Category: Restaurants

The "Gastro Walkway"

The “Gastro Walkway”

Posted on by Budapest Guide

GasztrosetanyThe event Gasztrósétány will take place in Budapest. The Gasztrósétány is a gastronomical event in the heart if Budapest. The event will be open for four months and it will offer the best products for all the visitors.

At the event visitors will have the opportunity to try the best Hungarian meals and drinks. In that four months at the gastronomical event more than 200 Hungarian food producer will present their best and most delicious foods and drinks and at the event visitors will have the chance to discover the traditional dishes and drinks as well. The best quality pálinka and a wide selection of the best Hungarian wines will be offered at the market. There are four topics during the four months.

In November the focus will be on the Belvárosi Liba and Újbor Fesztivál which is about the best wines and the most delicious meals made of goose. December is the period of Christmas and the Christmas Market with the best presents and mulled wines. In January the Belvárosi Disznótor is waiting for all the visitors and in February there will be the Belvárosi Sajtfesztivál where the most delicious cheeses will be presented to all the visitors. Among the best foods and drinks there will be plenty of other programs and activities waiting for everyone. The four month long festival will take place in the central of Budapest at Erzsébet tèr.

For more information on Budapest events, concerts and exhibitions, check the Budapest calendar.

The best restaurants in Budapest

The best restaurants in Budapest

Posted on by Budapest Guide

The capital of Hungary is a really popular destination for vacation and every year millions of people are coming to Budapest to have a unforgettable holiday. The city offers a lot of things to do during a visit and there are plenty of activities, programs and attractions to see. In Budapest there are several restaurants to go to and Gault and Millau made a list of the best restaurants in Budapest.

Gault et Millau is a French restaurant guide which rates the restaurants on a 1-20 scale, 20 is the heights. So we will list some of the best restaurants in this article according to the list of Gault et Millau. There are three restaurants from the list by Gault Millau which got the highest scores among the restaurants in Budapest.

Three best restaurants in Budapest

Best restaurants in BudapestThe first one is the Costes Restaurant which is located in the heart of Budapest really close to Kàlvin tèr and the place is in the famous street Ràday utca. It is a perfect place for a romantic dinner or business meetings as well. The service in the restaurant is excellent and it is highly recommended on other sites too. The restaurant is not among the cheapest, but the quality of the meals and the matching wines and the service is the best. The restaurant got 17 points out of 20 from Gault Millau, and this restaurant also has a Michelin star.

The second  restaurant on the list, also with 17 points, is the Onyx restaurant in the central of Budapest right at Vörösmarty tèr. It is one of the most popular restaurants in Budapest and the location of the place could not be better. It is based right at the heart of Budapest where the main shopping area is in the city. The restaurant has the most delicious meals with the matching wines. The service is really quick and friendly and the whole atmosphere and the design of the place is remarkable. It is also a perfect place for business meetings or a romantic dinner. It has one Michelin star, and the cook is the famous Tamas Szell.

The third restaurant with 17 points out of 20 from Gault et Millau is ZONA Bisztró. It is a really cozy, friendly and small restaurant also located in the heart of the city. The restaurant is based at one of the most beautiful bridges of Budapest at the Chain Bridge. The restaurant offers a wide range of foods and pairing wines to the meals. The service in the restaurant is quick and friendly. It is not the cheapest restaurants either in the city but it is highly recommended for everyone who is looking for something unique. It has high rates on every site and listed one of the best in Hungary.

Second best restaurants in Budapest

These were the best restaurants in Budapest which got 17 points out of 20 from G&M but there are plenty others as well from the list such as Alabárdos ètterem, Borkonyha, Laci!Konyha!, Olimpia Vendèglö and Salon restaurant which all got 16 points out of 20. Following these are Aranykaviár étterem, Babel, Csalogány étterem and Lou Lou restaurant which got 15 points out of 20.

It is important to know that G&M has never rated a restaurant with 20 points so far. So these restaurants are definitely the best of bests in the capital of Hungary.

