Budapest has a long love affair with coffee.

Coffeehouses have played an important role in the city’s cultural life for well over a century. By the early 20th century, Budapest’s cafés had become meeting places for writers, poets, artists and intellectuals – places where ideas were exchanged, magazines were edited and even poems and novels were written over endless cups of coffee.

That tradition may look a little different today, but the idea of the café as a place to meet, talk, read and spend time is still very much alive in Budapest.

From grand historic coffee houses to tiny specialty coffee shops, you could easily spend an entire weekend exploring the city one cup at a time. But if you want to go beyond the most famous tourist spots, where should you start?

We have put together five Budapest cafés that locals love too – places we genuinely love as Budapest locals and would happily recommend to a friend visiting the city.