Funny word, Ruszwurm, and a fun place…at least it was for more than two centuries until it had to close down.
Café Ruszwurm (Ruszwurm Cukrászda) was the oldest continuously operating traditional pastry shop and café in Budapest. It first opened its doors in 1827 and remarkably survived both the 1848 Revolution and the devastating siege of Budapest during WWII.
Located in the historic Castle District of Buda, just a short walk from Matthias Church its interior was small and charming, featuring the original 19th-century cherry-wood counter and Biedermeier furnishings.
The signature item on the menu was the ‘Ruszwurm Krémes’ (Ruszwurm Cream Cake), a rich, traditional Hungarian vanilla custard slice.
I made sure to visit the place at least once whenever my travels took me to Budapest. Not only did I love its Krémes, but I also longed for its Dobos Torte and Esterházy Torte (a tribute to the noble Esterházy family.)
So, a couple of weeks ago, I drove up to the Castle District where I was informed that, in early August 2025, Ruszwurm, Budapest’s oldest pastry shop founded in 1827, closed its doors after a long legal dispute over the property. And, just hours later, its owner, Miklós Szamos, sadly passed away, marking the end of an era.
It had never occurred to me to phone ahead.
I was in shock and needed a drink.
I walked over to the nearby Hilton Hotel and consoled myself with a stiff G&T in its White Raven Skybar while gazing out the windows at the City of Budapest down below across the Danube.
The Hilton on the Castle Hill in Budapest is an architectural miracle. When you walk through its cloister or courtyard you are literally walking through the excavated remains of a monastery founded 750 years ago as a result of the Hungarian government deciding in 1968 to build a Hilton Hotel – the first in Eastern Europe and a brave move for a “socialist” government.
In 1970, archaeological excavations revealed remains of a monastery and a Dominican church. This required redesigning the structure because it was decided to incorporate the remains of the cloister, monastery courtyard, and section of the former Dominican church into the hotel to be built.
The hotel finally opened on December 31, 1976 – 50 years ago.
Initially, the decision to build a provocatively visible “modern” building in an area so rich with history as is Budapest’s Castle Hill, was widely and loudly criticized. This was understandable: the hotel is clearly and proudly visible far and wide from the Pest-side of the Danube.
Today the Hilton on the Hill is one of the city’s most cherished attractions. Although it is not a UNESCO World Heritage Building it stands within the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Buda Castle Quarter.
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Always glad to have one of your emails drop into my inbox, Robert. The dear wife of my oldest friend (we met in kindergarten in 1943), and herself a suberb chef, introduced me to Dobos Torte in 1962 and it has been one of my favourites ever since.
Sad to read the demise of Ruszwurm.
In the summer of 2019 we took the whole family to Hungary to visit cousins and to introduce the newest family members to the delights to be found there. This included an attempt to go to Ruszwurm. Foolishly, we made no reservation, as a consequence, we could only buy cakes to be consumed across the street (in the shade) at a bench. We were thirteen and the problem was that everyone wanted try each of the sweets. Out came my trusty miniature Swiss army knife and I managed cut each of the torta slices into 13 parts and nobody was disappointed.
We shall miss Ruszwurm. My favorite was the Eszerhazy!Would you recommend Gerbeaud now on Pest side or other pastry shops?Cheers, Andras