Drop Shop

Hiding in an elite part of downtown Budapest, near the Parliament building, Drop Shop is a pricey wine bar doubling as a boutique wine store. Unlike most wine bars in the city that stack local bottles, Drop Shop also carries international labels anywhere from Austria to Australia, from a traditionally made Brunello to natural wines from the New World.

I only wish Drop Shop's interior were a little bit more inviting – softer lighting, some background music, and more comfortable chairs would extract more charm from the space and be more fitting for the premium wines on offer. As often is the case with wine bars, most customers here are 35-plus professionals. The cheese and charcuterie plates are decent, but best of all is the ham and cheese panini!