What do you think? Do you have a personal favorite restaurant in Budapest? Agree og disagree? Feel free to share your thoughts!

 

Torkos Csütörtök on March 6th in Hungary

Torkos Csütörtök on March 6th in Hungary

Posted on by Budapest Guide

The neverending story named Torkos Csütörtök, or Gluttonous Thursday, is returning in 2014 as well. On this day you can eat and drink at half price in more than 800 restaurants all across Hungary, and it is a day when restaurants are packed to the rim with people.

If you are in Budapest on March 6th make sure to check it out and visit one of the restaurants participating in the program. Not all restaurants do, but quite a lot, so the chance of bumping into restaurants participating as you walk around in the streets of Budapest is in fact quite big.

There are no lists available yet with the names of the restaurants participating in the Torkos Csütörtök in 2014, but it will come within shortly, and we will write more about it then!

Torkos Csütörtök in Budapest
Torkos Csütörtök in Budapest
Sweet dreams in Budapest

Sweet dreams in Budapest

Posted on by Budablogger

In our next compilation we would like to inform you about five hidden and lovely coffee shops and stores in the Hungarian capital, Budapest. These places are not part of the guidebooks, but the reason is not because they don’t deserve to be there, but their charm is that they are not full with tourists. If you like to know more about the sweet dreams, read our article about these five special places.

1. Azték Choxolat

The lovely coffee shop/chocolate store located at a hidden place. If you are in the National Museum’s area, you should definitely go into the 22 Károly Boulevard, where you can find the Azték Choxolat. Don’t be afraid, the coffee shop located in a building’s yard, so feel free yourself and go into the gate, follow the tables. At the Choxolot, you can buy special spicy chocolates and lots of different hot chocolates.

2. Cukorka (Candy)

We recommend this place mostly for those, who don’t fear for their teeth. The operators of this place are the students of one of the most outstanding art university, the MoME. They also make the candys. Mostly you can buy sweets like the famous candy cane here, but not only in Christmas style. Moreover, you can taste the delicious lollypops too. The location of the store is not complicated; it is close to the Azték Choxolat, near to the National Museum, at 7 Múzeum Boulevard. This address is close to Astoria, and this store also located in a building’s yard.

Sugar in Budapest

3. Sugar Shop

Let’s talk about a little bit more about candy. The Sugar Shop located at 48 Paulay Ede Street. The easiest way to reach this place is from Opera, Andrássy Avenue. At Sugar Shop you really can buy everything, what you want: Smarties, Skittles, lollypops, lots of different sweets, so you definitely will find your favorite. The design of the place is also memorable, you should see it.

4. Sirius Tea House

Leave the candy and let’s talk about something mysterious. Our next place what we want to show you is the Sirius Tea House. The address is 13 Bródy Sándor Street, what also located at center city, near to Astoria, at Uránia. The tea house’s entrance is not showy; it’s only a little note on the door, what inform you that you are at the right place. It could happen that you read Altair instead of Sirius, but don’t be afraid; the two names are one place. Special teas, huge selection, comfort and water pipe welcome the guests here. The most nervous people become peaceful here.

5. Nagyi Palacsintázója (Granny’s pancake shop)

The last star of our list is not a real hidden place, but it’s really Hungarian and delicious. This is Nagyi Palacsintázója. You can find this lovely place at several place in the center city, for example at Buda, at Széll Kálmán Square, Batthyányi Square and at Óbuda, near to the Auchan shopping center. At Pest you can run into the tasty Hungarian pancake specialties in the popular Westend City Center and in district 5 at Petőfi Sándor Street. Good appetite!

We hope, this list make sweet your and partners’ time in Budapest. You can choose any of the listed places, of maybe all of them, and you won’t be disappointed!

Where to eat breakfast in Budapest?

Posted on by Budablogger

When you book a hotel in Budapest, you will very often find that your hotel has included a breakfast in the price. For some this is a requirement, and they never book a hotel where the breakfast is not included. Still, some people come to Budapest and have done a booking where the breakfast is not included. That might be a coincidence, which they only get to know about as they get to the hotel, or they might do it on purpose to taste more local cuisine and breakfasts.

