Which are the best restaurants in Budapest? Are they worth the money?

I have visited all these restaurants in Budapest in this category myself and tested them in terms of the food, the location, the price, the service and much more. You will find my honest opinion about all that I experienced in the given restaurants. Non of these reviews are bought or influenced with money, I have visited them without prior notice so non of them new I would come around for a lunch or dinner, take pictures and test their location.

As all these reviews only reflect my opinion on one (sometimes more often) given occasion you might have experienced it better or worse. If so, please do not hesitate to leave a comment with the experiences you have made.

Indian Restaurant Indigo in Budapest

Indigo in Budapest is an Indian restaurant offering really a massive variety of Indian dishes with a very nice flair and a cool location. They state on the website that “Indigo Indian restaurant opened in december 2005 with a vision of providing authentic indian flavours in a relaxing atmosphere” which is partly true, the flavours are great and authentic, though the atmosphere is a bit busy and somehow typical Hungarian so for me it was not really a relaxing experience. However the food, and they offer a lot, was great and the portions rich so there is nothing to complain about. Located in Jókai utca it is not far off the pulse of the city actually it is still considered as the city centre.

As mentioned the food is really great and the portions are enough to get full. I tried the typical Chicken Tikka Masala which was well spiced and had a really great taste and also the traditional Hungarian Dreher beer was good. It took me actually a long time to decide what I eat because the menu is ridiculously long with tons of dishes for every meat and fish type you can imagine. Chicken, pork, beef, fish, vegetarian in all kinds of variantswhich makes it not easy to chose something especially if it is full of Indian expressions such as Tandoori, Tikka or Paneer which maybe not everybody understands or knows what it is.

I think that the service was not the greatest, at least it took a while to get each and every drink so that you almost could order your next beer while you get one in case you want to have one more, maybe it was because we were sitting upstairs but there did not seem to be a dedicated waiter for this area. Also when asking for the ingrediants of a certain dish the waiter could not really explain us what it was and tell us what it is made of which for me is not really professional. So from this standpoint restaurant Indigo in Budapest is not the perfect place to go. However if you know the Indian kitchen a bit or have no problems chosing a dish that you might not know and just try I do recommend to visit Indigo.

Overall I was satisfied with the overall experience in restaurant Indigo with some remarks that you can accept. The prices for food are a bit expensive so that you are not leaving the place without paying around 2000 HUF for a main course without drinks. Although the food was very good I am still a fan of the Indian restaurant Hathi in Budapest in the 13th district which for me is the best Indian food you can get in the city. It is a bit far outside and not really nice to sit there for an evening though. But if you fancy some Indian food in the city centre do not hesitate to go to Indigo.

Restaurant Indigo Information:
Address: 1066 Budapest, Jókai u. 13.
Tel: +361 428-2187
Or visit the official Indigo website

This article was written in Other Nationalities

Restaurant Jardinette

First time that I have been to restaurant Jardinette in Budapest was at a wedding I was invited to but obviously the menu was different from what the restaurant usually offers. However the chef was probably the same and as the food was very good I decided to visit restaurant Jardinette again.

Located in the beautiful Buda hills close to a cemetary Jardinette is in a really nice, calm area of Budapest. A large house with an attached garden functions as the restaurant. The interior is a bit boring to be honest but the garden is nice with a lot of trees and an area for kids to play. That makes jardinette very nice especially in summer.

This article was written in International

Restaurant Gesztenyés Kert

Actually restaurant Gesztenyés Kert is not located in Budapest directly but in Budakeszi which is approximately 15 kilometers from the city center but as I did it recently with restaurant Kistücsök at Lake Balaton I want to recommend good restaurants I have visited and that does not have to be in Budapest only. So the Gesztenyés Kert is a small restaurant which gets a lot of attention because of the nearby Vadaspark (Wild park) which is just like a zoo but with wild animals such as wolves, deer and so on. By the way kids love it. Nevertheless, the attention is justified because the food, drinks and the service in Gesztenyes Kert are really good and a visit there is a good choice even if you are not going to see the Vadaspark but you happen to be nearby.

This article was written in Hungarian, International

Hard Rock Cafe Budapest

Yes, the world famous Hard Rock Cafe will open up in Budapest on Vorosmarty Square in the city center. As you can see on the image on the left side it is stated officially on the Hard Rock Cafe website that the Hard Rock Cafe Budapest, Hungary is coming soon next to some other new openeing.

Hard Rock Cafe is popular all over the world for their rock music, stylish cafes, the collectables which you can find in the cafes as well as of course the food and drinks. Fantastic Burgers, Ribs, salads and other American style dishes are served to rock fans all over the world since years while enjoying rock music either live or from the Hard Rock TV music channel. I really like their burgers which are super tasty and the variety is large so that you can choose from original quarter pounders down to blue cheese burgers with bbw sauce, fried onions to guacamole and whatever. Hard Rock Cafes also have great cocktails which makes it attractive not only for beer drinking rockers but also their girls and people who rather enjoy a Mojito than a pint of beer.

