Budablogger, Author at Budapest Guide

Pizza Hut in Budapest

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Budablogger

Some years back in time you could find quite a lot of Pizza Hut restaurants in Budapest. Suddenly some changes were made and house-delivery disappeared and so did most of the restaurants, except from two.

I visited quite a lot of the different Pizza Hut restaurants in Budapest back then, but now I hadn’t been to Pizza Hut for more than 3 years, so I thought it was about time to return and see whether their pizza is worth eating, or not. Since there are only two restaurants in town (one in Arena Plaza and one in Polus Center) I went to the most central Pizza Hut, the one in Arena Plaza.

: Pizza Hut in Arena Plaza seen from the inside

Pizza Hut review

As we spoke to the waiter we got to know that when almost every Pizza Hut restaurant closed down a few years ago all the best workers stayed in the company and were hired for the two restaurants, while the rest of the people had to look for new jobs. This means that the best people from lots of restaurants can now be found in the two restaurants in Budapest. That should make it even better!

I went together with my wife and some friends of ours and we ordered three different pizzas (family size). The price for a family pizza is about 2700 HUF, and the size depends on whether you want a classic pizza (41CM) or a Pan Pizza (33cm). Service was great and food was served within 15 minutes.

: Pan pizza in Arena Plaza (Pizza Hut)

What was the pizza like?

The classic pizza was tasty and luckily it didn’t taste tomato sauce like pizzas often do in Italian restaurants. The ingredients were fresh and nice and on the pan pizzas you had such a nice layer of cheese that you seldom get as you visit similar kind of restaurants (they all try to save money and use less cheese). As I asked the other people in the group they agreed on the fact that the pizzas is Pizza Hut has got to be among the best pizzas you can get in Budapest restaurants, and I must say that I agree. The best pizza I make myself, but if I have got to eat pizza somewhere else, Pizza Hut is a very good option.

For drinks we had some Coke and a lemonade. I was surprised as I tasted the lemonade because it felt like drinking an orange juice with 20% fruit and lots of water and sugar. This was not the way a lemonade normally tastes, but since I ordered a Coke myself (I only tasted the lemonade to know what it was like), I did not really suffer from the taste of the lemonade.

[stextbox id=”info”]You can taste the Pizza Hut pizza without entering the restaurant as you have the opportunity to buy slices next to the entrance (at least in Arena Plaza).[/stextbox]

Ready for some pizza yourself?
Head over to Polus Center or Arena Plaza and grab a bite! Do not forget to come back to the Budapest blog to share your experience and write a small Pizza Hut review yourself!

Rivalda Budapest review

Posted on November 27, 2013June 4, 2021 by Budablogger

Earlier this week I visited one of the restaurants in Budapest with what should be the best location in town. Rivalda is located next to the Castle of Buda and to the office of the Hungarian president.

I know it is February and a season with very few tourists, so that might give an excuse to the fact that during our stay we were the only people in the restaurant. We visited Rivalda a bit off time (it is quite busy during lunch time and can be during supper time), but since we came in between those periods that kind of explains why we were the only guests.

The waiter received us happily and served us with a big smile. He was very helpful and did his uttermost to give us whatever we wanted. That is why we got to order meals from the menu with slight changes to them. Even though it was way after lunch time I got to order from the lunch menu and lots of things were accepted to make us feel at home and welcome.

: Rivalda has a theater feeling to it

The quality of the food in Rivalda

We ordered an Argentin Sirloin Steak served with spices, served with risotto croquettes, haricots- verts and green-peppercorn sauce and pork fillet served with paprika sauce (almost like Chicken paprika) with dumplings. The restaurant is said to be for luxury dining, so we had great expectations as we waited for the food. As the food were served we were surprised, because the food did not look the way we expected it to. Luxury dining often mean large plates with small snacks in the middle, but our plates reminded us more of those giant Hungarian portions we are used to in traditional restaurants. I like giant portions, so I took that to be a positive surprise. As always I ate from both plates and I enjoyed the steak and even more the pork with the paprika sauce.