I have often met tourists asking for advice concerning where to eat breakfast in Budapest. Some of them have booked room in a hotel without breakfast included, and as they find out that the price for breakfast per person per day often varies between 16-25 Euro (typical in hotels with 4-5 stars) they rather eat somewhere else. In this article I will simply come up with some advices on where to eat in central Budapest. There are lots of other places which could be good in Budapest, but since the general tourist likes to live in the center of Budapest, these places could all fit into that category, and just after breakfast you are ready to go shopping in the Vaci Utca (as all suggestions are located in or very close to that street).

Places for breakfast in Budapest

Gerbeaud

Gerbeaud has probably not got the best breakfast in Budapest, but they have some quite nice menus and they give you the chance to eat breakfast in the most famous confectionery of Budapest. On the menu you can find croissants, brekfast rolls, ham and cheese omelett, cold plate with hams and cheese and other stuff. Most menus have juice or coffee included and they cost between 1300-3500 HUF per person. In Gerbeaud they automatically ad 15% service fee to the bill in the end.

Szamos

On the other side of the Vörösmarty square, only 150 metres from Gerbeaud, Szamos confectionery is located. On their menu you will find continental breakfast (1990 HUF), French breakfast (1450 HUF), Hungarian breakfast (1990 HUF), ham and eggs (1050 HUF) and a wiener breakfast (1450 HUF). If you want to try out some different options, you should and could try a breakfast at Szamos in Budapest as well, but this would not be our first option if we only were to eat breakfast in Budapest once or twice.

Cyrano

If you walk along Vaci utca from Vörösmarty square towards the Grand Market Hall and take the first street to the left, you will find yourself at the Kristóf square. There you can find Cyrano, a nice restaurant with good food, and they also have a nice breakfast selection for those left without breakfast in their hotel or apartment. In Cyrano they do not only have typical breakfast options, but they also have some good cake options and their prices are better than at Szamos and Gerbeaud, meaning that most breakfast options cost between 800-1700 HUF. Drinks are not included in the prices. As you order your breakfast you also get a „free starter” which is some butter and a delicious jam, popular among young and old!

Fruccola

Opposite Cyrano you can find Fruccola, a place known for healthy and tasty breakfasts in Budapest. The place is not only ideal for breakfasts, but they also have a good selection of lunch offers, and some of the best prices in the area. On the menu you can find „Bagel, butter, jam with 0,2l juice” costing 970 HUF, „Muesli, honey, yoghurt, fruit” costing 790 HUF, „Omelet with salmon, cream cheese and chives” costing 990 HUF, English breakfast (990 HUF) and much, much more. If you want nice atmosphere, great prices and healthy stuff, Fruccola is probably the winner… and let us not forget that the location is perfect.

Another Fruccola is located in Arany Janos utca 32, making that the place to visit for people living in the area near the Hungarian Parliament (Hotel President, Iberostar, Hotel Parlament and lots of other hotels).

Gerloczy

This place is a bit hidden away, but it is located near Ferenciek Tere, and the exact address is Gerlóczy utca 1 (1052 Budapest). This place have croissants, ham and eggs, omelets, some more traditional Hungarian breakfast options and of course menus including your breakfast and some drink to it. The price of the menus vary between 1000-2500 HUF, while the single meals without drinks cost between 250-1500 HUF. Do not forget that Gerloczy is a nice place to return to later, so if you like the breakfast, you might even want to dry a lunch or dinner there later.

Other places for breakfast in Budapest

All places mentioned so far in this article are located very central in Budapest. Most tourists will not travel a long way with bus, metro, trams and so on to get to eat some breakfast. Still, if you want to eat in some other places, specially known for their superb breakfast in Budapest, we can recommend some of the following places:

Villa Bagatelle, Németvölgyi út 17, 1126 Budapest

Villa Bagatelle is located not far from the Deli railway station (southern). In the place they produce amazing bread and they have some real good brekfast offers. Not to many tourists located in this area, but if you stay in this area, check out this one!

