Jég Büfé

Ferenciek tere
Pest Centre, V, Ferenciek tere (M3), 0min

For coffee, cakes, waffles or ice cream on the run, Jég Büfé is both functional and reassuringly Hungarian.

This is not a cafe; you can’t sit down, for one. The more leisurely customers stand at the window counters, enjoying a refuelling of coffee and cake. That’s exactly what this is: a human pit stop. And since Ferenciek tere is a busy transport hub, it’s also a great place for people-watching.

As with that other Hungarian institution, the Hentes, you have to decide what you want, remember the name, pay at the cash desk and then take your receipt back to the counter to claim what you bought. Time to put your pronunciation to the test! (God knows what happens if you choose the last piece of chocolate cake and someone else claims it while you’re busy paying at the till – comments encouraged.)

There are plenty of sit-down cafes in the immediate vicinity so if you want to relax, there’s no need to compromise. However, Jég Büfé is convenient and cheap, so if you’ve just got twenty minutes to kill, it’s ideal.