For dessert we ate a pancake with apples and some ice cream. A nice ending to a delicious meal.

Rivalda judgment

The restaurant was strange. It is said to be for luxury dining, but that is not the impression you get once you enter the door and it is not the impression we got looking at our plates. For Hungarian luxury dining we would probably visit Budapest Bistro instead of Rivalda. The price of the steak was 5500 HUF, for which you could get a fantastic steak in Prime Steakhouse and the other courses on the menu were all quite overprized. We were still very satisfied with our food and with the service, but still the one word remaining in my mind as I think of Rivalda is: „strange.” I don’t know why, but that is how I feel as I think of the restaurant.

: Sirloin Steak in Rivalda

Rivalda information

We visited the restaurant in February which is a poor month for tourism, and this is a restaurant where almost all visitors are tourists. As it gets warmer in the air they have a beautiful outdoor area where you can sit and enjoy your food which is far more enjoyable than the indoor area.

Address: 1014 Budapest, Színház u. 5-9
Telephone: (36-1) 489-0236
Opening times: 11.30 – 23.30

Nordsee

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Budablogger

Most people who come to Budapest know that this is not the city you visit to eat fresh fish and delicious seafood. There are some exceptions to the rule, but in general fish is not the speciality of the restaurants in Budapest. If you still want to eat fish, one of the places you could go is to one of the Nordsee fast-food restaurants in Budapest.

Nordsee has had a special history in Budapest. They arrived, opened several restaurants, went bankrupt and left the country, for then to open up again one month later. They went bankrupt in 2012 January and then opened up again in February 2012. Most of the restaurants that once existed never opened up again, but today you can find some very few Nordsee fast-food restaurants in Budapest.

My personal Nordsee experience

I have not eaten much in Nordsee, but a few weeks back I tasted a wrap with salmon and other snacks. I really enjoy good smoked salmon, and this wrap was worth its money. You might say that the price (which was somewhere around 900 HUF) was expensive, but if you compare it with the price of a stand alone Big Mac in McDonalds it is not bad at all. And at least I believe that a fish sandwich or fish wrap in Nordsee is healthier than a hamburger with fries in McDonalds. Since I ate the wrap I am looking forward to eat in Nordsee again, but unfortunately the restaurants can be found at very few locations in Budapest (places which I spend very little time), so I am not sure when I will get to eat there again.

Nordsee in Budapest

Would you like to visit a Nordsee in Budapest yourself? Do not visit the official Nordsee homepage, because it is not updated. I am not sure if this list will be 100% updated either, but according to my knowledge (which is very limited) Nordsee can be found at the current locations in Budapest at the moment:

Nordsee Westend (in Westend CityCenter)
Nordsee Campona (in Campona shopping mall)
Nordsee Arena (in Arena Plaza)
Nordsee Mammut (in Mammut shopping mall)

Please write a comment if you know about other Nordsee restaurants in Budapest, and I will make sure to keep this list updated so that fish hungry locals, expats and tourists can enjoy fish food at Nordsee fast-food restaurants in Budapest.

Ps: I am not saying that Nordsee is the best place for fish in Budapest, but it could be an option for a quick fish meal instead of other fast-food in the shopping malls of Budapest.

Easter in Budapest

Posted on November 27, 2013March 17, 2015 by Budablogger

Easter is a great time of the year. It is not only a celebration of the death and the ressurection of Jesus Christ, but it is also a time to celebrate that the winter is history and summer is coming.

Budapest is a great city to visit during Easter, and here you can find some of the reasons as to why you should consider coming to the Hungarian capital to celebrate Easter here. For information about special programs taking place in Budapest during Easter, check our events calendar.

