Our Story

The Story of Drum Café

A family business in the heart of Budapest since 2006

The Drum Café story began in 2006, when Zsolt Bátkay and his wife, Éva, opened their own family business on Dob Street. Back then Drum started out as an internet café — but the idea of their own Hungarian restaurant was there from the very beginning.

As Budapest changed and our guests' tastes changed with it, Drum Café kept evolving too. The internet café eventually became the place you know today: a relaxed, friendly restaurant where the classics of Hungarian cooking are what land on the table.

Behind the kitchen

The Drum Café menu is Zsolt Bátkay's work. Zsolt is a chef and master chef who earned his experience not only in Hungary but in Spain and the United States as well.

The traditions of Hungarian cooking are the foundation, but he's always loved trying new things. So alongside the classic goulash, stew, chicken paprikash and lángos, his own ideas have made their way onto the menu.

The Black Lángos, the Lángos Burger, the Lángos Lasagne — dishes that by now belong to Drum Café and nowhere else.

More than 20 years on Dob Street

The neighbourhood has changed enormously over the past two decades. New restaurants have opened, and lángos and goulash have become some of the tastes that food-loving tourists come to Budapest for.

We, meanwhile, have stayed right where we are.

Today more than 95% of our guests come from abroad, and we're especially proud that so many of them find us by word of mouth. Some come back to us again and again; others arrive already looking for Drum Café, on a friend's recommendation.

What we'd rather not overcomplicate

Drum Café never set out to be a fine dining restaurant. We want to run a place that feels good to sit down in, where you're welcomed warmly, where the food is tasty and filling, and where the prices stay friendly too.

In fact, we've been saying it very simply for a long time now:

Good food. Big portions. Fair prices.