Budapest on a plate: Kimpton BEM Budapest Introduces a New Chapter in the City’s Culinary Story

Budapest on a plate: Kimpton BEM Budapest Introduces a New Chapter in the City’s Culinary Story

In a city ranked as Europe’s most authentic food destination, earning an impressive score of 98/100 in a survey by SAGA, Kimpton BEM Budapest has quickly established itself as one of Budapest’s standout new launches, attracting both locals and travellers with its strong culinary credentials. On the Buda side of the Danube, Executive Chef Attila Fehèr leads the hotel’s three dining concepts, AGOS, Bar HUSO, and FENNEN Rooftop Bar, where Hungarian heritage is reimagined through a fresh Mediterranean lens. AGOS has already been recognised with two Toques by Gault&Millau and secured its position among the Top 35 Restaurants in Hungary, underscoring the hotel’s rapid rise in Budapest’s competitive dining scene, only one year after it opened. 

A Chef Rooted in Heritage

After more than a decade in Europe’s most esteemed kitchens, from The Berkeley to The Savoy in London, Attila Fehèr returned home to Budapest to shape a cuisine that balances locality with innovation. His flagship restaurant AGOS reimagines Hungarian flavours through a Mediterranean lens, using local produce and blending traditional recipes with Fehèr’s creativity. 

“For me, the goal is to dress Hungarian traditions in Mediterranean attire without either culture losing its soul” Fehèr reflects. Dishes such as Venison Wellington, with Hungarian game and forest mushrooms, or Smoked Goat’s Cheese Panna Cotta, embody this philosophy. Each creation, from Lescó-Gazpacho to Bakonyi Mangalica, pays homage to regional ingredients while also showing an open-minded approach to new and exciting developments in the kitchen.

A Circular Approach to Cooking

Fehèr’s kitchen gives new purpose to ingredients that are often overlooked. For example, the used coffee grounds are dried and donated to the local grower to be used for cultivating shiitake mushrooms, which are then used in dishes at the AGOS restaurant. The remaining grounds become compost for local vegetable farmers. 

Even ash from the restaurant’s charcoal grill is also returned to the soil and used by local farmers to enrich their crops, closing the loop between land and table. 

Three Venues, One Philosophy

Each of Kimpton BEM Budapest’s dining concepts tells a different story within a shared ethos of locality and creativity : 

• AGOS: Mediterranean–Hungarian signature dining, led by an award-winning Executive orChef Attila Fehér, with a focus on seasonal produce and local sourcing. Recently ranked among the Top 35 Restaurants in Hungary, AGOS showcases craftsmanship and contemporary flavour through a menu that spans traditional Hungarian dishes such as Wild Boar Goulash to Mediterranean favourites including Paella. 
• Fennen Rooftop Bar & Garden: Rooftop lounge with panoramic city views, serving small plates and signature cocktails from the Pistachio Paradox (dark rum, pistachio and heavy cream) to Bitter Harmony, a tribute to Budapest made with Unicum Riserva, sweet and dry vermouth, and orange bitter. Open year-round with a curated selection of aged rums and Japanese whiskeys.
• Bar Huso: A sophisticated lobby bar and vibrant social hub of Buda, featuring award-winning mixologists, open daily till late, often hosting DJ nights.

Ends

Editors notes

Rates at Kimpton BEM Budapest start from € 200 per night. The rate is based on double occupancy. For more information, visit https://kimptonbembudapest.com/ 

About Kimpton BEM Budapest

The opening of Kimpton BEM Budapest in September 2024 marked Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’ first boutique luxury hotel in Hungary and their first property in Eastern Europe. Set within a restored 19th-century mansion on the Buda side of the Danube, the 127-room property – including 8 suites – has been designed by Dutch visionary Marcel Wanders (one of just ten fortunate hotels he’s designed in the last two decades of his career, with Kimpton BEM Budapest being his final project). The hotel’s interiors draw inspiration from Hungarian folklore and yet are contemporary in design, with features ranging from upside-down egg-shaped reception desks to a glass atrium showcasing a golden stag.

 Kimpton BEM Budapest offers views across the river to some of the city’s most iconic landmarks and places guests within easy reach of the UNESCO-listed Castle District, Fisherman’s Bastion, and Budapest’s famed bathing culture. Three inventive dining concepts form part of the experience, underpinned by a strong sustainability ethos that incorporates energy-efficient systems, waste reduction measures, and a commitment to local sourcing. Their restaurant AGOS has been awarded two Toques by Gault&Millau, and is amongst the Top 35 Restaurants in Hungary. Wellness is also central to the hotel, with a tranquil spa and treatments influenced by the city’s thermal history and heritage.

As part of IHG’s Low Carbon Pioneer program, Kimpton BEM Budapest leads the way in sustainable hospitality with energy-efficient systems, eco-certified suppliers, and a deep commitment to local sourcing and environmental responsibility. They have also been awarded One MICHELIN Key in 2025 and have been chosen as Tripadvisor’s number one Luxury Hotel in Hungary.

The Kimpton group has around 79 hotels currently open globally. With two hotels opening in 2025, Kimpton Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with 471 rooms, and Kimpton Sicily, Italy, which is opening late 2025.

With more exciting new openings happening in 2026:

• Kimpton Era Midtown New York, USA – 529 rooms
• Kimpton Bali Ubud, Indonesia – 101 rooms
• Kimpton Dubai, UAE – 280 rooms
• Kimpton Quinta da Marinha Cascais, Portugal

Press kit available to download here.

@kimptonbembudapest | @agos.restaurant | @barhuso | @fennen.skybar 

UK Press Enquiries:

Charlotte Williams, Elinor Fresson, and Magda Maslanka at Lemongrass Travel PR

E: KimptonBEMBudapest@lemongrassmarketing.com

T: +44 (0)1865 237 990