There are as many types of museums as there are tastes. When we talk about museums, almost instantly, we think of impressive realistic paintings or abstract paintings that make our imagination fly.

But there is more, much more than you can imagine. If you are one of those people who, when you arrive at a new place, look for a restaurant and order the most typical and best-selling dish of the place, this is for you.

Join us on this tour of the best food and drink museums in Budapest. These are not just any food and drink, but real institutions within the country and the local culture.

Food & Drinks Museums in Budapest

Although we are talking about museums, in reality in the vast majority of cases they are museums that have experiences and activities to involve visitors and make them better understand the whole process of the creation of the product. In most museums, they also have a factory where the product is produced and then distributed throughout the country.

House of Unicum (Unicum Haz)

Dandár u. 1, 1095

Have you tried Unicum yet? The only excuse for the answer being no is that you haven’t set foot in Budapest yet. Otherwise, run to your favourite dingy bar and ask for it.

You could say that, next to Pálinka, it’s the national drink and be warned, you’re going to be seeing a lot of it. All those crosses you see are not just from pharmacies. This herb and spice liqueur from the Carpathians is a favourite in everyday Hungarian life.

It is used as a digestive to make a hearty meal easier to digest, to celebrate good news and even to cure a cold. Just as you read it, in fact, its creation was intended to relieve a monarch’s stomach ache. So he who has a Unicum, has a remedy and has a friend.

This museum is more than a museum, it is an institution. Here you can learn all about the history and curiosities of the famous liqueur, as well as see the creation process, the techniques and even take part in a tasting session. Don’t forget to stop by the shop to bring back a souvenir for those waiting for you at home.

Pálinka Museum Budapest

Király u. 20, 1061

We had already mentioned that the Pálinka rivalled the Unicum to see which of the two is the national drink par excellence. But this is a matter of the drinker’s taste, and being objective on this subject is very difficult, so we’ll leave it at a technical draw.

If you have already visited some of the best museums in Budapest, be they art or history museums, and now you think of this one as another majestic museum with a neo-classical façade and endless staircases, think again. Because you haven’t thought it through.

In fact, it has more strange elements that, a priori, you wouldn’t find in a regular museum, such as a kitchen, where you can sample everything from the most traditional Hungarian cuisine to its most avant-garde gastronomic inventions, to a bar.

I don’t think it’s necessary to talk about the wide range of Pálinka you can find here, is it? The museum itself is a small space where the complete history of this national liqueur is told in detail.

As well as the history, you’ll see the tools and machinery needed to create it and understand the processes involved. So, remember, great liquor, humble museum, fantastic cuisine and unbeatable bar. That’s what you’ll find.

Chocolate Museum (Szamos Csokoládé Múzeum)

Kossuth Lajos tér 10, 1055

The time has come. For all those who wondered if what they had heard about Hungarian chocolate was true, here is the answer. This sweet temptation is loved by a large part of the population and Hungary produces some of the best chocolate in Europe.

So if you wanted to visit the city’s best museums and chocolate is one of your great passions, or weaknesses, this stop is essential on your route through Budapest.

In this museum you will learn all about the process of creating chocolate bars, as well as all the different types of chocolate, the machinery and the techniques that make this sweet product so special in Hungary.

But don’t think you’ll be left wanting to try it. Its impressive 1920s shop, as well as taking hundreds of photos, welcomes visitors looking for a different kind of souvenir to take home. If the souvenir makes it home without being attacked.

Find out about all their activities on their website or stop by the museum or the shop to find out when you can join a chocolate tasting group. The perfect end to a day in Budapest.