Why you should celebrate Easter in Budapest

All shops are open on every single day, except from Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.
Restaurants stay open on every day during Easter
Museums can be visited every day, except from Easter Monday (this is not a 100% rule, but most museums follow this schedule)
There are lots of nice churches where you can enjoy Easter services. The most popular Easter service can be enjoyed in the St. Stephens basilica, the most beautiful church of Budapest.
Easter in Budapest also means Budapest Spring Festival. During this period you can listen to amazing concerts and shows in different venues around Budapest and you can also shop at the Spring Fair at the Vorosmarty square which is open during the entire Spring festival.
The chocolates brought by the Easter bunny is cheaper in the grocery stores in Budapest than most other cities in Europe, and much cheaper than if you buy them at Budapest Airport or any other so called „tax-free” at other airports around in Europe.
Hotels in Budapest are cheaper than in other big cities in Europe, so here you can stay in hotels with 3, 4 or 5 stars paying less than you would elsewhere.

What do Hungarians eat for Easter?

If you want to eat as a traditional Hungarian you need to get hold of a sugarbread (Kalacs), butter, ham and horseradish. If you eat those together with some freshly painted eggs you will be able to enjoy a real Hungarian Easter meal, typical for either breakfast or supper. Some families eat lamb in addition to what I have just described.

What do Hungarians do during Easter?

For Hungarian Easter does not mean any special holiday, since it only means a total of one more day off (Easter Monday). Therefore most people either stay at home or travel away to visit family, friends or relax in some wellness hotel. Those in Budapest who decide to stay at home might go for a little excursion on the Sunday or Monday, and then they normally visit either Normafa, Szentendre, Dobogoko or maybe do a day trip to Bratislava or Vienna.

[stextbox id=”warning”]On Easter Monday there is a strange tradition in Hungary to “surprise” ladies you know. You need to stand in front of them, tell them a certain poem and later pour bad perfume unto their hair. Beautiful![/stextbox]

Conclusion: Happy Easter and see you in Budapest!

MeszarSteak – meat store in Budapest

Posted on November 27, 2013November 27, 2013 by Budablogger

We eat lots of meat in Hungary, but mostly pork and chicken. If you visit larger food stores you will normally find some cow, but not in large quantities, because it is too expensive for the average buyer. But, if you need some high quality meat for a special occasion, you could consider MeszarSteak.

We wrote an article about Hegyvidek centre not long ago, and of of those shops fitting into the gourmet category in the mall is MeszarSteak. Do not be fooled though, it isn’t as expensive as it sounds. As I visited the place one kilo of chicken filet costed only 1600 HUF per kilo, which was the same as in Tesco.

In MeszarSteak you can buy meat for your hamburgers, ribs from lamb, T-bone steaks, Rib-Eye steaks, Angus meat and other snack that you make your lunch or dinner a real highlight. The quality should be good, because MeszarSteak deliver meat to restaurants such as Olimpia, Alabardos, Onyx, Borsso Bistro, Rokusfalvy Fogado, Babel and lots of others.

Getting hungry? Visit Hegyvidek centre and buy some premium meat yourself!

[stextbox id=”info”]I bought some meat from Meszar Steak myself and we have used it for several meals. It all tasted great, but I am not a gourmet guy, so I am not the guy to judge whether this is extremely high quality, good quality or only average. If you are a gourmet that taste the difference, write a comment after trying it and share your thoughts.[/stextbox]

Three qualities I like in Hungarians

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Budablogger

There are lots of things I like about the Hungarian people, but in this article I want to write about three qualities I really like about the people. They might not be true for all Hungarians, but in general these seems to be true in most homes and families I have been around.

Hungarian families visibly care for one another

We live in a world where we are taught to become individualists and to fix everything ourselves. We are to move out from home early and take care of our own matters. This is positive in many ways, but I really do love the way many Hungarian families take care of one another, carry the burdens of other family members and they are «in it together.» This can also be seen clearly in the fact that the families often finance the studies of the children, which is different from many other nations where the children take big loans to survive their time of studies.

