Best of the best – 7 Michelin Star Restaurants in Budapest

First in the line – Costes

Let’s start our list with the first Budapest restaurant that received a Michelin star, back in 2010. This minimalist and elegant restaurant earned its star under the management of Portuguese chef Miguel Rocha Vieira. Senior Vieira has used his knowledge of Portuguese cuisine to add exciting touches to modern Hungarian dishes. The specialties you should definitely try are the Marinated duck liver with red cabbage and apple, the Pigeon with coffee and beetroot, and the Chocolate and peanuts and pomegranate. You should also definitely try their wine cellar, as they serve more than 30 types of wines from Hungary and all around the world.

The cooler little brother – Costes Downtown

Costes Downtown is the cool little brother of Costes – same family, same quality, different approach. Located on the ground floor of Hotel Prestige, it offers a friendlier and more relaxed service to their guests. The interior design is modern and clean with wooden tables, pastel colors, and a green wall inside. Costes Downtown was awarded by a Michelin star in 2016, also under the wings of Miguel Rocha Vieira.  Their menu was built around healthy eating and the support of small family farms of Hungary. If you come to visit, you shouldn’t miss one of their specialties, the Rainbow trout with kohlrabi and butter sauce, or the Dark chocolate mousse with paprika and rosemary. Good to know: they serve breakfast every weekday and offer tasting menus for the curious ones.

Opening hours:  Tue-Sat 12:00-15:00, 18:30-23:00

Transylvania on your plate – Babel

Our third Michelin star restaurant on the list was built on exclusivity and tradition, as demonstrated by their limited seating capability (only 12 tables), and their cuisine which boasts Transylvanian roots (a beautiful mountainous territory which was formerly part of Hungary and now belongs to Romania). The chef, István Veres has reimagined his childhood dishes to create something entirely fresh out of Transylvanian kitchen. The design of the Michelin star restaurant is a strange mixture of old and new (they’ve kept the original walls showing the marks of the Great Flooding of Pest in 1938), embodying the same spirit their food stands for. You can taste the specialties in 5 or 10-course tasting menus, and for some extra dough, you can have a taste of their wine collection counting 200 Hungarian brands. 

Meet the celebrity chefs – Stand

Stand earned its Michelin star in 2019, less than a year after its opening. The predecessor of this project was Stand 25 Bisztró, an all-around success that brought the chef duo, Szabina Szulló and Tamás Széll undying fame. The name of Tamás Széll was already known before, as he and his national team won one the most prestigious gastronomic competitions, the Bocuse d’Or in 2016. The superior Stand experience is ensured by local ingredients, eye-catching interiors with a glass walled kitchen, master chefs, and awesome food. You can choose between 6 and 8 courses and vegan tasting menus, which they combine according to your taste. Do not miss the Sterlet sturgeon with clam sauce and cucumber, the Venison with cherry, potatoes and barbeque jus, or a reimagined Hungarian classic, the Somlói sponge cake.

Top-class wine dinner encounter – Borkonyha

Another celebrity chef, Ákos Sárközy orchestrates the operations of Borkonyha (Winekitchen), another Michelin star restaurant in Budapest. Despite the name it’s not only strong in wines but scrumptious dishes as well. This laid-back style restaurant lays next to St. Stephen’s Basilica and doesn’t put as heavy emphasis on Hungarian traditions as the others. Their fine dining experience is perfected by expertise and creative plate designs rich in vibrant colors. The foie gras with Tokaji aszú (world-famous, sweet Hungarian wine) is the signature dish of this Michelin star restaurant – it’s been on the menu since the opening in 2010! The 5-course degustation menu is clearly the star of their food offering which can be accompanied with a wine package, giving you access to more than 200 different wines. 

The bilingual lovechild – essência

2021 was an eventful year for the Michelin star scene of Budapest. The one and only two Michelin star restaurant, Onyx, lost all its stars, while two other venues were rewarded by the illustrious title. One of them is essência, a Portuguese-Hungarian fusion restaurant owned by a lovely married couple who took their childhood gastro-experiences and turned them into a casually elegant, Michelin-star-worthy encounter. Unlike most venues on our list, they do not only offer á la carté and dinner menus, but lunch meals too! This means you can taste some of the award-winning food for only 4000 HUF (2 courses) or 5500 HUF (3 courses) during lunchtime. Although, the stars are clearly the dinner meals, e.g. Octopus with beluga lentils and tomato salsa or Mangalica (thick furred Hungarian pig breed) with coriander „açorda” and clams. Sit at the front and you can watch your food being made through a glass wall, too! 

Opening hours:  Wed-Sat – 12.00-15.00 18.00-22.00

Where herbs are handpicked by the chef – Salt

Budapest’s other newly Michelin star awarded restaurant as of 2021 is Salt. Well-known chef, Szilárd Tóth characterized the spirit of this venue. According to their website, he handpicks the herbs and wild plants himself and all the poultry products come from his family meat manufactory. Fresh and local ingredients, locally baked bread, fermented wonders, and a friendly atmosphere await everyone who visits Salt. The roots of their meals come from Hungarian traditions but the classic recipes were given an extra twist. Besides food, another unique aspect of this Michelin star restaurant is the layout of the dimly lit room: the chef’s table is in the center of everything, giving guests a rare opportunity to witness the final part of the cooking process. Moreover, the Chef and the restaurant owner often serve food themselves!