Budapest was a delightful surprise after thinking that it may have become as commercialized as well known neighboring Austrian Vienna or other cities in Europe. It’s about half as commercial as Prague (this is a very very good thing btw) yet the food and wine is considerably better. Hungarian wines are not as well known as they should be and were so much better than the weaker, thinner Czech wines I tasted a week later. I ate my way through Budapest and here are my top picks:
1. Nancsi Neni (named after the founder’s grandmother). Located on 1029 Budapest II on the outskirts/burbs of Budapest so you’d need a car to get there. It’s a classic traditional Hungarian restaurant with a cute courtyard in the back where you can sit outside during the summer and fall months. You sit under trees waiting for the waiter to drop off a menu that looks more like a book with a massive selection of classic savory soups and spicy sauces, cold meats, pates, all opulent and bountiful, with plates piled high with fresh ingredients.
The wine menu was equally as extensive and while the size of the place isn’t what you’d call quaint (although the inside has more of that feel to it — complete with white and red checked tablecloths and countrified ornate things hanging on the walls), it still feels like you’re awaiting food from your grandmother’s kitchen. Here’s my standalone review on Nancsi Neni.
2. Haxen-Kiraly Etterem which is located on Kiraly Street in a funky part of town not a stranger to local students. The restaurant itself isn’t a “student hang out” though, much more so a classical dining experience where you go expecting to eat and drink well and you’ll spend hours doing it. It isn’t a formal place nor is it a pub, but if you can imagine an old Bavarian ski lodge that is tastefully decorated with lots of wood and candles, then you’ll be half way there. Here’s my standalone review on the place.
Recommended choices include the lamb slices with freshly grated Parmesan cheese morsel then fried in a hot libazsírban, duck breast with cream cheese and leek stew, served in a csipsszel besütjük oven, and by far the number one thumbs up goes to the goose liver pate. Combine this perfectly prepared pate with a delicious Hungarian red and you have a perfect evening. We tried the Villanyi Solus Merlot 2007 (Gere Attila) , the Villanyi Tiffan Grand Selection 2007 (Tiffan Pince) and the Villanyi Mandolas/Cabernet Franc 2006 (Vylyan Pince).
3. The Rozmaring along the Danube River. Apparently this is popular with local celebs, politicians and journo types and while it was dead quiet when we went for lunch and had our pick of incredible tables on the front porch that overlooked the Danube River, you could easily see the place buzzing on a weekend evening. While there were plenty of lighter dishes to choose from (catfish, trout, perches and plenty of salads and soups, including the classic Hungarian goulosh), the menu had a number of heavier traditional Hungarian dishes which I “had” to try. While I don’t eat this heavy on a regular basis at home, it’s hard to pass up goose liver prepared so many different ways in Budapest, a favorite among locals and tourists alike.
I ordered the Roast Duck with peach and they also served a cranberry accompaniment as well as fresh bread. Also on the list that had unique character and is worth checking out is the Chateaubriand, marinated pork ribs with sweet corn, confit of goose leg with seasoned lentil ragout, goose liver fried or grilled with breadcrumbs (I’d suggest the latter), the trio of tartars appetizer (salmon, vegetable and beefsteak) and the unusually prepared cottage cheese dumpling.
The wine I had was far too heavy for an afternoon lunch but the food warranted it: the Villanyi Carissimae Cuvee 2007 (a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot – aged 18 months in oak) and the Villanyi Cuvee Phoenix 2007y, which has some Portugleses in it. (also two cab blends as well).
4. Nobu in the Corvinus Kempinski Hotel. Yup, Nobu has opened a restaurant in Budapest, surrounded by the luxurious ambiance of the 5 star (and then some) Kempinski Hotel. Here’s my standalone review on Nobu.
5. Cafe Vian on Liszt Ferenc. This area is full of restaurants, cafes and bars, all of which have outside seating during the warmer months. It’s a sectioned off square that is a pedestrian area and has a great buzz day or night. There are other cute eateries to choose from as well as an ice cream shop where you can choose from a wide array of flavors. This area isn’t full of restaurants that serve food you’ll remember for months or years later like some of the others we’ve mentioned here, but the reason to come is for the ambiance and experience.
That said, they do serve a ham carpaccio and a goose liver pate saturated in red wine onion jam (yum) like so many of the Budapest restaurants do, but they also serve caprese and other such salads if you want to go a little lighter. They also serve cocktails and wine and the ambiance is fun.
Back in 1995, the square was inhabited by but a few establishments. Then, you would not have found a Vian cappuccino but instead, clean socks, shirts and trousers at Margareta’s Launderette. All that remained of Magareta’s was a phone call two years ago when a former client asked about a pocket watch forgotten in their suit jacket in1995. Café Vian began as a modest coffee drinking environment for intellectuals; it now operates as a Café-Restaurant offering a more serious menu than when it started now more than fifteen years ago.
