GASTRONOMY The best European cities for food lovers revealed

gastronomy

BUDAPEST AMONG EUROPE'S BEST BRUNCH AND CAFE CAPITALS

THE BEST EUROPEAN CITIES FOR FOOD LOVERS REVEALED Athens has the highest-rated brunches, though Budapest is also among the best European capitals for generous late morning meals – reveals a recent study by Uswitch, a United Kingdom-based price comparison service and switching website. The research was investigating 47 million user reviews from a reputable restaurant review site of more than 235,000 restaurants with four stars or more, across each European capital. To uncover the best city to enjoy an alfresco brunch this summer, the analysis structured and examined data collected in September 2021. The results yielded interesting outcomes for the best-rated and cheapest brunch, vegetarian and fast-food restaurants and pubs in European capitals.

Athens, the absolute winner

Offering more than 1,100 restaurants, the Greek capital ranks first in the categories of vegetarian, café, pub, fast food and brunch ratings. Moreover, the seaside city is not a place where you have to dig deep into your pockets compared to other European cities. The average price of a brunch is just EUR 16.66, the third cheapest of all capitals analyzed. Besides Budapest, Zagreb, Valletta and Lisbon are also among the most highly rated cities. All scored close to the maximum in the analysis, which included the locations, the cuisine, the food on offer and the user reviews of restaurants. Zagreb takes second place but despite the flattering customer reviews, the average price for a meal in the Croatian capital costs almost twice as much as in Athens, EUR 32.48. Valletta, the capital of Malta, came third for its brunch restaurants. In addition, the Mediterranean city took the top spot for vegetarian restaurants and pub ratings as well. However, average prices are higher than in Athens or Budapest, EUR 23.55. Valletta is followed by the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, with more than 2,000 restaurants available – ranking it the 6th city with the most available restaurants in the study-, is also reasonably cheap; a meal costing EUR 20.48 on average.

Budapest: among the best and cheapest cafes and brunches

Budapest ranked 10th with the best brunch spots in Europe, but the Hungarian capital not only excels in brunch restaurants but cafés too, the fifth-highest of all European capitals analyzed. The city, with 993 restaurants available in the research, is not only one of the brunch capitals of Europe but also the fourth cheapest of all European cities of the study. A brunch in Budapest is almost three-quarters cheaper than in Copenhagen. It will set you back at just EUR 17.92. Although Budapest didn't score as highly in the fast-food category as in the other categories, it still beats Helsinki, Dublin, Luxembourg, Madrid, Brussels and Stockholm. The Hungarian capital was rated behind Bratislava, Prague, Riga, Lisbon and 12 other cities in the pub's category, yet it scored better in the vegetarian evaluation, coming 12th right after Vilnius and ahead of cities such as Amsterdam, Paris or Rome.

Bratislava, the cheapest capital

The Slovakian capital is the cheapest place in the old continent when it comes to restaurants. In the city, placed seventh-best in the brunch rating, a meal costs an average of EUR 16.42, 76% cheaper than Copenhagen and 73% cheaper than Stockholm. The average cost of a brunch in a city in the ranking is therefore very different, with a gap of EUR 51.47 between the cheapest and the most expensive places.

Copenhagen and Stockholm - the most expensive cities

The average meal prices in the two northern capitals are quite different from the rest of the field, coupled with the low number of restaurants available. Nevertheless, it is not reflected in the scores, although neither city scores particularly well. The highest rating of Copenhagen is in the brunch category, two places behind Budapest in the ranking, coming to 13th place. Meanwhile, Stockholm received its highest scores for cafe services and finished far from the front, just ahead of the last city, Madrid.