Sarki Fűszeres, Pozsonyi út 53-55, 1137 Budapest

The 13th district in Budapest is getting more and more popular, and in this area you can find quite a lot of apartments, nice hotels and tourists walking around. One croissant in Sarki Füszeres cost 380 HUF, while a traditional English breakfast cost 1900 HUF.

Deryne Bistro, Krisztina tér 3, 1013 Budapest

To get to Deryne Bistro you simply need to walk through the tunnel opening from Clark Adam square (this is where the funicular is located). The prices are average, but they have a wide specter of food on the menu, so everyone should be able to find something to eat for breakfast.

Bock Bistro, Erzsébet körút 43-49, 1073 Budapest

This was a good place for a while, but they no longer serve breakfast, so if you are in this area, visit Szamos located 150 meters away from Bock Bistro instead. We not long ago visited Szamos instead of Bock (as Bock did no longer serve breakfast) and here you can read about our breakfast visit to Szamos.

Some last words
If you think the price of a breakfast in Budapest is expensive, then you should not forget to compare the prices with the actual prices you would have to pay for a breakfast in your hotel in Budapest. As I mentioned in the start many hotels charge 16-25 Euro for a breakfast. 16 Euro is at the moment 4560 HUF, meaning that at all the places mentioned you will get a large and tasty breakfast for the same price. Therefore our advice is to skip the breakfast in the hotel, and check out everything that Budapest has to offer, also when it comes to tasty, interesting and creative breakfasts.

Good luck, good appetite and jóétvágyat (as we would say in Hungary)!

LaciPecsenye review

Posted on by Budablogger

LaciPecsenye is one of the very cool and modern restaurant in Budapest in these days and after 1 ½ year located in Hegedus Gyula utca (13th district in Budapest) it recently moved into its new localities at a much better location, on the square in front of St Stephens Basilica. In this article you can find more information about LaciPecsenye, about the food and of course our thoughts on the restaurant.

Not long ago I spoke with my friend named Laci and I asked him about his favorite restaurants in Budapest. The result of the conversation turned into an article named Great restaurants near the St Stephens Basilica and there he referred to LaciKonyha (LaciPecsenye) as one of his great favorites. Since then I have been looking forward to visit the restaurant and recently I also got the chance.

As I have read about the restaurant on the net most reviews deal with things that happened in its former location in Hegedus Gyula street. The restaurant was supposed to move from there to CET (the glass whale building behind the Grand Market Hall), but since that building never seem to open, they have moved to Szent Istvan square in front of the basilica instead. Not a bad choice!

I went to LaciPecsenye with my family to eat a lunch. I ended up ordering a pumpkin soup followed by Pork belly with a small side dish, and for dessert I had a cheese cake. My friends ordered neck of veal, home made Hungarian sausage and chicken breast. I of course tasted the meals of my friends as well, so as I went home I had tasted quite a wide specter of the food available in the restaurant. It is worth knowing that the menu changes all the time, so next time I drop by I will probably not be able to get any of these dishes anymore.

Starter in LaciKonyha (LaciPecsenye) – home made Hungarian sausage

The starters came first (what a surprise) and the soup smiled at me, and I smiled back. The sausage did not smile, but it was really tasty – and more than enough considering it a starter. The three main courses were all interesting and my favorite was the chicken breast which was truly enjoyable, tasty and not at all dry and boring (as it can be in many restaurants around). The neck of veal was juicy and the pork belly I ordered myself was perfectly spiced and grilled. The side dishes were just as good, and just like in MAK Bistro some weeks ago I took what was left of bread at the table and took leftover sauce from the meat and rolled my bread in it, and ate it afterwards. For dessert I had a simple cheese cake, and there were no mistakes with this. It was tasty, just like cheese cakes around in most other places, so no big plus, and no big minus.

