Our Budapest Restaurant Guide

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Restaurants by style

Pest Restaurants

Stop, V. Váci utca 86 at Fővám tér (metro: Kálvin tér), offers a good variety of fish and meat dishes plus several vegetarian selections. Prices are reasonable, the menu is in many languages, and it’s open almost 24 hours a day. Even better is the ever popular (and nearby) Fatál, V Váci utca 67, which serves massive Hungarian meals on wooden platters.

Kaltenberg, IX Kinizsi utca 30-36 (metro: Ferenc körút), has substantial Hungarian meals, a German menu and is a medium-price choice.

The friendly Karcsi, VI Jókai utca 20, a block back from Teréz körút and four blocks from Nyugati train station, serves very reasonable Hungarian meals weekdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Dine in style at the restaurant upstairs at the Duna Palota, V Zrínyi utca 5 (daily from noon to 11 p.m.). This elegant palace erected in 1894 was formerly a military officers’ club.

The Bohémtanya, VI Paulay Ede utca 6 between Deák tér and the State Opera House (metro: Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út), is an unpretentious but decent eatery that serves large portions. You may have to wait a while for a table. For a kosher lunch, head for Hannah, in an old school behind the Orthodox Synagogue at VII Dob utca 35 (open weekdays from 11.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. only).

Vegetárium, V Cukor utca 3 just off Ferenciek tere (noon to 10 p.m. daily), is a full-service vegetarian restaurant with a comprehensive English menu that includes some macrobiotic items. It’s not cheap but the service is friendly, the food good and it’s smoke-free. Even more strictly vegetarian is the Hari Krishna-run Govinda, an Indian vegetarian restaurant at V. Belgrád rakpart 18.

Abelino Pizzeria, V Duna utca 6 (down a side street from Ferenciek tere), has reasonable oven-baked pizza and draught beer. The service here is good (closed Sunday and holidays). Better still is the popular Italian-run Okay Italia, with branches at XIII Szent István körút 20 and V. Nyugati tér 6.

A very inexpensive place for an Asian lunch or dinner is the Miyako Noodle café-restaurant at XIII Visegrádi utca.

Typical Hungarian meals are served at the Alföldi, V. Kecskeméti utca 4 (metro: Kálvin tér). A good Greek place is the Taverna Dionysos at V Belgrád rakpart 18.

If you’re not discouraged by the prospect of spending something like 5000 Ft per person for dinner, Gundel, next to the zoo directly behind the Museum of Fine Arts at XIV Állatkerti út 2 (metro: Széchenyi Fürdő), is probably Budapest’s fanciest restaurant, with a tradition dating back to 1894. Budapest cognoscenti, though, have now abandoned Gundel to the expense-account brigade and flock to Bagolyvár, Gundel’s little sister next door. It’s open daily from noon to 11 p.m.

Buda Restaurants

János Vendéglő is a restaurant where service is fast and friendly. The dishes are special, made from first class ingredients and are served with beautiful decorations. You can taste the excellent Hungarian wine-even if you wish to drink just one glass of it. The candle light and fresh flowers just make the restaurant more welcoming. Only 2 minutes away from the centre of town, at the foot of the Gellért-hill. We are waiting for you and those who wish to taste the traditional flavours of the Hungarian kitchen and all the other specialities of our chef! The address is I. district Hegyalja street 23. Phone: 202 3414

Expensive restaurants popular with tourists and nouveau riche Hungarians abound in the Castle District, but one place to consider is Fekete Holló at Országház utca 10, the most charming inexpensive eatery in the district.

The Tabáni Kakas, I Attila út 27, will help you raise your cholesterol level: almost everything (mostly poultry dishes) is cooked in flavour-enhancing goose fat.

Hearty Hungarian meals are served at Söröző a Szent Jupáthoz, II Retek utca 16 a block north of Moszkva tér. The menu is posted outside in English and it’s open 24 hours a day.

The Marxim Pizzeria, II Kisrókus utca 23, a five-minute walk from Moszkva tér (open Sunday to Thursday until 1 a.m., to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday), is popular among workers from the nearby city gas works and factories who appreciate the Gulag, Kulák, Lenin and Anarchismo pizzas and the campy Stalinist décor.