Hungary is a nation of gentlemen

Feminism is not standing very strong in Hungary. I am totally pro women in high positions and want them to earn just as much or maybe even more than the male members of society do. However I also like what seems to be an old-fashioned way of thinking that still exists in Hungary. For some people what I write here might seem to be natural, but for others this sound old-fashioned. Let me give some examples…

When you enter the metro a Hungarian (gentleman) will normally let women and children enter before himself. If he is sitting and a pregnant, an older lady or an injured person enters the metro they will jump up to give away their seat. If nobody stands up by themselves, the Hungarian gentleman actually tells the people sitting to get up and give away their seat to the person in need.

I met a beautiful Hungarian lady when I moved to Hungary. As I met her it took her a while to get used to my total lack of gentleman manners. I was totally used to women taking care of themselves. When we went out together I went out the door first and she came after. A Hungarian gentleman would of course keep the door, but I was in total lack of such training. I expected her to keep the door for herself and she expected me to keep the door open. Ouch!

Hungarians sympathize with others

We are often out flying with our family and we have often used RyanAir. The airline is not known for their good service, but we still have good experiences flying with them. Earlier low cost airlines let families travelling with small children board the planes first. Then came priority boarding and now you had to pay for the right to board the flight before everyone else. We have not yet ordered the right for priority boarding, but always at Budapest Airport the crew standing by the line have seen us arrive with a small child and they let us come through like priority anyway. This has also been true at many other airports around in Europe (Dublin and Brussels), but last year we experienced someone keeping the priority boarding rule 100% in Norway. We were sent to the very back of the line with our little child. Since the flight was to be packed it meant that we could not even be sure that we got to sit together as a family. Then something happened!

Another Hungarian family we had never seen before had ordered priority boarding and stood in the front of the line. They noticed us being sent to the back and immediately the father of the family said that he would grab some seats for us. We entered the flight as some of the last people and as soon as we got in we recognized the Hungarian father who had saved up three seats for us so that we could all sit together. Thanks again!

You might say that we did not deserve to sit next to one another as we did not pay for it. Still I so much like the fact that the Hungarians sympathize with others and do their uttermost to help people they believe could need an extra hand.

Do you agree?

Maybe you totally agree with me reading this, or maybe you disagree? Maybe you have some other areas in which you admire and love the way the Hungarians think, live or behave. I would love to have you write a comment and share your thoughts on the matter!

Tesco house delivery

Posted on November 27, 2013June 4, 2021 by Budablogger

A while back Tesco spread the rumor that house delivery was about to be launched, and now it is finally here. We have tried Tesco house delivery and we were very impressed!

For a long time I waited for the Tesco house delivery to come. Last Saturday I was out walking in Budapest and suddenly I noticed a Tesco house delivery car passing by. As I got home in the evening I visited the Tesco website, registered for house delivery and placed my first order. Before ordering I was curious whether the prices would be the same as in a normal Tesco shop, would club card points be gathered during an order and what would the price be for delivering the goods to my house. I got answer to all my questions!

My Tesco house delivery answers

Together with my wife we made a list of all kinds of products from a mixture of the „products on sale” and from the normal Tesco catalog. We immediately noticed that all prices are exactly the same as if we would go and shop in Tesco ourselves. Our order had a total value of a bit more than 10,000 HUF and after filling our shopping cart we needed to arrange with time of house delivery.

It was very easy to reserve a price for the goods to be delivered to our house. We ordered on Saturday evening and we could select for our order to be delivered in the evening next day, Sunday. We could have asked for the goods to be delivered a week later as well, meaning we were free to decide for the time of delivery ourselves. The price for the house delivery was 899 HUF, and it had no influence what time of the day or what date we chose for the products to be delivered.

During registration I was also able to add my Tesco club card code, meaning that I gathered points when ordered products to my home.