LaciPecsenye judgment

As I wrote about MAK Bistro I introduced myself as a guy not really into the gourmet dining. I just like to eat, and often a lot. In LaciPecsenye you get to eat great food, tasty and interesting, but not the large portions you will get in the traditional Hungarian restaurants. But maybe that is an advantage, because you are able to walk home by yourself and you do not need to button up your jeans to make space for your stomach while eating. We ordered what I mentioned earlier in the text and we all had one drink and the final bill (to which they automatically added the service fee) was a bit above 20,000 HUF. That is not a very high price for top gastronomy in Budapest, especially not if you are a tourist with lots of money in your pocket. We can warmly recommend LaciPecsenye when you come to Budapest, maybe after a visit to the St Stephens Basilica.

Open kitchen in LaciPecsenye

LaciPecsenye information

Address: 1051 Budapest, Sas utca 11
Tlf: +36-70 370-7474
Opening times: 12.00-24.00

LaciPecsenye – about themselves

The waiters in LaciPecsenye are mostly guys, all in their best age and quite cool in their style. They all have LaciPecsenye t-shirts, and on those you can for example read: „Real men eat meat” and our favorite „Vegetarian is a person who only eat side dishes.” The guys at LaciPecsenye describe their own restaurant as a refined contemporary bistro with food based on local traditions with dishes prepared on the grill with menu changing daily. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?

LaciPecsenye pictures

We made quite some pictures during our visit to the restaurant, so if you want to see more pictures than the ones published in this article, go visit our picture gallery from LaciPecsenye.

What others have written about LaciPecsenye

„A very trendy place with designer graffiti and one of Hungary’s best equipped kitchen… Long forgotten recipes and raw materials are restored to their former glory, and even foreign dishes are cooked with understanding.„ Gault&Millau 2012

“With the latest technology and creative innovation, you are sure to find something quite different here every day.” Dining Guide 2012

Prime Steakhouse Budapest review

Posted on by Budablogger

My wife took me out for dinner by a surprise last Tuesday and she wanted to take me to a restaurant where I had not been before. That is how we ended up in Prime Steakhouse. I had seen promotion for the restaurant on Facebook earlier and hear a lot of good feedback, but I was curious whether I would enjoy the place myself, or not.

It was a day with icy roads and some snow falling from the sky so I was very happy as we arrived safely to the area, found a parking lot and got inside the restaurant. The interior is very modern and elegant with a bar area in the middle where you can sit and have a drink before, after or during your meal, or maybe instead of a meal. We sat down and the waiters were ready to serve us from the first moment on.

My wife ordered a 180g filet mignon from New Zealand while I ordered a classic hamburger. My wife likes the steak well done, but in most places the steak turns hard as iron as they prepare it. She asked the waiter what he recommended and explained that she had to have her steak well done. The waiter recommended the filet mignon from New Zealand. Next to the steak she ordered grilled vegetables and green pepper sauce.

Juicy hamburger in Prime Steakhouse

Before our main course arrived they served us some fresh bread with special butter and some sort of patee. It was so delicious that I said that if we just get some more bread, butter and patee we can skip the steak and hamburger. After a while the steak and the burger came and we ate our first bites. Did my wife enjoy her well done steak? Absolutely! She is already looking forward to her next chance to eat it again! The hamburger? Enormous and tasty. I was completely satisfied and after eating all of  it – extremely full. However I do enjoy a good dessert and so does my wife. We therefore ordered a chocolate souffle and a cottage cheese cake. The chocolate souffle was amazing and the cottage cheese cake was nice (though nothing I will remember for a long time).

Prime Steakhouse judgment

I have been a frequent visitor of Pampas Steakhouse and I have also been to La Pampa a couple of times. I enjoy both the places, but it might be that Prime Steakhouse has become my new favorite. If my wallet was to decide I would probably go for Pampas or La Pampa as they are a bit cheaper. But, if you want high quality and you are willing to pay for it, then Prime Steakhouse is the play to go as you are guaranteed great service, brilliant food in an elegant environment.

I almost forgot, but in Prime Steakhouse they introduce their desserts in a great way. They have a special plate with real life models of the desserts on the menu. In that way you can see what the potential desserts look like and listen as the waiter promote the different options. We were supposed to only have one dessert (together), but after looking at the desserts available we ordered two instead!

