Budapest Sweet & Coffeehouse Walk

This walk will take us through several neighbourhoods in central Pest, during which you will be thoroughly immersed in the two themes that pair very well together that are Hungarian sweets and traditional coffee houses. Cafés were hubs of Hungarian literary and artistic life in 20th century Budapest. They are deeply intertwined with Hungary’s history, and were vital to the city’s artistic and political circles. Though most of them were shut down during Communism, the few that remain are an important part of the city's heritage.

The stories behind Hungary’s patisseries are also fascinating and we’ll talk about the techniques used in the Hungarian pastry kitchen as well as the flavours and ingredients that show up again and again in many forms. The Hungarian kitchen has been heavily influenced by other cultures over the centuries and desserts are no exception. You’ll see and taste examples of how Hungarian desserts are continuing to evolve, while continuing to value the old traditions. There is so much more than fancy desserts to try. There are countless types of pancakes and strudel, Jewish-Hungarian sweets, fabulous creations made from marzipan, colourfully-decorated honey cakes, delicious sweet wines, and many new chocolatiers producing fine chocolates in some very Hungarian flavors. In addition to the long-time favourites, we will experience some of the more innovative sweets being made today by talented local chefs and entrepreneurs.

We’ll visit elegant cafés where influential literary reviews were edited and where some of Hungary’s greatest contemporary writers laboured. We will see a Communist-era 'presszó-style café' (more of a social club than a traditional café), as well as a contemporary café for an artisan coffee prepared by a passionate barista. By the end of this tour you will have seen some of Budapest’s most beautiful buildings, and tasted some of the best cakes and coffees in town.

Get acquainted with the both the old and new aspects of Hungarian desserts and cafés. You will not only learn about the desserts themselves, but about the places and periods of history during which they were created. You’ll get an engaging overview of Budapest’s café society, from past to present, and see how influential these grand coffee houses were in the history of Hungary and its literature. You will see some of Budapest’s most beautiful buildings, and visit at least five cafés (as well as the sites of some others which were shuttered during Communism, and never re-opened). At each stop we will taste several products which we think best represent Hungarian desserts. You’ll taste the strong coffee which has fuelled generations of Hungarian writers (or if you don’t want to get over-caffeinated, you can order something else), and you’ll start the tour with Tokaji aszú, the famous dessert wine.