Description: If doctors prescribed confectionary for ailments, Ruszwurm would be the number one pharmacy in Budapest. Dispensing row after row of sumptuous cakes, the glass cases in this coffeehouse would tempt the strictest of dieters.
Ruszwurm is a top recommendation in every guidebook. It is the oldest confectionary shop in Budapest and they still know how to produce outstanding cakes and pastries. In addition, it’s on the doorstep of Buda’s most popular sights Matthias Temple and the Fishermen’s Bastion so the tourist draw is inevitable.
The shop opened its doors back in 1827 and parts of the original cherrywood counter are still in place. Now run by the Szamos family, Ruszwurm only offers home-made cakes, preserving the traditions of its founder Ferenc Schwabl and the Ruszwurm family who ran the shop between 1884-1922.
We were lucky that late on a Saturday morning, Ruszwurm had a few empty tables. We took a seat in the back room by the net-curtained window and were promptly given a menu by a sobre-tempered waitress. The petite round tables had the same cherrywood finish as the front counter and were decorated with a single off-white lace doily. Across from us was an olive-striped banquette. The furniture looked somewhat worn and in keeping with the medical theme, I felt like I was in a doctor’s waiting room from a bygone era.
Our cappuccino and Americano coffees were delivered swiftly along with the standard shot glass of drinking water. While the decision had been near impossible to make, we plumped for a raspberry slice and the house special: the Ruszwurm Cream Pastry. The cakes arrived in all their glory and I pondered, although not for long, how to break into the tower of cream sandwiched between two thin pastry squares. The cream, which constituted about 90% of the cake, was unsurprisingly rich with hints of vanilla custard in its mousse-like texture. The raspberry slice was a bit more modest but equally delicious. While the cakes were beautiful to look at it didn’t take us long to destroy both.
We paid about £4.88 for the two coffees and cakes, which given the location and the quality of the food and drink seemed very reasonable. The service wasn’t as friendly as we had experienced in the coffeehouses of Pest but it was fast and again, their command of English was 200% better than my Hungarian.
If you want to whet your appetite before you go, look at their very informative website: www.ruszwurm.hu, which also includes photographs of some of their top fare. I’ve read that it is usually difficult to get a seat in Ruszwurm but I would implore anyone to get a cake to go if you’re not able to eat in. Just be sure to grab a big stack of napkins if you opt for the Ruszwurm Cream Pastry.
2 x coffees and 2 x cakes = 1,680 HUF (£4.88)
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