All in all we paid 15,000 HUF for the steak (180g), hamburger (250g) with potatoes, grilled vegetables, green pepper sauce, chocolate souffle, cottage cheese cake and drinks (one ginger ale, some water and a lemonade). The 12% service fee is included in the bill as you pay.

Prime Steakhouse has a modern and elegant interior

Prime Steakhouse information

Tlf: + 36 70 331 86 66
Address: 1051 Budapest Sas utca 18.
Opening times: 12.00-00.00 (closed on Sundays)

Three restaurants I would visit in Budapest as a tourist

Posted on by Budablogger

Yesterday I received a question on Facebook from one of the many Budapest blog followers on Facebook. She is coming to Budapest with her boyfriend in February and wondered if I could recommend 2-3 bars/restaurants worth visiting.

I have not selected these three restaurants because I believe them to be the best three of Budapest (except from the last restaurant listed), but because I believe they will give any tourist an experience they will remember for a long time.

Trofea Grill

I would for sure visit Trófea Grill if I came to Budapest for the first time. The restaurant gives you an experience you will remember for a long time as you can eat and drink as much as you want, for a set price. I have now eaten in Trófea Grill at least 25-30 times so it is not that great experience anymore, but I still remember the feeling the first time I visited the restaurant.

Sir Lancelot

I am not really sure about this one, but I still decide to mention it. I am not a personal fan of Sir Lancelot, however I have spoken to hundreds of tourists who simply love the place. I have even read tourist guides mentioned Sir Lancelot not only as a restaurant, but as an attraction worth visiting in Budapest. Here you can enjoy a medieval atmosphere and large plates with lots of food. Yet another experience you will remember for a long time, maybe not because of the food, but because of the overall atmosphere.

MAK Bistro

Trofea Grill and Sir Lancelot have good food, but if you want awesome food I would go for MAK Bistro. It is for sure among the top 5 restaurants in Budapest, but it is still easier to get a table here than if you would want to visit Onyx or Costes. The price level is also better. The ingredients used are excellent and you will always be surprised as you visit the place. Even though the food is fantastic make sure to leave space for the dessert, because those are simply stunning in MAK Bistro.

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If any of our readers want to come with other advices or maybe disagree with my advices, feel free to do so as you write a comment!

Il Basilico review

Posted on by Budablogger

Not far from St Stephen’s Basilica the Italian restaurant Il Basilico can be found. It has a nice terrace outside on warmer days and a somewhat Italian atmosphere on the inside. What about the food?

I visited Il Basilico recently and we ordered a Bruschetta (starter), a pizza with ham and mushroom and a lasagne (main course) and for dessert a Panna Cotta and a Millefoglie. We sat down on the inside (it is cold in Budapest in January) and the waiter politely came and asked all the normal questions. Food was served quickly, but while waiting we had some time to take a closer look at the interior. It had an Italian feeling to it, but it was not a 100% Italian feeling, and if I had to choose an Italian restaurant in Budapest based on interior, I would probably never choose Il Basilico. But again, what about the food?

Il Basilico – Bruschetta: An okay starter, but nothing special

The Bruschetta turned out to be a fine starter. It didn’t really taste anything special (worth remembering), but it was okay. I love pizza so I ordered the Prosciutto e Funghi pizza, while my wife tried the Lasagne. Il Basilico wants to be an Italian restaurant and therefore the pizza is served in a traditional Italian way; thin bottom and quite strong tomato sauce feeling. I am picky when it comes to pizza and I must admit that visiting Italy I did not really enjoy the pizzas I ate there either, so I guess I might be the problem myself (not Il Basilico). Personally I have many places in Budapest where I’d rather eat a pizza than in Il Basilico.

Pizza in Il Basilico in Budapest

The lasagne often turns out to be a great challenge in restaurants. Often it only taste tomatoes, so we were both skeptical before tasting. Surprisingly the lasagne was good and my wife enjoyed it to the last bite.

