Best of Budapest

I can only think about the Mediterranean region since Sunday. For this problem I have chosen the cheapest from several adequate options of solution. I went to the Sonkaarcok (Hamfaces) located at the Egyetem tér and I have ordered a big wooden platter full of Spanish ham.

So many friends of mine suggested me to visit this place which was opened at the same place where the former confectionery named Lila Körte was. Though I think the owners are the same because the bill was issued at the end by the Lila Körte Kft.

But don’t look so far

Good location and the good concept are the great advantages of Sonkaarcok. Lighter, simple dishes are offered for the guests during the day and cheap menu at noon. In the evening, the place becomes a bar kitchen with bands and parties. So a kind of Mediterranean thingy, which is pretty good in the middle of the winter, but I think we will only see its real profile from the beginning of summer.

Until then we can try the food. The daily menu wasn’t especially exciting, though what I could realize by watching the tables nearby was that the portions are big and the dishes looked good. I rather wanted to try something ham-like so after a short chat with the lady behind the counter she convinced me that I need a Catalan ham plate.

After a few minutes this arrived to my table:

On one hand those, who are usually do the shopping at the Culinaris or know the Picanter on Rákóczi út (behind that there was the same Papas, who is playing guitar on a jamon Serrano on the home page of Sonkaarcok, but I cannot follow these relations between the owners), or simply have been to Spain before, won’t get a shock because already have seen something like this before.

Even an experienced ham eater feels happy seeing the whole composition of the wooden plate with the professionally thinly sliced hams. The quality of the ingredients is good and varied enough to taste always something different with every bite. The ham was good and I could’ve eaten loads of chorizo which is my favourite greasy salami (you can see it in the picture).

Now I regret not having asked the name of it.

I could have imagined more than one kind of cheese on my plate. Black olives were also the simpler industrial ones, wasn’t particularly good. I liked the bakery goods and the lemonade was simply sensational.

Altogether it wasn’t cheap. The total amount was 3000 HUF (10€), but the price of the daily menu is way cheaper. But it could be fun to have a ham plate like this for two at night, drinking wine besides it and listening to music. It is like being in Madrid and I would rather be here than sitting in a fast food restaurant or having a hot sandwich at an unworthy place.

Sonkaarcok
Budapest, Kecskeméti utca 2.
003617946137

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It so good that we have the Halkakas with Hungarian fishes, but these are real seafood: 

The TheBigFish is located next to Oktogon and owned by the same management, who runs the fish market in Budaörs, so excellent ingredients are guaranteed. This makes the 95% of the good seafood and the good steak. The remaining 5% is the chef’s responsibility which means not to mess up what is already fine.

For those who already find this post a bit boring: the restaurant still has some problems at the beginning, it isn’t particularly cheap, however Budapest has no other seafood restaurant like this.

The location is perfect, so is the design. I like the higher chairs, the counter is full of fresh fishes and it is really good that we can see how our dinner is made. And I love as the sun is shining through the huge windows. It is really bright.

However the ordering process has problems. I don’t know how to improve it but it isn’t good the way as it is now: you go to the counter and tell what you'd like to have. The only employee chooses a fillet or a whole fish it depends on what you've chosen. Then he walks back to you and asks if it's ok. It's ok. Then he measures the fish. After these he does the same with the next course. And with your partner's fish. And with all the fishes of the guests. So for 3 persons it takes 5 or 6 minutes. Till then people have to stand in the queue. They are waiting for you. And there are more and more people. After the opening with half an hour when you are already eating at the table because you've arrived first, you take a look around and you realize that it takes almost half an hour to get to the counter. You don't even think about having another fish, although you could still eat, but you can only think about standing in that damn queue.

It is good that you can order drinks also from the waiters, but it is quite hard to catch them, because on Saturday the place was so full you couldn't find a free seat no matter how hard you’ve tried. The TheBigFish is a huge success.

Obviously not because of the ordering process, but because of the food, that is really sensational. Although we didn’t have anything special. We had roasted calamari, salmon steak, trout, sea pike and herring salad with yoghurt. We weren't fully satisfied because the pike, the trout and the side dish was cold. Although when I've mentioned this to the waiters they immediately took them away, brought them back and it was hot. And it wasn’t even drier than it was when they took it away and it was also warm.

So after the problems at the beginning here comes the point. It wasn't messed up. What for more the emphasis is on what makes these fishes good fishes. I could only taste high quality and fresh fishes near a sea. It is absolutely evident that everything has a fresh and clear taste at the TheBigFish. The way the juicy and well-seasoned food is made, the good concept and technique and the significant routine makes this place what it is. I loved the calamari and you also have to try the pike. The seasoned olive is the best side dish, although the fried potato wasn’t the best, the mayonnaise potato salad and the French layered potato is also excellent for the fishes. The wine of the house isn't really good however you can get a drunken smile of it, just like from any other Croatian wine.

