As some of you may know, I’m recently back from a weekend in Budapest. Although sleep wasn’t much of a priority, tasting the gastronomic delights of the city definitely was! Luckily for me, the five girls I went with are just as mad about food as I am, and despite the typical dishes of Hungary being very much based on red meat, they helped me scout out the best places for plant-based eaters. Although there are a few exclusively vegan restaurants dotted around the city, I really didn’t want to force everyone else into eating the way I do, so I settled with making sure that I was well topped-up with almond milk lattes and cold-pressed juices. Since I’m barely human (or at least a lot more contrary) without my morning coffee, finding cute cafes that serve dairy-free milks and the odd vegan cake is kind of essential, and really perks up my experience of the trip.
Listed below are just a few places that we came across serving soya/almond milk coffees (I sometimes forget how lucky I am that it has become so engrained in everyday British life!)
JUICY: serving a wide selection of fresh cold-pressed juices as well as vegan smoothies bowels and raw vegan energy balls, this is a definite favourite. The only way to start the day when the traditional breakfast offering is poppy-seed or jam-filled pastries (delicious as they are). You’d also be hard ‘pressed’ (get it?) to find a better juice for this price – around £2.50, such a change from the £7 standard in London!
Dob u. 22. Budapest Hungary.
https://www.facebook.com/juicy.hu
GOAMAMA COFFEE: with an adjoining homeware store that left the whole group desperate to set up home (a slightly worrying level of domestication for a group of 23 year olds), GOAMAMA serves excellent soya lattes and flat whites. Although the cakes are not vegan-friendly, I was assured by my friends that they are worth it.
Kira’ly Utca 21, 1075 Budapest Hungary
https://www.facebook.com/Goamama-469240223115665/?fref=ts
FEKETE COFFEE: not only is the interior of Fekete sleek and stylish, but they also have an array of coffee-related products on offer, not to mention the availability of both rice and soya milk. In a very central location, this is the perfect place to stop for a flat-white, particularly if your friends are partial to pancakes.
Muzeum krt 5, Budapest Hungary
https://www.facebook.com/feketekv
Although not ‘vegan friendly’ per se, it’s definitely worth mentioning the restaurant we went to on our first night – Monk’s Bistrot, located in the historic centre of Budapest. With a more varied menu than some other restaurants, the food was fresh, beautifully presented, and accompanied with some stunning wines, all very reasonably priced. Post-dinner, I would also recommend (in addition to the ruin bars, a must-see in Buda), a little cocktail bar called WARMUP, located in the Jewish District of the city. While not as aesthetically stimulating as some of the other bars in the city, the cocktails were without a doubt some of the best I have EVER tried. Having sat down in the bar, we were immediately greeted by the mixologist, Robert, who promptly asked us all individually what flavours we liked, and what ‘base’ we would prefer. Since ingredients like milk and egg whites can sometimes slip into cocktails (goodbye my old friend, the White Russian!), I told Robert that I wanted something free from nasties and maybe coconut flavoured. What came next was honestly beyond all expectations – using the popular local ingredient of poppy seed, he created a masterpiece based on vodka and coconut puree. Needless to say one round turned into two, and if I ever go back to Budapest, I will definitely be making a return visit.
These were just a few of the places that perked up my experience of the trip. I might add, however, that the old saying, ‘the customer is always right’, doesn’t quite seem to have reached Budapest, so don’t feel disheartened if the customer service doesn’t live up to expectations.
Let me know if you want me to do a post on some of the must-do activities in the city, and of course, let me know if you visit any of these places/have anything to add to the list for next time!
Ruth x
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