Peaceful citizens strolling on the promenade, looking for a piece of cake--this is one of the many Sunday faces of Balatonfüred. We switched to sweet mode and risked blood sugar overload in order to try as many cakes as possible. Unless you want to break a Guinness-record, we recommend you to eat one slice of confectionery at a day. Let the sweet times last longer.
1/6
Bergmann - traditional flavours
The first Bergmann Cukrászda was founded by Imre Bergmann in Győr in 1939. The family has been selling their homemade cakes, ice-cream, bread and chocolate since 1992 in Balatonfüred, where they have two friendly confectioneries. You can find the first at Petőfi Sándor Street 64 and the second is located at Zsigmond Street 1. Their specialty, the mille-feuille is prepared following the family's traditional recipe. There is vanilla cream and whipped cream between the crunchy, buttery puff pastry layers and the top is glazed with caramel fondant. According to the confectionery's website the recipe has been unchanged for decades, and you'll find out the reason soon enough when you try it: this cake is perfect and there's no need to change it. The pastry is crispy, the cream is light but not too sweet and even the caramel fondant won't cause nausea after as many sugar consumed as in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
2/6
Karolina – the favourite of aunt Zsófi
The panorama from Karolina Cukrászda is just priceless. If you moved closer to the water, your feet would be hanging into Balaton. The place at Zákonyi Ferenc sétány 4 was named after the founders' beloved grandmother. While Bergmann's most popular deal is the mille-feuille, here the waiters didn't want to choose one of their patisserie wonders. The regular guests have an honest answer for that question, though. It is the "méteres kalács". This and every other cake at Karolina brings back childhood memories about the smell and taste of famous Hungarian sweets made by our grandmothers. This is a spot of the rustic, traditional cakes instead of fancy, modern mousse cakes. The service is perfect as well: the waiters were kind and helpful the two times we visited Karolina. We tried "Zsófi néni kedvence" (meaning: the favourite of aunt Zsófi), which is a delicious cake with cottage cheese, and the famous méteres kalács. Both of them gave the natural, homemade feeling in a good sense. Victoria's Secret models on diet should avoid this place, because slices are huge and filling. The Schindele brothers founded something extraordinary: no matter if the weather is wet or boiling hot, Karolina is always full of guests.
3/6
Arácsi - feels like home
A young, newlywed couple opened this nice and friendly confectionery in October 2011 a bit further from the shore of Balaton, in the Arács area (Arácsi Street 132). Arácsi soon became a serious competitor on the market despite the fact that it is much smaller than Bergmann and Karolina. Many guests fell in love with the sunny terrace, the small, but cosy interior at first sight. The ceramic stove, the countless jars of jams and books on the shelves will make you feel at home right away. You can order delicious cakes, but they also offer homemade patisseries, ice cream and salty pastries as well. Since it's not that close to the city centre not many tourists come here, but Arácsi has its regular guests. We made a good decision with the pogácsa with pumpkin seeds, because we haven't tasted such a fresh and tasteful pogácsa for a long time.
4/6
Kedves - phoenix from the flames
The one-time Kedves Cukrászda used to be the favourite of many-many sweets fans. They were excited and sceptical at the same time when Kedves reopened with a new owner: not knowing whether it would be able to meet their expectations. This prestigious confectionery was reopened by András Dobai on Blaha Lujza Street 7 in May 2013. He made his debut in Balatonfüred three years ago with Kredenc Borbisztró (which is next door) to make his dream come true: opening a wine bistro. Since Kredenc has been recommended to us by many, including a chef from Budapest, a restaurant owner and a good friend of ours who is a fan of wines; it has become an important spot at Balaton. Entering Kedves, the first impression is that it deserves more attention than 15 minutes of consuming a coffee and a random pastry. Kedves seems to invite guests for more, like a good talk, or just some chilling time. We recommend you to try any homemade cake, like the cake with poppy seeds and walnuts.
5/6
Füredi rétesbolt - the classic
If you are full of sweets, don't worry, because you can always buy strudels for take away. There are two places for that: Füredi rétesbolt has been standing near main road 71 (Petőfi Sándor Street 19) since 1998. It offers the best handmade strudels you've ever tasted. We wouldn't jump into a never-ending debate about our favourite (maybe the one with cherry and cottage cheese), but you can't make any mistake here, really.
6/6
Árpi bácsi - the impressive
The other strudel option is Árpi bácsi rétesboltja at Ady Endre Street 41. They prepare the fresh strudels in front of us, and the choice is really difficult here, too. We tried the strudel with dill and cottage cheese, but the rest were accordingly tempting. Riding a bike, jogging or having a swim can be a good way to make room for another round of sweetness in our stomach. Keep in mind though: we're not taking any responsibility if you make a trip like we did: all in one day.
