Hungarian flavours.
Goulash soup, chicken paprikash and Hungarian wines — in a modern setting.
Hungarian flavours.
Goulash soup, chicken paprikash and Hungarian wines — in a modern setting.
We are a new-wave Budapest café and bar next to the Parliament, where international coffee culture and Hungarian gastronomy meet naturally.
Here, alongside specialty coffee and modern brunch, a good home-style goulash soup is just as self-evident as our carefully selected Hungarian wines.
Budapest’s coffee house culture is world famous — but what is truly interesting is not the past, it is how this tradition lives on today. The spirit of the great turn-of-the-century coffee houses — the long conversations, the slow afternoons, the role of a meeting place — is returning in a new form in the city’s specialty cafés, which combine the classic coffee house atmosphere with the standards of modern coffee culture.
Smúz is part of this new wave. We are not trying to copy the grand old coffee houses; we carry the same basic idea forward: we create a place worth sitting down in, spending time in, talking in — now completed by the natural meeting of carefully brewed specialty coffee and Hungarian flavours.
The proximity of the Parliament, the calm terrace atmosphere and the attentive service all serve this experience: not a rushed tourist café, but a place you long to come back to.
While writers and thinkers once sat for hours over a black coffee in the old coffee houses, today it is freelancers with laptops, friends deep in conversation and visitors discovering the city who fill our terrace — but the core experience is the same: time, space and good coffee to stop for a moment.
Alongside the international brunch dishes, two true Hungarian classics have earned their place on our menu: the traditional goulash soup and the chicken paprikash — both made daily, from a home-style recipe.
Craving something sweet? The home-made apple strudel with fresh vanilla custard is one of the most lovable pieces of the Hungarian pastry tradition.
On our wine list, alongside international bottles, the best of the Hungarian wine regions take pride of place: the dry and sweet wines of the Holdvölgy winery in Tokaj (including a classic Szamorodni), the Heimann Merlot from Szekszárd, and the sparkling wine of Kreinbacher from Somló.
If you prefer spirits, our selection also includes Unicum and Hungarian pálinka — from sour cherry to apricot.
The essence of Hungarian hospitality is that a meal is rarely just a meal — it is much more an occasion for spending time together. You can feel this attitude on the Smúz terrace: goulash soup or chicken paprikash is not a quick fix, but a dish worth eating slowly, over conversation, just as we would at home.
Many of our guests say they stay longer than they had originally planned — and that is exactly what we aim for. Our goal is not to serve you as fast as possible, but to leave time to sit down, taste, and experience a genuine Budapest mood, whether over a coffee or a glass of Hungarian wine.
If you arrive as a group, the goulash soup and the chicken paprikash are also great for sharing — just as they would be at a Hungarian family table. The view of the Parliament from our terrace adds to this experience — not a moment that hurries you, but one that invites you to stop, where the conversation matters at least as much as the food.
If you are curious about our full daily offering, see our Café next to the Parliament page, or discover our specialty coffees too. You can read more about our international brunch dishes here.
If this is your first visit and you are curious about Hungarian flavours, here is a simple suggestion. Start with a specialty coffee to tune into the place, then try the goulash soup or the chicken paprikash — both are a perfect, no-fuss introduction to Hungarian cuisine.
A glass of Hungarian wine — whether from Holdvölgy in Tokaj or Heimann in Szekszárd — pairs beautifully with both dishes, and it is a good excuse to ask our waiters about the wine regions. To finish, the apple strudel with fresh vanilla custard is the best choice.
There is no need to hurry: sit down on our terrace, enjoy the closeness of the Parliament, and let the experience unfold on its own. If you can, choose the early afternoon hours — the terrace is calmer then, and our waiters have more time to tell you about the wines and the dishes in detail.
And if you are then in the mood for more Budapest experiences, see what we offer for the rest of the day.
We are a new-wave Budapest café and bar where, alongside specialty coffee and modern brunch, a few true Hungarian classics — goulash soup, chicken paprikash — have also earned their place on the menu.
No, it is made to the traditional, moderately spiced recipe.
Our wine list features, among others, bottles from Holdvölgy in Tokaj, Heimann in Szekszárd and Kreinbacher in Somló, alongside international wines.
It is not compulsory, but recommended at weekends and at dinner time.
Book a table today and taste how international coffee culture meets Hungarian gastronomy at Smúz. If you are curious about our full food and drinks menu, you will find it here.