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Cheap Eats in Budapest: Five Budget Meal Stops

By The Travel FieldbookPublished on Updated on 5 min read
Chicken paprikash with nokedli, tomatoes and pickles on a woven placemat.
Chicken paprikash served with nokedli, the small Hungarian dumplings also described as spaetzle. (Istvan Szabo · Pexels License · Edited)

Allow up to HUF 5,000 per person for one substantial savoury meal in central Pest, without alcohol. That can buy chicken paprikash with a side at Frici Papa Kifőzdéje, or a more casual order built around sausage, a filled baguette, dumplings or falafel pita. The smaller handheld choices leave more room in your budget, though they may not satisfy the same appetite as a full plate.

Choose by how you want to eat: sit down over Hungarian home-style food, eat at a standing counter, or stop for a sandwich between sights. These five places suit an inexpensive lunch or casual dinner. Their serving windows determine which occasion fits.

Budget meal choices

VenueAreaOrder to look forTypical food cost per personWeekly closing day
Frici Papa KifőzdéjeErzsébetváros, Király utcaChicken breast paprikash + nokedli (egg dumplings)HUF 4,000–4,500Sunday
Belvárosi DisznótorosInner Pest, Károlyi utcaPaprika sausage, bread, mustard + picklesHUF 2,500–4,000—
Bors GasztroBarJewish Quarter, Kazinczy utcaFrench Lady baguetteHUF 2,500–3,500—
Nokedli FactoryJewish Quarter, Dob utcaChicken paprikash with nokedliHUF 3,500–5,000—
HummusbarCentral Pest, Király utcaFalafel pitaHUF 2,000–3,000None
Rounded estimates for the named food orders, including the sides shown; drinks are extra.

Eating out need not be expensive if you choose a casual savoury meal rather than a multi-course dinner. The paprikash orders are full meals, while the baguette and pita are lighter choices. At Bors, adding soup makes the order more substantial. Extra sides, drinks and dessert increase the bill.

For a flexible small party, arrive ready to wait and choose your food before reaching the counter. Counter ordering suits a quick stop, while Frici Papa suits a seated meal. Larger groups should arrange seating in advance rather than expect to sit together on arrival.

Frici Papa Kifőzdéje

Frici Papa Kifőzdéje is the choice for a seated chicken breast paprikash meal with a separately ordered side. This home-style Hungarian canteen on Király utca in Erzsébetváros serves paprika-seasoned chicken breast. Order nokedli to turn the main into a full plate. The small egg dumplings give you something to eat with the sauce rather than leaving it behind.

Chicken breast paprikash, without a side
HUF 3,799
Nokedli side
HUF 459

The main and side are separate menu items, so say both when ordering. Mashed potatoes are another accompaniment, but nokedli keeps the meal centred on a familiar Hungarian pairing.

Shared dining tables mean you may sit close to other diners. Choose this for the food and a sit-down break, rather than a private conversation or a table all to yourselves. Dine-in and takeaway are available, and the food-service window allows both lunch and dinner.

Name
Frici Papa
Location
Budapest, Király u. 55 1077 Maps
Site
fricipapa.hu
Hours
Mon–Sat 11:00–22:00
Sun Closed
Price range
€€

The Király utca photograph is an archival street scene, not a present-day view of the restaurant. For recognising Frici Papa on arrival, use the entrance view.

Király Street in Budapest in 1929, with buildings lining the road.
Király utca, shown here in a 1929 street photograph.
Imre Kinszki · Public domain · Edited

Google Street View, 2024-06.

Belvárosi Disznótoros, Károlyi utca

Belvárosi Disznótoros on Károlyi utca suits a quick paprika-sausage meal eaten at a standing counter. The butcher-counter style makes the sausage the centre of the order, with accompaniments chosen separately. Add bread, mustard and pickles for the combination in the selection table. Crusty bread and freshly grated horseradish are another pairing the venue recommends.

Treat those additions as part of your order, not automatic extras included with the sausage. Bread makes the meal more filling, while pickles or horseradish give a sharp contrast to the meat.

This branch is in inner Pest, on Károlyi utca. Its opening window is Monday–Friday 09:00–18:00 and Saturday 11:00–17:00, making it primarily a daytime choice. Aim for lunch rather than planning a late dinner around it.

Name
Belvárosi Disznótoros – Károlyi utca
Location
Budapest, Károlyi utca 17 1053 Maps
Site
belvarosidisznotoros.hu
Hours
Mon–Sat 11:00–20:00
Sun 11:00–17:00
Price range
€

The archival photograph shows Károlyi utca in an earlier period, looking towards Irányi utca. It is a view of the street rather than today’s food counter.

Károlyi Street seen from Ferenczy István Street towards Irányi Street.
A 1973 view along Károlyi utca towards Irányi utca.
FOTO:Fortepan — ID 103734 : Adományozó/Donor: Budapest · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edited

Bors GasztroBar

Bors GasztroBar on Kazinczy utca is a compact soup-and-sandwich stop in the Jewish Quarter. Look for the French Lady baguette when you want a filled sandwich rather than a plated meal. Creative baguettes and a frequently changing soup selection give this stop its character.

The baguette is the lighter order in the table. If you want more to eat, add a soup from the day’s selection: the rotating menu makes the soup a choice to make there, rather than a fixed dish to build your visit around.

Order at the counter, choosing the baguette alone or adding a soup. This format suits a sandwich stop between sights on Kazinczy utca, without making a seated restaurant meal part of your afternoon.

Name
Bors Gastro Bar
Location
Budapest, Kazinczy u. 10 1075 Maps
Hours
Mon–Thu 11:30–21:00
Fri–Sat 11:30–22:00
Sun 11:30–21:00
Price range
€€
Kazinczy Street in Budapest.
A street view of Kazinczy utca in Budapest.
tomasz przechlewski · CC BY 2.0 · Edited

Nokedli Factory

Nokedli Factory on Dob utca in the Jewish Quarter puts dumplings at the centre of a street-food meal. Look for chicken paprikash with nokedli for a savoury order with its accompaniment. The dumplings are part of the dish you are choosing, rather than a sandwich filling or bread on the side.

Chicken paprikash usually combines chicken with a paprika-rich sauce, often finished with sour cream. Nokedli’s small, irregular pieces catch that sauce, so eat the two together. This is a choice for when you want a sauced dish rather than a handheld lunch.

Name
Nokedli Factory
Location
Budapest, Dob u. 2 1072 Maps
Hours
11:00–21:30
Price range
€€
A serving of chicken paprikash, a Hungarian dish of chicken in a paprika-rich sauce.
Hungarian chicken paprikash, a paprika-rich chicken dish.
Atilla the Great · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

Hummusbar, Király utca

Hummusbar’s Király utca branch is the choice for a falafel-filled pita with the accompaniments already inside. The menu’s filling combines falafel, hummus, Arab salad, sour cabbage and sesame sauce. That gives you a complete assembled order rather than a main to which you need to add a side.

Falafel is usually made from ground chickpeas or other pulses, shaped and fried. Hummus adds a smooth chickpea spread. The salad and sour cabbage bring contrasting textures to the pita. Choose it for a lighter savoury meal in central Pest.

Food service runs daily from 12:00–22:00. Plan this stop for lunch from midday or a casual dinner, rather than an early lunch.

Name
Hummus Bar
Location
Budapest, Király u. 8 1061 Maps
Site
hummusbar.eu
Hours
11:00–22:00
Price range
€€
A bowl of falafel.
A bowl of falafel prepared from a recipe published on Wikibooks.
EvanProdromou · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: key figures and opening hours.

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