Altogether it took 12.290 HUF for three of us. This isn’t cheap, but at the end we were full but in a way you cannot be full in Hungary: full of good fishes without feeling bad. We also had wine and after all, this is way healthier than a knuckle of pork (which is also great).

In another point of view: another restaurant with the same quality isn’t even cheaper than the TheBigFish in Budapest and if you would like to have the same courses on the beach at a sea you won't pay less. So the place isn't expensive, it is reasonable and virtually it has no competitors in Budapest. That's why it is good news for everyone that has opened.

You all should go and eat a lot of fish, because it’s good for you.

TheBigFish
Budapest, Andrássy út 44.
06306942855
11:30-22:00

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When in Hungary, the only thing you should eat is 'goulash' and 'lecsó' (paprika stew), right? NO! Of course not! The last two decades brought an enormous evolution to Hungarian gastronomy, the dignity of past times is back, you can have great culinary enjoyment through-through the city for fair prices.

But where to pop in, if you do not want the culinary blast? You just need some fast food that can be got over with quickly so you could carry on with your day in the city? There are the international fast food chains, but why should you have the same junk food what you get at home. Especially as you can get genius burgers for like prices.

Here you go: The five Best Budapest Burger places if you want to stuff yourself. Can't be mistaken with any of them! (Prices indicated are for a menu - burger, fries(potato) and salad/coleslaw at some places)

7: Magic Burger

Outskirts, a trailer. That's where you find the fifth best burger of the city. Always long queue (line if you like) thanks to the ever fresh, grand raw material and the excellent technology. We might have complained about the bun if the enormous amount of meet wouldn't had taken our senses away from the rest of the world but stuffing our faces. Upon advanced notice they prepare the 2 kilograms (4,4 lbs) 'Monster Burger', but the basic ones are ace too.

Menu: 4-7 EUR
Address: 1033 Budapest, Szentendrei út 30. - front of Profi DIY store
Open: Mon-Fri 11:00-20:00 Sat: 11:00-15:00 - Closed: Sunday and bank holidays

6: Most - 'Now'

Want to kill two birds with one stone? No, I'm not talking about chicken burgers. You probably know by now, that visiting a 'romkocsma' (bar at ruined condominium in the inner districts) is a must while at Budapest. These party places are well known all around Europe for their great party atmosphere and as places where you can get drunk in a way like never before. The city is full of 'romkocsma' but one is more relevant than the rest and that's 'Now' (Most). Specially great burger what they have, meat done marvellously, all the raw material being brilliant, with an un-boostable authentic surrounding.

Menu: 6-8 EUR

Address: 1066 Budapest, VI. kerület, Zichy Jenő utca 17.

Open: from early afternoon

5: Gresham

Let's jump from the young's pleasure ground to the absolute high end: Gresham, the place that has been selected into the few of best hotels on the globe by many international magazines, with unbeatable luxury, absolute elegance and boundless sumptuousness. And hamburger. The third best in the city in contempt to the fact that the sauces are a bit industrial like, the meat was the most perfect here. They use perfect raws but are a bit disrespectful towards hamburg.

Menu: 19 EUR

Address: 1051 Budapest, Széchenyi István tér 5-6.

Open: 12:00-22:00

4: Varieté

Nobody expected that something new can be produced in this competition but the team of the Varieté with a microbiologist background was able to create the brutally mannish, though together girlishly harmonic burger. It is also shameless to note in this post that their pulled pork sandwich is almost as good as the burger is.

Menu: 4-5 EUR

Address: Budapest, Veres Pálné utca 22., Budapest, HU.

Open: Tue - Sat: 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Sun: 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm

3: Pántlika

In this burger the most important thing is not the harmony of tastes but the courage whereby materials were about to join together. As good weather is coming, we are popping out to have an Athén burger or any other, because the burgers of Pántlika compared to the others in this competition are like spring vs. winter. Fresh, smart, funny, we like it.

Menu: 5-6 EUR

Address: 1146 Budapest, Városliget, 06703769910

Open:

2: Manga Cowboy

Strange name, great place: Manga brings you the burger that would be acceptable anywhere around the world. It would even stand it's ground in the States. Giant meat from fab ingredients, delicate bun, special home made sauces, well varied raw materials and adequate daring is combined in this grand restaurant. If you want go for sure without disappointment choose them from the most youthful street of town.

Menu: 6-9 EUR

Address: 1092 Budapest, Ráday u. 33.

