Where to Find the Best Goulash in Budapest?

What you should know before you order goulash in Budapest

If you are looking for Hungarian food in Budapest, goulash is probably one of the first dishes that comes to mind. "Best goulash in Budapest" is a typical search among tourists visiting the city – but before you choose a restaurant, there is one thing to clear up: what you know as goulash abroad is not always the same as what you get in Hungary.

Real Hungarian goulash soup

In many countries, "goulash" means a thick meat stew. In Hungary, however, goulash is a hearty soup, traditionally made with beef, paprika, potatoes and vegetables.

If you are looking for a thick meat dish with paprika, you are probably thinking of pörkölt (Hungarian stew).

This is one of the most common misunderstandings about Hungarian cooking.

What makes a good Hungarian goulash?

There is no single recipe that every Hungarian family and restaurant makes exactly the same way. But there are a few things worth looking for.

A good goulash is hearty, but it is still a soup. The flavours of the meat, the paprika and the vegetables are all important, and none of them should completely take over.

And yes: after a good portion, you probably won't stay hungry.

Goulash in a bread bowl – traditional or touristy?

In Budapest, you will often see goulash soup served in a bread bowl. Goulash itself is of course much older than this way of serving it, so the bread bowl is not a required part of traditional Hungarian goulash.

But it has one big advantage: it tastes great.

The bread soaks up the flavour of the soup, and at the end you can eat the "plate" too.

At Drum Café, we also serve goulash soup in a bread bowl.

Goulash or pörkölt?

While you are in Budapest, we think you should try both.

• Goulash: a hearty Hungarian soup with beef, vegetables and potatoes.
• Pörkölt: a thicker meat dish with paprika, served with a side dish.

One of the most popular dishes at Drum Café, for example, is our Budapest-style Beef Stew, served with homemade dumplings with bacon and spring onion.

If there are more of you, the answer is simple: order both and taste each other's.

Hungarian classics →

Where to eat goulash in Budapest?

Lots of restaurants downtown serve goulash, so don't choose just because of a "traditional Hungarian" sign.

Check the menu and the prices in advance, read a few recent guest reviews, and also check whether the restaurant adds a service charge.

If you are looking for a place while sightseeing, location matters too: you don't need to travel to the other side of Budapest for a good lunch.

Goulash at Drum Café

Drum Café has been open since 2006 in downtown Budapest, at Dob utca 2, just a few steps from the Dohány Street Synagogue.

Our menu is built on Hungarian classics. You will find goulash soup in a bread bowl, several kinds of beef stew, chicken paprikash, lángos and our own Drum Café specialties.

We are open every day from 9:00 to 24:00, and there is no service charge.

So where is the best goulash in Budapest?

We won't say there is one objective answer. As with every classic dish, it depends on taste, on the recipe, and on what kind of goulash you like.

But if you are in downtown Budapest and want to try a big portion of Hungarian goulash in a friendly Hungarian restaurant that has been open since 2006, come and see us – and decide for yourself.

Drum Café – Lángos & Goulash Bar
1072 Budapest, Dob utca 2.