Tesco delivering to my Budapest home

Sunday evening arrived, and so did the guy from Tesco delivering the products. He carried everything to our door (turning twice). A good manner in Hungary is to tip those delivering products to your home, so I found some money and wanted to give it to the guy who was a real service man, smiled and did a great job… he really deserved it. As I stretched out my hand to give the tip he said that they were not allowed to receive any money, not to carry any money in the car. So, he turned down my tip, gave me the bill and left. I felt kind of sorry for the guy, but hopefully his salary is better than most other delivery boys, making him survive without tip from the customers.

In addition to being nice and polite, the delivery guy explained that two products could not be delivered, so instead they chose to products similar to those we originally ordered.

We were extremely satisfied with the house delivery and in the future we will for sure use it again. 900 HUF for the house delivery isn’t really much, considering that you save time, you save gas, and you do not do lots of extra shopping that you are tempted to do walking around between the shelves in a real Tesco store.

Soupbar – Eat the Street

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Budablogger

Want to find a great place to eat a lunch in Budapest? Do not look in the Budapest blog, TripAdvisor or other Budapest guides… walk around in Budapest and see where crowds gather to eat lunch! That is how we discovered the Soupbar located between Kalvin square and Fovam square.

I guess at least 20-25 times I have passed by the Soupbar on foot, with tram or with car. Whenever I pass by the place (during its opening times) it is packed with people standing in line to get their soup of the day, or standing outside the little bar eating their selected soup. And the interesting fact is that people draw people, and in the same way that I discovered the place, hundreds and probably thousands of others have learned to know the place wondering what all those happy people are eating standing there on the street between Kalvin square and Fovam square. Well, the answer is soup!

Soup of the Day in the Soupbar

The soupbar is not a restaurant, but the run with the slogan “Eat the Street” and “Str-eat.” It means that people buy their soup and then they eat it by one of the few tables outside the bar or bring it on to their office or a bench nearby. Every day you can choose from five different soups which can be found on the menu, most of them a bit exotic and with cool ingredients giving them a taste that you will make you return again and again. If you are really hungry they offer baguettes in addition to the soup, making sure that you will not leave the place hungry.

The price of the different soups are 450 Hungarian Forint and if you want to add a baguette to the soup the price will be somewhere between 800 and 1000 Hungarian Forint.

Soup of the Day examples

In the soupbar they keep bringing new soups all the time, but here you can find examples of some different soups that have been on the menu recently: Arabic chicken soup, Cold raspberry soup, Potato soup with pesto, Indian chicken soup, Tandoori chicken soup, Tomato and basil soup, Cauliflower soup, Thai cocoa soup and tons of other soups!

Want to eat some soup yourself? Visit the place and write a comment here afterwards and share your thoughts on the soup!

Soupbar Budapest

Address. Vamhaz korut 14
Opening times: 11.00 – 19.00 from Monday – Sunday
Payment: Cash only

Why I don’t like to write Budapest reviews

Posted on November 27, 2013December 8, 2022 by Budablogger

If you have followed the Budapest blog for a while you may have noticed that there are quite a lot of reviews and thoughts on different subjects here. The truth is, however, that I do not really like to write Budapest reviews, and here is the reason!

In today’s Internet world people keep looking to the Internet for information before coming to a city. Here they will find information about restaurants they consider to visit, hotels they might want to live in and activities they want to check out. This is great and can help the traveler find the best activities, restaurants and hotels, and it is truly for the good of the traveler that it is this way. But, there is another side of the coin.

My Budapest review problem

When I visit a restaurant I always plan on writing a review and share my thoughts about the place in the blog later. As long as the food and the service is great I write reviews and share my experience with great joy. But, from time to time I visit places were either the service or the food, or maybe even both are bad, or maybe even worse, terrible… and that is when the problem occurs.

When some tourist ask me about night clubs in Budapest I always tell them that I do not really have a clue and that they should ask Google instead. If they see a night club they might want to enter, type the name into Google first to see if it has a good reputation, or if it is a well known rip-off place (which unfortunately can be said about quite some night clubs in Budapest). Before entering a restaurant to grab something to eat, many people do the same and Google the restaurant to read some reviews before entering. And, if someone Google a restaurant that I have visited and written a poor review about it, the result is that the person will go somewhere else and not visit the given restaurant. Is that a problem?

