Ok, there are moments where we don’t care about the company we’re in because there’s a slice of happiness in front of us. This is not exaggeration because as soon as sugar hits our system our dopamine levels rise which in turn creates a feeling of happiness. Thus we set out to find the 5 best confectioneries in the city and we recommend them all to you, dear reader while we sit here and sample, hum, and feel happy with ourselves. Of course it’s always good to expand our horizon with new places put this time we stuck to the good old top 5 format.

Asztalka

A fabled place that’s thought to be hidden, but if we find it once we will always find our way back here. It’s only a short walk from the Tabán or the Castle, but it’s also easy to get to if we find ourselves near Gellért Mountain or the Southern Railway Station. Or basically anywhere in the city will seem close enough once we try their sugary treats. We should give ourselves at least an hour here. We not only say this because of their light spongy cakes, hot chocolates, or cookies, but because of the marvelous décor that could easily be a part of a movie that takes place in the 19th century. Oh, and by the way: tonka bean and chestnut tarte!

Photo: www.asztalkacukraszda.hu

Erdős és fiai Cukrászda

The location of this confectionary is not too picturesque, and it’s a little bit off the beaten path, but its amazing display of ice creams is very attractive in the summer. There are some things that make us come back every time, like their cheesy scones and their intoxicating “winter ice cream”. The latter is an ice cream cone filled with heavy cream or chocolate parfait dipped in chocolate. We kept is for two days and it lost nothing of its flavors. And of course, there are always classic cold ice creams here even if it’s freezing outside. We can only hope that the pumpkin seed, the pistachio and the “Erdős” flavors will be on the menu forever.

Photo: Erdős és fiai Cukrászda // Facebook

Édesem

Be it lifestyle or women’s, business or gastronomy, there’s not a magazine that didn’t already write about Szonja Márk’s story. She had to change professions and cherish her dream of a pastry shop for a long time before getting there. And we’re glad she went down this road because now we can also be part of her dream. At least on the consumer side. The main theme of the place is the unique and the fresh because here you will only find sweets that she felt like making that day. Oh, and her sweets are subject to availability. Avocado chocolate cake? Matcha tea almond cake with white chocolate cream and raspberry? You know you’re in the right place!

Photo: Édesem // Facebook

Naspolya Nassolda

Full of surprises and irregular solutions. We could start with the seasonal superstars but we instead opt for the special kale chips while standing at the counter of the Nassolda that became famous thanks to its gluten, milk, and sugar-free products. And we still can’t order the cake we want because of the distractions like the dates with tonka beans, the salted caramel truffle, or the Goji berry buckwheat cookies. The place is dog-friendly and it has a swing made of reclaimed wood inside, which is great for contemplating on the merits of vegan life.

Photo: Naspolya Nassolda // Facebook

Opera Café Budapest

This pastry shop firmly believes in the classics and will have 8 to 10 types of cakes on offer any time. It’s the perfect place to visit after going to the theater because they’re open until midnight. Apart from the salted caramel, or the Opera cake you’ll also find some gluten free sweets too, like the Eszterházy. The artistic surroundings are a given. It’s a great place to take a rest while walking around the city and the tourists who come here know this as well. But we have an advantage as locals and can plan ahead with our visit. It can also serve as home base for Christmas shopping trips.

Photo: Opera Café // Facebook

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Our selections are not top lists in the strictest of sense. We don’t declare any place to be the best, we merely list them in alphabetical order and present them as editorial choices. This is a constantly growing industry and we could easily put another list of 5, 10 or 20 next to any ones we already have. But we don’t want to overwhelm anyone so from time to time we’ll come back to various topics we already wrote about, so don’t worry, there’ll be more confectionary recommendations to come!