Usually Hard Rock Cafe has a stage for local live music acts which every now and than gives a good opportunity to party like a rock star while having a great dinner or just few beers.

This article was written in American

Restaurant Kistücsök at Lake Balaton

Kistücsök restaurant is in Balatonszemes at Lake Balton so far away from Budapest but this restaurant deserves a review because it is a great place to eat and if you happen to be around that I absolutely recommend you to stop by for a lunch or dinner. If you like a good dinner with high international standards after a day or weekend on Lake Balaton Kistücsök gives you the best choice to do so. I am down at Lake Balaton almost every year and this is by far the best food I have eaten around. To tell you upfront, Kistücsök is not the cheapest restaurant for sure but the food and location make it worth it.

Location and the restaurant Kistücsök

Kistücsök restaurant at Lake Balaton is located on the main road of Balatonszemes which used to be the only road around Balaton before the highway M7 was built, so now it is fairly quiet there since Balatonszemes is not one of the bigger cities around the lake. The house Kistücsök is situated in is surrounded by a high wall just like you would expect it from a house where people live in and once you walk into the property a well kept garden with trees opens up and many tables to enjoy the sun outside. This is the main part of the restaurant as Balaton is mostly crowded in summer and during the warm times of the year people simply prefer to sit outside, however Kistücsök has a large inside area as well.

This article was written in Hungarian

Wang Mester Konyhája

I have heard a lot about Wang Mester Kinai Konyha (Wang Master Chinese Kitchen) before I first time went there, friends told me it is the best Chinese restaurant you can find in Budapest. Upfront: It turned to out to be. Wang Mester has actually to locations and I tried the one in 9th district somewhere in the middle of a living area, so no hotspot for restaurants, no potential customers passing by accidentially only people who are going to that particularly restaurant. I musty admit that chinese restaurants do not have a extraordinary good reputation in Budapest due to the many small “Chinese Fast Food” restaurants that offer a full meal including soup for 2-3 Euro which simply cannot be proper food. So it is not too easy to find a good chinese restaurant but here you go (next to Momotaro and Hong Kong).

This article was written in Asian

Pastrami Budapest

About Pastrami

At first I thought that Pastrami in Budapest would be a copy cat of the successful Italian restaurant Vapiano in Budapest as the pictures looked very similar. With its central, very open kitchen and a lot of little bits and bobs stading and handing around, the menu written up in large above the kitchen it just felt like Vapiano, going to the counter where the chef takes you order, cooks a fresh pasta and off you go to your seat. But enough of that comparison because restaurant Pastrami turned out to be a regular but fantastic restaurant including waiters, a proper menu and without self service but all in a very modern and good atmosphere.

This article was written in International

Budai Gourmet Festival

The Budai Gourmet Festival in Budapest (Millenaris Park) is organized by Sziget.hu, the company organizing the Sziget Festival, Balaton Sound and the Volt Festival in Sopron as well. So it is ensured that this festival is professionally organized maybe even a bit too professional in my opinion. For the relativly high entrance fee of 2.900 HUF you are equipped with a wine glass and a payment card (based on NFC -Near Field Communication technology) in order to make your payments at the stands. This payment method seems to be very popular nowadays among festivals in Budapest, this was the case at the Pálinka Festival already, and the card will be valid for the Balaton Sound, Sziget Festival as well as the Volt Festival as well. OK, enough talk about the organizational issues, let’s jump into what the Budai Gourmet Festival has to offer in terms of Gourmet.

This article was written in Entertainment, Hungarian Food, Leisure

Pörkölt

The Pörkölt is what most Europeans title as Goulash whereas the Gulash in Hungary is the Goulash soup. Pörkölt is rather a stew with a think sauce and only meat pieces inside. The Goulash Soup is very liquid and next too meat you have vegetables such as potatoes or carrots. So if you come to Hungary and want the Goulash that you know you should order a Pörkölt which you get in nearly every Hungarian Restaurant. Pörkölt is so popular that you even find festivals all over Hungary where Hungarians meet for challenging themselves in who makes the best Pörkölt, with loads of Pálinka aside and a big celebration of the winners at the end. I recommend you if you have the chance to go to such a festival, please do so. Here you will see the real Hungarian tradition and culture.

