka selections, Polish and Hungarian craft beers, and bookshelves stacked with Polish books. You're also here for the pickled herring, delivered straight from the Baltic Sea and served with onions and rye bread. Empty tables are rare, closing times flexible, the prices wallet-friendly.

The bars in Budapest generally fall into two categories: there are low-priced, bare-bones drinking joints on the one hand, and hip cocktail, wine, or craft beer bars on the other. The in-between territory is noticeably thin: a laid-back bar to pop into after a long day’s of work for a well-deserved highball of scotch and soda. And this is what Nappali, which tranlates to "living room," excels at.

This snug place has all the components of a cozy living room — bookshelves, dense carpeting, leather armchairs, and the obligatory Thonet chairs that no self-respecting Central European household can escape. But here's the twist: there's also ceiling-high shelves packed with premium bottles of spirits, mostly whisky. Think aged single malts like Oban, Lagavulin, and Glenmorangie, but also Japanese (Nikka, Hibiki), and other rare labels. An additional perk: Nappali is tucked away on a side street, so it isn't run over by tourists of the unfavored kind.

Hintaló is an atmospheric bar located a bit outside the city center in Budapest's District 8. Apart from the low-lit, cozy interior peppered with nooks and crannies — the upstairs is ideal for date nights — you're here for classic cocktails and local craft beers. Several kinds of amaros, gins, and rums are also served. Hintaló tends to fill up most evenings with a mixed crowd of international students and locals.

The neighborhood, although rapidly developing, is different from the more touristy areas of Budapest, but this shouldn’t stop you from discovering the less-traveled sides of the city. (The lively inside is in stark contrast to the deserted backstreet where Hintaló is situated on.)

Dzzs, down the block from Kisüzem, is a tiny, high-energy bar attracting an eccentric crowd of twentysomethings. A late night here can feel like being at the house party of your coolest friend — you can meet local film directors, painters, and musicians in this snug, dim space. Unfortunately, the owners have recently jacked up the prices, leading to a rapid erosion of longtime regulars.

The interior is a mishmash of worn-out furniture and walls crowded with provocative artwork. Dzzs Bar stays open late, so this can be the place to end your late-night adventures in Budapest’s nightlife.

Located on the ground floor of a gigantic performing center for independent theater and dance troupes (Jurányi Ház), Kacagás is an unfussy bar and community space. During the day, artists from upstairs come here for meetings or to scarf down the two-course lunch prix fixe; it's after the evening shows that Kacagás reaches its full potential, when an alternative crowd of theatergoers and performers drink away happily. In the summer, the activity shifts to the spacious outdoor terrace. If you're in the area, also consider Nemdebár, a lively neighborhood bar near here.

Gólya is a bar and community center in Budapest best known for the healthy dose of anarchy that radiates through this high-ceilinged industrial space: You’ll find here left-leaning locals and foreign students who deeply care about things like gentrification, climate change, and identity politics. True to its spirit, Gólya is located a bit outside Budapest’s city center in a grittier section of District 8. The late afternoons are often taken up by panel discussions (they’re in Hungarian, but most people will also speak English). If you aren't in so high-minded a mood, trek out here for the nighttime events, which include high-energy concerts of local Hungarian bands.

Since Keret is officially a social club, you'll need to sign up and become a member, a thirty-second exercise, to gain admission to this tiny, dimly lit bar (it's free). The reason for the legal maneuvering is to allow smoking inside. The snug, smoke-filled interior evokes a Prohibition-era ambiance, where the common cause brings out the friendliest side of people. But tobacco isn't the only allure — there are cold beers, grilled sandwiches, and plenty of board games. Also note the paintings on the walls, a positive surprise compared with the check-the-box-type artwork so common in bars these days.