Open: Mon-Fri: 9:00-24:00, Sat: 11:00-24:00, Sun: 11:00-22:00

1: Ring Gourmet Bar

Perfect quality, well established concept, perfect harmony: Ring brings burger to the gourmet category. Just as well it's a load of meat in the focus here too, but this is mottled, mellowed, rump-steak that has been minced three times and seasoned with a secret flavourings. The bun is a ciabatta baked in a wood burning oven. You get ketchup here, a home made one, the fries are special so is the the cheese and all ingredients. The invented and materialised it: you can't be mistaken at Ring. And while you are there it is a must to try their cheesecake as well.

Menu: 5-10 EUR

Address: 1061 Budapest, Andrássy út 38.

Open: Mon-Sat: 10:00-24:00, Sat: 10:00-22:00

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In my head instead of Pig (Disznó) I had Pieg (dgyesznó) then Piggy (disznyó) and at the end I've decided to be correct so I have changed the title to the original Pig (disznó) so it remained the same: Pesti Disznó (Pest Pig).

Finally I could eat well at the Pesti Disznó. It has such a good name I wanted to visit the restaurant for more than a year, but after the grand opening I took a look at the menu and I hardly could see any pork in it. Last week I stepped into the sanctuary of meat, where we tried some mannish dishes.

The place is full (I mean FULL) from noon till half past one. You can hardly find free seats and after 13:30 suddenly everyone disappears and you find yourself alone. So if you would like to go there during rush hours you have to reserve a table at the Disznó, which is really friendly inside.

While we ordered something from the waiter it turned out that there is a new chef and there will be a new menu next week. But there weren't any discounts and we had to pay exactly the same if it was the heyday of the menu so our expectations weren't lower than that.

Let's see what we'd got: First of all we had some Goulash soup. The portion was big, ingredients were mostly good, though the potato wasn't that convincing. It was a tasty, honest Goulash soup with pretty big and also tasty cubes of meat.

The bean soup a'la Jókai tasted better for me. The sausage was absolutely wonderful in it and only the bean was a little bit crunchier. This could have been the concept, but for me it's better if it's softer and cooked thoroughly.

The mangalica stew with boiled potatoes was exactly the same category as the Goulash soup: big portion, tasty, the potato wasn't that good. So altogether it wasn't that exciting, but the chuck was great:

And now let's see the best one: Tenderloin served with roasted paprika sauce and potato casserole with ewe cheese. First of all, let me make my only complaint: the tenderloin was slightly dry and it would have deserved better than that, but it tasted great. The potato casserole alone would have been a bit strange but together with this meat and the paprika sauce the effect was wonderful. I would order it next time:

And now let's see everything else: I liked the bread and it is really good that they take care of it. The homemade hot paprika sauce was really tasty. Too bad it wasn't even hot.

The Pesti Disznó is a good place, trendy and according to that is also expensive, but you can feel that on the quality and the ingredients. The kitchen is a little bit conservative, but working well and the portions are in the category called 'huge', even compared to other competitors.

Pesti Disznó
1065, Budapest, Nagymező utca 19.
Telephone: 0619514061
Su-We: 12:00-23:00
Th-Sa: 12:00-01:00

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I was thinking about visiting this place since the middle of the summer and last week I suddenly felt really hungry so I popped in to have some pasta.

What I knew before that: It is a small Italian restaurant, where you can buy homemade pastas and dishes made of them. What I did not know: Everyone is Italian inside. Not only the whole staff but the guests also. I stepped into the restaurant and I couldn’t here Hungarian words only lots of ‘ciaos’ and ‘bellas’ and everything else I couldn’t recognize with my two-word vocabulary.

That’s why it was a little bit difficult to puzzle out what kind of dish I'd like to have. Finally it turned out that it is a pumpkin-filled pasta with spices, loads of garlic, olive oil and parmesan on it.

I hate pumpkin but I think this is the situation from where it will be nice to win. Furthermore I didn't want to say hello and look for another kind of dish because despite the lack of a common language we were quite close to make business. So I ordered the pasta and started to eat.

It was really cool. Of course I couldn’t feel the pumpkin itself in it, only together with the other ingredients. The pasta was perfect. I am sure that I was influenced by the thought of having the pasta kneaded in the next room and the workers who are singing, laughing and shouting in Italian couldn’t even deny it. But if they had served this dish in the middle of nothing I would have found the ingredients fresh and great.

The concept is good, the quantity is good, the atmosphere of the place is good and so is the price: one course of the the daily menu takes 980 HUF and the other one takes 1200 HUF which isn’t so cheap but considering the location it is quite reasonable. It is alright. Mostly because you can eat well and after the pasta you don't really feel like eating more. What for more, you don't even want to eat for a while and this is not because of the pumpkin but because you are just full.

The 2Spaghi is a perfectly good place, with a really great atmosphere mainly because of the staff and the guests. So it is: strongly recommended.

2Spaghi
Budapest 1075, Király Utca 13, (Gozsdu-udvar)

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