THE PASSPORT PALETTE: FOOD IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

So as I have been in Budapest the last couple of days I thought I would do a little post on some of the food places I found or some suggestions if you’re lucky enough to be heading over there soon! This post is quite long so I will do a separate post soon on things to see or do during the day and the best parts of the city to see.

As I was only there for a short time I wanted to try some authentic Hungarian food (it can be quite similar to Czech food too) and was recommended a couple of places from a friend of my dad’s. Regos Vendeglo Es Falatozo was by far my favourite, located in the 6^th District of Budapest (on the Pest side). The restaurant is below street level and is one of those places that is easiest to just give the taxi driver the address. The décor is typically European with amazing authentic food to match (the prices were also extremely cheap; a meal for 4 including a bottle of wine cost $45). If you do visit Regos Vendeglo you have to try the Pancakes "Hortobágy" Style, they were amazing and the best I could find in the city (trust me I had it at every meal in different places).

The other typical Hungarian restaurant was AranyHordo, located in a beautiful spot in the castle district of Buda. The décor inside particularly in the underground part was also quite European, but the service was not very good (and I may or may not have had an argument with a waitor in broken English). The Castle area itself is scattered with restaurants so it is worth having a look around at a few places.

While we were there, the Czech Beer Festival was on in the city, with stalls held around a park filled with different types of alcohol and plenty of sausages. My favourite stall was Kolbice, which was basically bread cones filled with mini sausages and toppings like cheese and onions (so good). Kolbice does have stands throughout the city too, so I would 100% recommend scouting one of those out!

For something a bit fancier or if you feel like a nice dessert head to the New York Café. Yes I know it sounds strange going to a New York café in Budapest but if you try the Crunchy Hazelnut Cake or the Passionfruit Ganage you will understand why I’m suggesting it. The inside of the cafe is overly dramatic with chandeliers everywhere and old paintings on the roof (like who is going to look at that when there’s cake in front of them…?). They do serve lunch and dinner there also but if you are a student or on a budget it can be quite pricey.

Lastly, if you are in Budapest for a bit longer and get over the Hungarian food a great place to go is the Hummus Bar. They have cute outdoor seating on the street and serve large plates of salad with falafels or meat which can be a great break if you have been stocking up on all that heavy Eastern European food. Apart from the Hummus Bar the whole street (Október 6. U) is lined with great food places like a Pad Thai wok bar, a soup place and a cool wine bar called Innio.