6. Trattoria Mamma for Italian food on La Cucina Della Mamma 1051 Budapest. Even though it is classically Italian, has a warm and homey feeling to it and you can sit outside in its ambiance-rich courtyard, there are some classic Hungarian influences woven into the menu, such as the grilled goose liver slices with balsamic cream and purple onions. For the most part, however, you’ll find traditional Italian dishes on offer.
Some dishes worth recommending include their homemade tagliatelle with tomato sauce and ground beef (yum), grilled goat cheese, fried calamari, the lamb lettuce salad, the pasta salad with fennel ruccola and black olives and the mussels served with tomatoes and capers. The wine is also excellent – go for the Cab if you order meats/lambs, etc. or a lighter Pinot or Chianti if sticking to salads and pizzas.
7. Pampas Argentine Steakhouse is great for beef meat lovers: the meat is freshly imported from Argentina where the Angus cattle herds are raised on expansive pastures, according to Budapest Times. As Fodor’s travel guide writes: “You’ll be spoiled for choice at this dedicated steak house specializing in imported Argentine beef. Cuts difficult to find in Hungary like rib-eye and New York strip are aged and lovingly grilled in this sophisticated restaurant in central Pest. … The mostly Hungarian wine list is affordable and suited to juicy beef dinners.” Wines are also from Chile, Argentina and France – at reasonable prices. Steaks come in 200g, 320g and 480g portions.
Address: Vámház körút 6. 1056 Budapest (right next to the Central Market Hall in Budapest)
8. Onyx Restaurant – Onyx Restaurant is one of the very few Michelin star restaurants in Budapest, Hungary, and one of the few non-smoking restaurants.
Despite the 1 Michelin star, business lunches are in fact at an affordable price, the weekly special is a 2-course menu for 3,490 HUF (approx. 13 euros) and a 3-course menu for 3,990 HUF (approx. 15 euros). Onyx, the white gloved gourmet restaurant was the second culinary establishment in Hungary which was given a Michelin star (the first being Costes Restaurant in Raday street, Budapest). Before the well deserved star fell in its lap, Onyx started to grab other prestigious national awards like the Number 3 rank in Hungary in the Hungarian Best Restaurant Guide for 2010, which is a remarkable restaurant career taking into consideration that the restaurant only opened in 2007. 9. Costes Restaurant, which is located on Raday street 4 in Budapest. According to Via Michelin guide, Costes Restaurant is “sophisticated, tastefully furnished restaurant epitomised by clothed tables, quality glassware and formal service. Accomplished cooking of excellent ingredients: classic combinations are interpreted in an innovative style, with precise technique and clear flavors.”
10. Chez Daniel Restaurant on Szív utca 32, 1063 Budapest. If you’re a vegetarian and are not excited about the goose liver pates and duck on every traditional menu, you can get some amazing vegetarian choices at provencal style French restaurant Chez Daniel, with its French cuisine orchestrated by French chef Daniel Labrosse. It has a small quaint terrace and numerous wooden, and brass French cocks brings a glimpse of Provence in Budapest. The restaurant is on the way to or from the Heroes’ square (Millennial Monument, Museum of Fine Arts, etc.) on gorgeous Andrassy avenue, which is flanked by Paris-like 19th century buildings. Chez Daniel is on the list of Top 33 restaurants made by the Hungarian food blog, Chew.hu. Vegetarians will go nuts over the camembert chaud aux truffes — warm camembert with julienned white truffles.
11. Gundel Restaurant (also mistakenly called Gundels or Grundel Restaurant) is a has grown a solid term over the last decades in Hungary. Gundel Restaurant (Gundel Etterem) bears aristocratic majesty in its several rooms with antique furniture, walls, glasswork, etc. Although the well-known restaurant is recommended by the Budapest Michelin guide. Gundel was reopened in 1992 under the auspices of the well-known restaurateur George Lang, owner of New York’s Café des Artistes. The Hungarian-born Lang, author of The Cuisine of Hungary, and his partner Ronald Lauder, son of Estée Lauder and a one-time New York gubernatorial candidate, spared no effort in attempting to re-create the original splendor for which Gundel, founded in 1894, achieved its international reputation.”
12. Baraka Restaurant (Baraka étterem) located on Andrássy út 111, 1062 Budapest is in Andrassy Boutique Hotel, on the fascinating Andrassy avenue in Budapest. The interior design of the restaurant is art deco (simple, elegant, and a bit darkish). Rich flavors, different fishes, seafood, beef, lamb and vegetarian dishes. Baraka has been chosen in the list of the Top 33 restaurants in Budapest made by Chew.hu Hungarian food blog.
Fodor’s travel guide writes: “The new digs for this celebrated Budapest restaurant couldn’t be more inviting. The leafy outside terrace looks onto majestic Andrássy út and Heroes Square; the spacious interior dining room is all grown-up big-city glamour. Dimmed crystal chandeliers, sleek black tables, and massive vases filled with calla lillies suggest a sophisticated evening in store. Expect innovative seasonal dishes …Prices match the ambition of the place, but there’s a reasonable two-course lunch special daily.”
Also check out this top 50 restaurants list.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