The pizza is better, though, at Il Treno, XII Alkotás utca 15, an upbeat location across the street from Déli train station. The salad bar makes this place a good choice for vegetarians: The Gerber Banya-Tanya, half a block up from Il Treno on XII Nagyenyed utca, is a good local place.

The simple but excellent Italian fare at Marcello, XI Bartók Béla út 40, attracts students from the nearby university. Yet another choice is La Prima Pizzeria, II Margit körút 3 opposite the stop of tram No 4 and 6 on the west side of the Danube. They bake good pizza and have a self-service salad bar.

Óbuda Restaurants

A number of up-market restaurants are centred at Fő tér in Óbuda (take the HÉV suburban railway from Batthyány tér to Árpád Bridge). The Postakocsi, III Fő tér 2, is one; Sipos Halászkert, III. Szentlélek tér 8, founded in 1930 by Károly Sipos, is another (try the fish soup). In the evening there will probably be Gypsy music at both places.

Even if you aren’t prepared to pay the sod of prices listed on those restaurants’ menus, Fő tér is still fine for a romantic stroll at night and there’s a good little pub, the Kis Dreher Söröző, on Harrer Pál utca just west of Fő tér. The Don Stefano next door has decent pizza.

Fast Food & Cheap Eats

Fast-food places like McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the Hungarian Paprika outlets abound in Budapest, but old-style self-service restaurants, the mainstay of both white and blue-collar workers in the old regime, where full meals can cost under 300 Ft, are disappearing fast. One of the few left in Pestis Bölcs Bagoly, centrally located at V. Váci utca 33 (metro: Ferenciek tere) and open weekdays from 11.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. There’s a similar self service place at V. Arany János utca 5 open weekdays from 11.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. only. Oddly enough, there are two more self-service restaurants on Castle Hill: Akadémia above the police station at I. Országház utca 30 (take the lift to the 3rd floor) open from 11.30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and another above the Fortuna Spaten restaurant, directly across the street from the Hilton Hotel on I Fortuna utca. It is open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2.30 p.m.

Bear in mind that, while cheap, self-service restaurants are the lowest common denominator and usually serve mediocre food. Much better value at lunch are the butcher shops that serve cooked sausage and occasionally roast chicken, like the Gasztró Hús-Hentesáru at II. Margit körút 2, opposite the first stop of tram No 4 and 6 on the west side of Margaret Bridge (open Monday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

Even better are the wonderful little restaurants called étkezde - not unlike British cafés that serve simple dishes that change every day. Two of the best are the Kisharang, V Október 6 utca 17 (open weekdays to 8 p.m., weekends to 3.30 p.m.), and Kádár in the former Jewish ghetto at X Klauzál tér (open Tuesday to Saturday till 3.30 p.m.).

Middle Eastern food is served at Semiramis, V Alkotmány utca 20 (additional seating upstairs). One of the healthiest and least expensive places to eat in is Falafel Faloda, VI. Paulay Ede utca 53 (metro: Opera or Oktogon). It’s strictly vegetarian, and you pay a fixed price to stuff a piece of pitta bread or fill a plastic container yourself from the great assortment of salad bar options. There’s also a large selection of teas. The bright, modern décor attracts a young crowd (open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. only).

Cabar, V Irányi utca 25, around the corner from the Vegetárium restaurant, has Israelistyle shwarma and felafel, which you eat standing up. There’s a self-service salad bar - you’ll be charged by the weight of the food you select. It’s open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

FALAFEL FALODA
VI. Paulay Ede u. 53. T. 267-9567. Open Mon: Fri., 10 am: 8 p.m.; Sat., 10 am: 6 p.m. Take-out. Ml to Oktogon.

KORONA PASSAGE
V. Kecskeméti u. 14. T. 317-4111. Open daily, 10 am: 10 p.m. M3 to Kálvin tér. Palacsinta (Hungarian pancakes) are their speciality.

MARIE KRISTENSEN’S SANDWICH BAR
IX. Ráday u. 7. T. 218-1673. Open Mon: Fri., 10 am: 9 p.m. M3 to Kálvin tér. Delivery.

3 TESTVÉR TÖRÖK ÉTKEZDE
XII. Szent István krt. 22. T. 329-2951. Open 9 a.m.-3 a.m. One of the newest Turkish food establishments in Budapest. Good food for the late night snack.

You may want to check this link out for more information:

Aaron Archer`s Budapest Restaurant Guide