Top 10 Picks for Food and Drinks

Our Local Expert Says:

Don’t be deceived by the seemingly sparse entrance, the dining area is downstairs! An extensive menu of soups and salads from around the world has won this a dedicated following. Great for vegetarians. Try their “bad weather” soup (rosszido leves).

Description:

Owner Szeva offers a wide variety of dishes from all over the world: Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bengal, Japan, China, France, Greece, Italy and Hungary. It started as a little wooden salad bar, then added a balcony and now it consists of a ground-floor eatery and a spacious cellar, providing room for one hundred guests to sit in comfort. Beautiful Azerbaijani carpets in maroons and oranges cover the walls and even the ceiling, giving a cosy feel to the white stone interior. Georgian and Azerbaijani dishes are a specialty e.g. Pyty-a traditional lamb and vegetable soup-which makes a good starter. The chickpea curry and coq au vin are hearty and substantial. Why not cool down with a refreshing sherbet drink, made with lemon juice, sugar and basil, mint or coriander seeds? Jakibori is diced chicken breast in a piquant sauce with a huge mixed green salad. The wines are impressive too-try the Tokaji aszu 1988.

Our Local Expert Says:

Legendary for their excessive portions, you won’t go home from the Fatal (Hungarian: wooden dish) hungry! Wonderful location just off of Vaci St, great place to experience traditional Hungarian food.

Description:

Set on a small side street off Vaci utca, it is extremely easy to find. The restaurant is very popular with both ex-pats and locals which comes as no surprise as the food here is very good, the portions are gigantic and the prices are moderate. The waiting staff are friendly and attentive although they cannot get everything done in a record time when the place gets packed. This happens often so advance booking is highly recommended in the evenings. With simple yet still elegant decor, the main atmosphere is provided by the happy customers and packed tables. Expect lots of meat, in large but satisfying portions. Vegetarians might not find this the most accomodating place, but they can still get by.

Description:

This centrally located cafe and restaurant is very popular both by day and at night. It has an imaginative interior with a round booth in the centre and two raised areas (one designated for non-smokers) with windows that slide open in warmer weather. The warm, orange walls are adorned with pictures and posters, mainly depicting Saracens. The menu is international and includes some vegetarian dishes at moderate prices-the chicken salad comes highly recommended. The service is friendly and attentive. Booking is advisable at lunchtime.

Description:

Kőleves means Stone Soup, a name that comes from a popular Hungarian folk tale about King Mathias - ask the waiters to tell you about it. Since the restaurant-bar opened its doors to the waiting public, it has always been full: they serve big portions of excellent and very reasonably priced Hungarian and kosher food, have a nice and well-trained staff and also organize concerts and exhibitions in the basement. Take your time to check out the decorations: the lamps are made of glasses and cheese graters! It's a small, crowded and somewhat noisy place with the perfect ambiance to grab a few drinks and have dinner with friends or meet other locals and foreigners (but probably not the best spot for a romantic dinner). Booking is highly recommended, especially on weekends.

Description:

You can not avoid being a glutton; the food is fresh and prepared by Italian chefs brought over from Italy. Pastas to pizzas, there is nothing that will keep you from wanting more.

Description:

The Crazy Café and Jungle Restaurant is a multi-themed restaurant where guests can choose to dine in four different surrounding: By the ocean, in a jungle, in the savannah, or in a pirate themed room. The cuisine is completely international with everything from sea food through meaty dishes to Mediterranean ones.

Description:

Chocoholics will be in cocoa heaven where you can choose from over twenty types of hot chocolate. Coffee lovers have just as many choices. Add a few chocolate truffles and you will be ready for anything.

Description:

The Paprika Csárda is number one choice for those meat eaters out there; Hungarian cuisine is infamous for its abundance in meat and lard, but here not only is the goose outstanding, but you can try wild boar (a lot different to pork) or even venison prepared Hungarian style. The restaurant has a typical Hungarian country side feel to it, modelled on the "Csárda" style restaurants oh so typical of rural life in the late 17th and 18th century after the Turkish invasion. Local food and drinks used to be served in peasant house-like buildings, accompanied by musical entertainment with violins and the bar tenders (the "Csárdás") doing the "Csárdás" dance. Here, with interior decoration such as wooden logs, the "kemence", a clay oven used for baking bread, and bunches of dried paprika hanging off the walls, there's a real time travel feel to the place.

Description:

Sitting across the street from Mosselen Belgian Beer Café has never been a problem for either restaurant. Make sure you have a hearty appetite, because the portions are truly old style Hungarian, overflowing dishes. You will not want to leave a morsel, it is that good. During warm weather, request outdoor seating.

Description:

This is one of four all-you-can-eat restaurants with the same name, but this is the best. Decorated like a hunting lodge complete with animal heads watching you dine, there are over 120 items on the menu to choose from starting with four soups, dozens of salads, six hot entrees, refrigerated food to take to the grill, plus vegetable and dessert bars. All house wine, beer, coffee, soft drinks, and waters are included in the prices.