These Are The 3 Best Chimney Cakes in Budapest That Are Worth Every Calorie
An open letter to Chimney Cakes: gosh, I just love you. The end.
But seriously, chimney cakes and amazing wine are pretty much the two main reasons that Caleb and I lived in Budapest for a while. The smell of sugary-cinnamony-goodness roasting on every street corner is something that we really miss! As locals, we had time to find the best chimney cakes for you to eat.
We tasted everything from amazing, soft cakes to hard-as-rock cakes that were a total waste of calories, and we don’t want that for you! Just because you’ll find them everywhere doesn’t mean you should eat them everywhere! So, in this guide, we’re sharing our top 3 picks to ensure your mouth is only filled with the best of the best. Let’s dig in!
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Quick Navigation: 🥇 #1 Pichler // 🥈 #2 Kiraly Kalacs // 🥉 #3 Molnars
First, what is a chimney cake?
A chimney cake, or Kürtöskalács in Hungarian, is a crispy-yet-fluffy cake that is made of a simple, sweet dough, rolled in sugar, wrapped around a spit, and baked over charcoal. It’s then rolled in a coating of your choice, like vanilla, chocolate, or, most traditionally, cinnamon. ←That one is our favorite! It tastes like a crispy cinnamon roll.
IMPORTANT: it can be hard to find them baked over charcoal these days because the government doesn’t allow open charcoal flames indoors. Hmm, wonder why? I couldn’t see how that could go wrong, could you? 😅
This chimney-shaped treat is a traditional dessert in Hungary. They originated in Transylvania (Romania), but they’re now celebrated as the oldest pastry in Hungary!
Did Dracula eat chimney cakes? One of life’s great mysteries.🕵️♂️
IMPORTANT: There Are Places You Should Not Eat Chimney Cakes. Full Stop.
We know how it goes because it happened to us: you’re strolling through the streets of Budapest so happy that you’re in such a beautiful city, and then it happens: you stop dead in your tracks as the smell of cinnamon and sugar punches you right in your nose.
YOU NEED WHATEVER THAT IS RIGHT. NOW.
Except…you don’t. Because it’s *likely* a little hut on the sidewalk selling old, hard, and not-as-delicious chimney cakes. Yes, they’re cheap, but we have found them to not be as delicious as going to a real chimney cake shop. These are NOT places to eat in Budapest.
So, a Budapest food tip is to avoid these places, as well as avoid the shops in the metro, and use your calories for the BEST chimney cakes. RESIST THE URGE.
🥇 Our Top Pick: Gelateria Pichler Fagyizó – Fluffy, Pistachio Goodness
If you are like me and would eat a shoe if you covered it in pistachios, this is THE SPOT for you and you must plan it into your Budapest trip. Pichler specializes in chimney cakes filled with PISTACHIO CREME. You can get their cakes SMEARED with the pistachio version of Nutella and then rolled in pistachios or cinnamon sugar.
And they don’t go easy on the pistachio creme. Be still my hungry heart. 🤤
The cakes are baked when you order them, so you have to wait 10 minutes, but that’s what makes them the best chimney cakes in Budapest. Although, we felt it was almost a crime to make us sit and wait and smell the cakes being made for that long.
It was worth it in the end, though, because the cakes were HUGE – perfect to share as a couple – crispy on the outside and super fluffy on the inside, and loaded with pistachio! We got our rolled-in pistachios, too, instead of cinnamon and sugar, and we did wish we had gone for the cinnamon sugar variation to add a little more sweetness.
Other flavor options include: the traditional cinnamon sugar with no creme, Nutella, and even a cinnamon sugar chimney cake cone stuffed with hot fruit like apples or blueberry lemon. You could even get them stuffed with gelato.
PRO TIP: We don’t recommend stuffing chimney cakes with ice cream/gelato. We found the cold ice cream makes the warm cake harder and not as enjoyable! But, you do you!
The inside does have a few seats if you want to stay and eat, but it’s mostly counter seating, and it gets crowded, so you may have to eat outside, or take it as a quick breakfast/brunch on the go. Just as an FYI!
Prices: Around 2000 HUF ($6 USD)
Website: pichlerbudapest.com
Opening times: 10am – 10pm Monday through Friday
Address: Budapest, Kossuth Lajos u. 4, 1053 Hungary
🥈 Our Second Pick: Kiraly Kalacs Kürtőskalács – Simple, Sweet and Spiced
This teeny-tiny little blue chimney cake shop in Budapest is so small it only fits one guy inside making fresh-at-order chimney cakes. You might miss it; it’s so small, so just look for the aqua store facade!
Like Pichler, they are baked fresh, so you have to wait 10 minutes, which is a little awkward inside the closet-sized store, but whatever. The chimney cakes here were HUGE and so fresh and hot that I could barely hold the bag for quite some time!
The outside was crispy, and the inside was so pillowy and soft and there was a little hint of nutmeg that played nicely with the traditional cinnamon/sugar combo we got! You could also get options like vanilla, coconut, walnut, etc.
We did wish there were a TOUCH sweeter, which is why it’s second on our list. It is the cheapest on the list, though – half the price of the other two! If the cost of your trip is on your mind, this is the spot for you!
Prices: 1000 HUF ($3 USD)
Opening times: 11am – 8pm Monday through Friday
Address: Budapest, Király u. 57, 1077 Hungary
🥉 Our Third Pick: Molnár’s kürtőskalács – Good, But Maybe Not Fresh
If you Google “best chimney cakes in Budapest,” this is probably the one that comes up. It’s in the main tourist districts, is the most “known” and most touristy, but there were quite a few locals when we went in as well. I went up and ordered, and he immediately gave me one that was already pre-baked and wrapped in a bag, which is what I want when I bring it home as a souvenir – not when I want to eat it NOW.
I felt a little like I got a “tourist special,” TBH. 😓
I asked him if I could get a warm one, and he agreed. So, if this happens to you, don’t just take it! Make sure to ask for a fresh one because the taste difference is night and day!
They were light and crispy, and the inside was pretty dense and soft and chewy (in a good way), and the cinnamon sugar was perfect. However, we couldn’t put our finger on it, and it was just a slight step down from the first two on our list.
You can also get them filled with ice cream here too, but we really do think it’s best unadulterated. Although that seems like a very strong word for ice cream. 😅
SOMETHING TO LOVE: This spot is more of an actual sit-down cafe, which is nicer than the other two. You can get a coffee and enjoy your chimney cake leisurely!
Prices: 2000 HUF ($6 USD)
Opening times: 9am – 8pm Monday through Friday
Website: kurtoskalacs.com
Address: Budapest, Váci u 31, 1052 Hungary
for a unique experience…
If you want to bring chimney cakes home with you, we recommend taking this fun chimney cake-baking class! You’ll learn how to make 3 kinds of cakes and it’s a unique thing to do in the city to create some memories…and eat a lot of chimney cake!
>> click here to check reviews, prices and availability <<
Map Of Chimney Cake Goodness
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Chimney cakes are a must-try when you visit Budapest, and we hope this little guide helps you find the best, fluffiest, spicy-sweet little cakes of your dreams! It’s one of the main foods we miss from when we lived in Budapest, and we know you will love them too! If you have any questions, or if you try any of the shops, let us know in the comments!
Now that you have your chimney cakes sorted, you have to know where to eat traditional Hungarian main dishes! Check out our ultimate guide to the best Hungarian restaurants in Budapest!
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