THERE IS A QUESTION THAT COMES UP AT THE COUNTER MORE THAN ALMOST ANY OTHER….
First-timers ask it because they don’t know where to start. Regulars ask it because they’ve already picked a side and want to defend it. Families ask it because one person wants sweet and the other wants savoury and neither one is moving.
SWEET OR SAVOURY?
There’s no wrong answer.
But there’s a lot worth knowing before you pick, because these aren’t two flavors of the same experience. They’re two completely different things that happen to share the same dough. Once you’ve had both, you’ll stop thinking of it as a choice.
SHE DIDN’T INVENT THE SWEET ONE.
SHE JUST KNEW HOW GOOD IT COULD BE.
Chimney cake has been sweet for most of its 300-year history. When Anett Kane was growing up in Hungary, kürtőskalács wasn’t a novelty or a destination, it was just part of life. Holiday markets. Street festivals. The specific smell of sugar caramelising on heat as you walked by.
That’s still what happens at Budapest Bakeshop every morning. The dough is hand-rolled, wrapped around a dowel, and slow-roasted until the outside builds into that deep golden crust. The inside stays soft. Warm. Layered. You pull it apart and it gives the way good bread is supposed to.
Then comes the cheesecake icing, which is Budapest Bakeshop’s own, made in-house, developed to sit against that caramelised crust in a way that feels inevitable once you’ve tried it. Not a shortcut. Not a topping for the sake of having one. An addition that makes the whole thing more itself.
People who grew up eating chimney cake try it with the icing and get it immediately. People who’ve never had chimney cake before assume it’s always been done this way. That’s usually the sign that something was worth doing.
There’s a reason the sweet chimney is what lines formed for when the first Budapest Bakeshop opened its doors in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It’s the foundation. It’s the one that started everything. And it still sells out.
NOBODY HAD TRIED A SAVOURY SANDWICH VERSION. YET…
The savoury chimney sandwich exists because Anett knew what the dough could take, and Todd wanted to find out how far that actually went.
The short answer: a lot further than anyone had pushed it.
What you’d expect, if you were skeptical, is a compromise. Dough built for caramelized sugar, used for savoury fillings instead – it should feel like something that can’t decide what it wants to be. What actually happens is the opposite. The crust still crisps. The inside still pulls apart in those warm layers. It just arrives as a sandwich now, built for lunch the same way the sweet version is built for Sunday mornings, and it earns every bite on its own terms.
This wasn’t a trend Budapest Bakeshop was following. There was no trend to follow. The Famous Savoury Chimney Sandwich was the first of its kind. The same 300-year-old Hungarian dough taken somewhere it had never been, because two people who knew it well decided to find out what else it was capable of.
The families who found the savoury sandwich first came back for the sweet one. The people who came in for the sweet kept showing up on weekday lunches for the savoury. That’s not an accident. That’s what happens when both things are actually good.
BOTH; THAT’S THE ANSWER.
Regulars have already worked this out. Sweet chimneys on Sunday mornings. Savoury sandwiches for lunch. Both when there’s something worth celebrating, which at Budapest Bakeshop turns out to be most days.
That’s not indecision. That’s a reasonable response to two things that are both excellent at what they do, made from the same dough, by the same people, to the same standard they’ve held since 2019.
If you’ve only had one, you haven’t finished yet.
From Us, to You
The promise.
When you hold a chimney cake from Budapest Bakeshop, whether it’s a sweet one finished with our signature icing or a Famous Savoury Chimney Sandwich still warm from the oven, you’re holding more than a pastry. You’re holding Anett’s childhood memories reimagined. You’re holding 300 years of Hungarian baking wisdom, honoured and evolved, made fresh just for you.
You’re holding a tradition that dared to become something more.
One chimney cake at a time. Sweet or savoury. Traditional or revolutionary. Made to order. Always both.
With love, or as they say in Hungary: szeretettel.
Find your nearest location and taste it for yourself.
Or if you’ve already been, you know someone who needs to go. Bring them.
Bring Budapest Bakeshop to Your City
Bring this to your community.
We’re franchising and starting small, on purpose.
We’re looking for partners who get it. People who refuse to cut corners on craft. People who understand that 300 years of tradition and pushing boundaries aren’t opposites.
This isn’t just a business opportunity. It’s the only chimney cake franchise doing what we do.
Recognized. Repeatedly.
Voted #1 by locals and visitors alike — five years running
FAQ
Everything you want to know before you visit
What is a chimney cake?
A chimney cake is a traditional Hungarian pastry called Kürtőskalács, made by wrapping hand-rolled dough around a cylindrical dowel and baking it until the outside caramelizes to golden perfection while the inside stays soft and layered. Budapest Bakeshop makes them fresh daily in small batches using authentic Hungarian techniques refined over 300 years.
What is a savoury chimney sandwich?
The Savoury Chimney Sandwich is Budapest Bakeshop’s signature invention and the world’s first. It takes the same hand-rolled, freshly baked chimney cake dough and fills it with bold savoury ingredients like Hungarian sausage and aged cheddar. Warm, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and completely unlike anything else in North America.
What flavours does Budapest Bakeshop have?
Budapest Bakeshop offers both sweet and savoury chimney cakes. Permanent sweet staples include Cinnamon Sugar and Nutella Walnut. On the savoury side, the Classic Aged Cheddar Chimney Sandwich is always available. Seasonal specials rotate regularly so there is always something new to try.
Are Budapest Bakeshop chimney cakes made fresh daily?
Does Budapest Bakeshop sell out?
Can I order Budapest Bakeshop online?
Yes. Budapest Bakeshop accepts online orders. Visit our website or call your nearest location to place an order. Online ordering is especially recommended during peak season when we sell out regularly.
Does Budapest Bakeshop offer catering?
Does Budapest Bakeshop have gift cards?
Who founded Budapest Bakeshop?
Budapest Bakeshop was founded by Todd and Anett Kane. Anett grew up in Hungary where chimney cakes were part of everyday life at holiday markets and celebrations. After moving to North America, she and Todd built Budapest Bakeshop to bring authentic Hungarian chimney cakes to North American communities, with Anett developing all recipes entirely from scratch. The first location opened in 2019 in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario.
Is Budapest Bakeshop a franchise?
Yes. Budapest Bakeshop is now franchising across the United States, Canada, and select international markets. It is a founder-led brand built on authentic recipes, proprietary systems, and a commitment to quality over rapid expansion. Visit our Franchise page to learn more about bringing Budapest Bakeshop to your community.
Authentic Hungarian chimney cakes. Home of the world's first savoury chimney sandwich. Hand-rolled, baked fresh daily. Franchising across North America.
Quick Links
The information contained on this website is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for informational purposes only. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction.
FOR THE STATE OF NEW YORK: This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can be made only by a prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law.