No… but, maybe yes! There are people working in that restaurant, and some of those people have looked for ages for a job and they do their best to get things going around. A couple of bad reviews on the Internet can in some cases be enough to destroy the total reputation of a restaurant, at least if it is quite new on the market. This will with time result in a restaurant closing down and people losing their job… But, when I wrote that original review it wasn’t my intention for anyone to lose their job, all I wanted to do was to inform people about my experience. But, the consequence of doing so had greater impact than I imagined. (luckily this is hypothetical, so this has not happened and hopefully will never happen).

What is the solution to my review problem?

Should I really care? If a bad restaurant is closed down and the people working there lose their job, isn’t that a good thing? At least no more people need to suffer eating their food and paying for bad service and food… Or maybe I should write the review, share it with the owner of the restaurant first, and see if he has any response to it. If he doesn’t care, then it really is his problem, but if he believe this to be a mistake or an unlucky evening, then maybe he will invite me back for a dinner another night to make it good again and show me what the restaurant is really like? But, maybe I will then be treated in a certain way because I am a blogger, while all other guests are treated in the same poor way as I was treated before the owner new that I was a blogger.

Another solution would be to not write anything at all when I feel like writing a negative review. In that way I will not harm anyone, except from other people throwing away their money on the same poor experience I had myself.

Help me guys… anyone got any idea on how to solve this? Should I care, or should I not care? What would you do?

Three great places to go jogging in Budapest

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Budablogger

Want to keep your body in shape and looking for a place to exercise in Budapest? If you are a tourist you might live in a hotel with a fitness room, but if you’d rather run somewhere open air keep on reading, because here you can find three great places to go jogging in Budapest!

Hungary is known for salami and quite fat food, but if you live healthy and do some jogging you can easily survive the extra calories the Hungarian cuisine offers you. A great way to burn calories is jogging, and it also has a good effect on your heart and makes you sleep better at night. Time to run!

Jogging at the Margaret Island

If you ask any citizen of Budapest about where you should go jogging the Margaret Island it the favorite answer of most people. At this peaceful island in the middle of the Danube you can run along the track going around the entire island. If you run around the entire island you have been running about 4,5km and while doing so, you have been able to see beautiful landscape, monastery ruins, some nice hotels, river boats and lots of other people trying to stay healthy and keep their bodies in good shape. If you live nearby this is a brilliant place to jog, but if not you should either take a shower on the island or walk home, so that you will not poison the people with your sweaty body smell.

Jogging in the Orczy garden

Do not worry, I am not jogging as I write this article, but from where I am sitting I can actually see people running in the Orczy garden. The Orczy garden (Orczy kert) is a park in the eight district of Budapest, not far from the Nagyvarad ter metro station. There are several areas in the park where you can run, but the most popular area is the running track of 400 meter where you run next to the football field (seldom in use). The quality of the track itself is not the best, but for most not to picky runners this is more than enough. The running track is in use from early morning until late evening, but I would be careful running here all by myself late in the evening (at least if I was a girl) since the park doesn’t have the best reputation in the world.

Jogging in the Ox park (Bikas park)

If you live in the eleventh district of Budapest a great place for jogging is the Bikas park. It is located by the Kelenfold Varoskozpont (bus 7, 73, 103 stops here) and in the future metro line four will stop here (if it ever gets finished). They have recently created a great running track in the park which lets you run inside the park in very nice and peaceful environments. They have even made a bonus part next to the track where you will find some equipment which can be used for strengthening your arms, legs and other body parts. If you come here on a Saturday morning you can also visit the market just next to the running track where you can buy fruits, clothes, meat, cheese and lots of other stuff. This is one of those markets where you will find no tourists, only locals.

Wish you all happy jogging! If you have other advises concerning great places to go jogging in Budapest write it in a comment and share your knowledge with other runners coming to this blog for information about where to run in Budapest!