Pörkölt Recipe

Ingredients for your Pörkölt

• Beef meat
• Onions
• Paprika powder, pepper, salt
• Some water

How to do your Pörkölt

In a large pot or in the Cauldron above the open fire you need to fry the finely chopped onions. Add the meat and stir it around, once fried add the paprika powder and the salt and add a bit of water, than basically you just need to let it boil until the meat is tender. One tipp, when you add the paprika powder, leave it on top for few minutes and do not stir it in immediately. If the powder gets fried it will not add the nice red color to your Pörkölt, if you leave it on the meat for a while the juice will turn nice and red, than stir it around.
Pörkölt is usually served with potatoes but you can eat it with pasta or even rice as well. Very well next to it goes the so called “Savanyúság” which are pickeled vegetables like cucumber, cabbage or spicy peppers. Enjoy your meal.

This article was written in Hungarian Food

Lángos

Lángos is probably one of the traditional Hungarian food that you immediately connect with Hungary, just like the Goulash Soup or Paprika. There is no festival or event without a booth serving you fresh fried Lángos in all its different ways. Lángos is a deep fried dough topped with different things such as tejföl (Sour Cream), cheese and garlic sauce. Sounds all a bit wierd but in the end its a kind of bread with sauce on top. I have eaten many of those Lángos all over Hungary, on festivals or on Lake Balaton but I never thought about how it is made so just for this article I was reading different receipes and in the end it sounds fairly simple even though I wouldn’t like to make it at home because my kitchen will be a mess. Anyways, Lángos belongs to Hungary just like the Parliament or Pálinka.

This article was written in Hungarian Food

Restaurant Melba Marina Part

The restaurant Melba in Budapest is located on the so called Marina Part, which is a newly built area in the 13th district right next to the Danube. Restaurant Melba is offering a wide variety of internation and traditional Hungarian dishes on a above average price level but thats what you have to pay sitting right on the Danube enjoying your lunch or dinner. The so called Marina Part is an area of newly built houses with masses of apartments and offices and in these places usually a restaurant is not missing. But the restaurant Melba is located on the, fairly small, port of that area.

This article was written in International

Il Terzo Cerchio Budapest

Until now I was absolutely convinced that Trattoria Toscana is the best Italian restaurant in Budapest but since I have been to Il Terzo Cerchio in Budapest I have am not sure anymore. Il Terzo Cerchio is a super cosy and authentic Italian restaurant in the heart of Budapest, located in Dohány utca in the the 7th district. Next to the really superb food and drinks they have there the ambience is what makes a big difference. As you can see on the picture Il Terzo Cerchio is kept in a nice mediterranean style.

This article was written in Italian

Túró Rudi

Túró Rudi is Hungarian culture! There is no Hungarian who does not know Túró Rudi and probably almost nobody who doesn’t like it. It is without any doubt the most popular sweet in Hungary. So what is Túró Rudi? In few words, it is a chocolate bar stuffed with curd. On the image you can see it as an example. Túró Rudi is a 100% Hungarian product and thats probably what people love about it. Once the Hungarian Social Network IWIW has asked its users living abroad what they miss the most while not being in Hungary and Túró Rudi was the most voted because it is not available outside of Hungary. The producing company Pöttyös (only available in Hungarian) tried it some time ago to introduce Túró Rudi outside of Hungary under the name “dotted” but it didn’t work out.

This article was written in Hungarian Food

The Tourist’s Guide to Hungarian Food

When it comes to Budapest river cruises, Viking River Cruises does it best and taking a cruise along the beautiful Danube is a wonderful way to see Hungary’s vibrant capital. Despite Hungary’s small size, this country has a distinct culture, beautiful landscapes and delicious food. When foreigners think of Hungarian cuisine, goulash and chicken paprika usually spring to mind. However, traditional Hungarian food doesn’t stop at these two tasty dishes.

This article was written in Hungarian Food

Villa Bagatelle

Good bread is something I was missing in Budapest, until now. Villa Bagatelle in Budapest is a bakery, café and home decoration shop in one place. It settled in a big, beautiful villa in the 12th district in Budapest, that why it took the name of Villa Bagatelle. The building is from 1929 when an owner of a pharmacy built a villa in Németvölgyi út for him and his family. Over the years the house has changed owners sometimes and now it became a family business including a superb bakery, the coffee place and a home decoration shop in the top floor. Beautifully renovated and with a very nice garden around Villa Bagatelle invites guests to have a coffee on the balcony or in the wonderful decorated inside. Also the place is very children friendly, equipped with many children seats and a nice corner to play for children of all ages.

This article was written in Cafés, Hungarian Food

Pálinka

Pálinka is the traditional Hungarian shot which is similar to a fruit brandy most often made out of plums, pears, apricot or peaches but also very popular made from cherries, apples, raspberries or even mulberries and caraway. So you see that basically from everything you can make a Pálinka and in Hungary it is probably the most popular drink next to water.

Even though Pálinka is a really strong drink it is very popular also among young people or women who often drink it in a long drink for example pear Pálinka with apple juice which actually tastes quite nice. In almost every pup or club in Budapest you have a corner dedicated to Pálinka and producers nowadays are really fighting to be on spot in the nightlife in Budapest.