We were both full after eating our main courses, but even though you are full, there is still space for dessert. We ordered a Panna Cotta with raspberrysauce and a Millefoglia. The Panna Cotta tasted the way it is supposed to taste… the Millefoglia became the surprise of the day. It first looked like whipped cream, but upon tasting it reminded me of cottage cheese. It was a giant portion, so after tasting and eating both desserts no space was left for anything.

The final bill was about 7000 HUF and that also included two drinks.

I would gladly eat this dessert once more!

Il Basilico information

Address: 1065 Budapest, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 31.
Telephone: +36 30 280 2400
Website: http://www.facebook.com/ilbasilicobudapest

Budapest Bisztro review

Posted on by Budablogger

It is a strange phenomena in Budapest. Either you visit a traditional Hungarian restaurant with giant portions and average quality or you visit a gourmet Hungarian restaurant who alter the traditional courses and make something completely else out of them. Can Budapest Bisztro change this phenomena?

Last week I finally got to visit Budapest Bisztro with my wife. I had been looking forward to visit the place for a while as I had seen the ads on Facebook and they have made me curious about whether the legendary goulash soup really is as legendary as they claim.

Budapest Bisztró is located between the Liberty Square and the Hungarian Parliament, a very nice location, even though it is a bit outside the main tourist area. The interior of the restaurant is highly modern and it should absolutely be listed as one of the nicer restaurants in Budapest based on its look. Upon arrival they at once showed us our table and from our table we could even look at the chefs as they were cooking… cool!

The food at Budapest Bisztró

The first impression was good, but a restaurant should first of all be known for its food. What did we order? We ordered a portion of the legen — (wait for it) –- dary (if you have seen How I Met Your Mother you know what I mean) goulash soup as a starter, followed by two traditional Hungarian courses, chicken paprika with dumplings (Chicken paprika stew with Hungarian style homemade egg dumpling brulee) and bakonyi (Sous-vide method countryside chicken breast in its own skin, served with vegetables finished with a forest mushroom sauce). Next to one of the main courses we ordered a cucumber salad. For dessert we ordered a classic cottage cheese ball.

The goulash soup was served with home made strong paprika. The portion of soup was nice and it was really tasty. It might not be the best goulash soup I have tasted ever, but it was for sure a good one and can be warmly recommended.

I had high expectations for the main courses. Chicken paprika is one of my personal favorites, and I was not let down in Budapest Bisztro. This was not the giant portion like in many traditional Hungarian restaurants, but it was not the super small portion either, like in many gourmet restaurants. It was just perfect and an interesting thing was that you got to taste different kinds of chicken (both liver, leg and breast) together with the delicious paprika sauce. The dumplings were brilliant!

Both meals had the same in common that the chicken itself was really tasty (even without the sauces), so all honor to the chefs for their job. The mushroom sauce that came with the other meal was brilliant, though I would have enjoyed a bit more of it on my plate. Maybe next time?

The dessert was the way it is supposed to be, and my wife who is a really big fan of a sweet and tasty cottage cheese ball for dessert enjoyed it. She said it was just perfect (normally the cottage cheese or the sour cream is not sweet enough, but this time she did not say a word).

My wife loved these cottage cheese balls

Final judgment

We finally got to visit Budapest Bisztro and we are very glad we did so. For those looking for a place in Budapest to eat the traditional Hungarian dishes in an authentic way, but still with focus on high quality, Budapest Bisztro is the place. For the dishes described in this article and two drinks we paid totally 12,000 HUF (10% service fee was included in the price). Not the cheapest, but I guess you have to pay for the quality. If you have the money and want to eat traditional Hungarian courses at its best, check out this place.

Ps: The restaurant is open from 7.30 in the morning until 24.00. In the morning you can enjoy a solid breakfast in the restaurant. During lunch time you can get good lunch offers costing about 1250 HUF and after lunch time you simply order from the menu, just like we did.

Budapest Bisztro seen from the outside

Budapest Bisztro information

1054 Budapest, Vécsey utca 3.
Tel: +36 1 783 0788