Budapest has ruin bars, thermal-bath parties and a genuinely good wine scene. It also has a lot of overpriced nonsense aimed at visitors. This is the short list of what is actually worth ordering.
Start here: fröccs
A fröccs is wine with soda water, and it is what locals drink all summer. The proportions have names:
| Name | Wine | Soda |
|---|---|---|
| Kisfröccs | 1 dl | 1 dl |
| Nagyfröccs | 2 dl | 1 dl |
| Hosszúlépés | 1 dl | 2 dl |
| Házmester | 3 dl | 2 dl |
| Sportfröccs | 1 dl | 4 dl |
Order a hosszúlépés in the heat and a nagyfröccs if you want to taste the wine. It is cheap, refreshing and completely unpretentious.
Pálinka, properly
Pálinka is fruit brandy with a protected designation: it must be made in Hungary from fruit, with no added sugar, flavouring or colouring, at a minimum of 37.5% ABV. That legal definition is your best defence against tourist-trap bottles.
- Ask for kajszibarack (apricot) if it is your first time
- Szilva (plum) is deeper and spicier
- Körte (pear) is delicate and elegant
- Serve it slightly cool, never frozen — the cold kills the fruit aroma
Full details in our pálinka guide.
Unicum and the bitter tradition
Unicum is a herbal bitter at 40% ABV, produced since 1790 and sold in a distinctive round bottle. It is genuinely bitter and genuinely divisive. Drink it chilled, after a meal. If it is too much, Unicum Szilva is sweeter and plum-led. See our guide to Unicum and Hungarian liqueurs.
Wine worth your time
Skip the generic house wine and ask for a region by name:
- Dry Furmint from Tokaj — smoky, high acid, still underpriced
- Villányi Franc — Cabernet Franc that Villány has made its own
- Kékfrankos — peppery, fresh red that goes with everything
- Tokaji Aszú — the classic sweet wine, for dessert or on its own
Our Hungarian wine regions guide covers where each comes from, and Tokaji wine goes deeper on the famous one.
Craft beer
Hungary has a real craft scene now, concentrated in Budapest. Ask for kézműves sör. IPAs and sours dominate; several taprooms in districts VII and IX pour their own. Details in our Hungarian craft beer guide.
Practical notes
- Prices: away from the main tourist streets, roughly 900–1,600 HUF for a draft beer and 1,200–2,500 HUF for a decent pálinka. On the Danube promenade, expect to pay considerably more.
- Tipping: 10% is normal; check whether service is already on the bill.
- Driving: Hungary’s limit is 0.00‰. Not 0.2, not 0.5 — zero. Public transport runs late and taxis are cheap.
- Age: you must be 18 to buy or drink alcohol in Hungary.