This article was written in Hungarian Food

Parázs Presszó Budapest

Best Thai Restaurant in Budapest

I have been to Parázs Presszó in Budapest already several times but just now I find the time to actually write my article about it. Forme Parázs Presszó is definitely the best Thai restaurant I have been to in Budapest and among the best Asian restaurants in Budapest next to Momotaro Metélt and Wasabi (both Japanese). Actually Parázs Presszó is not only a Thai restaurant but also a Hungarian restaurant so it combines the specialities of two worlds, the heavy food of Hungary and the exotic food of Thailand.

The menu is clearly seperated into the 2 different styles and contains everything from starter to dessert. So if you fancy a typical Hungarian soup followed up by a spicy Thai Curry this is your place to go.
I am talking mainly about the Thai part of the restaurant since this is the only food I ate there till now. Maybe this will change some day even though I strongly doubt it simply because once you are in a place like this you want to try the food you dont get every day. Nevertheless this Hungarian food might be quite tasty as well, if you have any experience feel free to share it in the comments or contact me.

This article was written in Asian

Hathi Indiai Kifőzde

The best Indian restaurant in Budapest

For now: Hathi is the best Indian restaurant in Budapest, most probably even the best I have ever been to.
The Hathi Indiai Kifőzde is rather a lunch place than a proper restaurant, so if you expect wine glasses on the table or dressed up waiters serving you, you better go somewhere else. The word Kifőzde in Hungarian describes a place where you get prepared food from a pot and not a freshly cooked dish. In Hathi you are even served on plastic plates and plastic forks so it is a real “grab your food, eat and leave place”.

All that sounds not too good but once you get your food you will be amazed how good it is. Usually the “Indian” restaurants serve you kind of Indian food which is prepared for Europeans meaning that spices are not used properly and probably the receipe is not what you expect from Indian food. In Hathi all dishes I ever ate, due to the fact that I am arround there quite much and really love it it is quite many I tried, simply taste fantastic, well spiced and simply blow up your mind.

This article was written in Other Nationalities

Restaurant Robinson

Recently I have been to Restaurant Robinson in Budapest which has probably one of the coolest location of all restaurants in Budapest. Built on the lake in the city park Robinson offers a super romantic atmosphere with a nice view on the city park itself which especially in summer time is really nice while sitting outside on the terrace with a glass of wine and a good dinner.

The arrangement of the restaurant itself is very nice and stylish with a lot of flowers as you can see on the image (click to enlarge) which makes the restaurant really cosy and enjoyable.

The only critics I had when I went to restaurant Robinson is that the menu is fairly small and meaty. Of course you get some soups and also not so heavy dishes but the majority, and that seems to be what they are famous for, of the selection is steaks. Not that I don’t like a proper steak for dinner but it seems that its all about meat. The steak I had was OK, nothing special. I have eaten much better steaks around the world and also in Budapest to be honest. I have just double checked the menu and there is no vegetarian dish on it except from salads which are actually the typical Hungarian pickeled vegetables like cucumbers or some side salads like tomato salad. So you get the point.

Nevertheless as mentioned already you can spend there a nice time having a good dinner for being honest heavy prices but the location is absolutly unique. Robinson will not be my favourite restaurant in Budapest and I would not recommend it in first stage but for something romantic it is for sure acceptable.

Restaurant Robinson Contact Information:
Address: 1146 Városliget Tó, Budapest
Tel.: +36 1 422 0222
For more information visit the website.

This article was written in International

Bistro Aldente

Aldente Bistro Italiano is a newly openened Italian restaurant in the environment of Allee Shopping Center on Buda side offering a wide variety of dishes. You can find here the regular Italian menu covering Pizza, Pasta, Salads but also meat dishes from rather Northern Italy.

The interior design of the restaurant is really cosy and invites for nice evenings with a glass of wine and a good dish including great desserts and fantastic starters.

It all sounds too good to be true but of course there are negative points as well which I don’t want to leave out. I had pasta the second time I went there and according to my feeling the chef, maybe it was only on that day, used way too much oil for my “Spaghetti Bumm Bumm” so at the end of the meal there was an oil soup left. Nevertheless the Spagetthi where great until I saw the left overs.

All in all I have to say that Bistro Aldente is a good alternative to the other Italian restaurants even though my favourites still remains Vapiano for a quick meal and Trattoria Toscana for a nice evening in great atmosphere. But both of them are on Pest side and if you are on Buda side or shopping in Allee Shopping Center than Bistro Aldente is a very good place to go and for sure the best Italian restaurant on Buda side I have been to so far.

Bistro Aldente Contact Information:
Október 23. u. 8-10. Allee Shopping Center
Table reservation: +36 20 779 3356
Opening hours: Daily 11.00-24.00
For more information including the English menu please visit the website.

This article was written in Italian

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