Best of Budapest

Lunch menu is a well known 'genre' in many metropolitan all around the world. You can eat for the fraction of the suppertime price, of course the range is smaller too. Locals at Budapest mainly eat something they've cooked at home or bought from a food chain or a dodgy eating house. However the situation is getting better for a couple of years as more and more qualitative restaurants started to offer lunch menu.

Still it's better to be careful as one restaurant out of ten has the standard that you'd expect. Especially if you are a tourist. In turn if you find the right place you will have a meal that is ridiculously cheap (5-10 EUR) and is so delicious that you will still think about once back home.

We've tried a whale of places in Budapest before we made our list up.

View Olcsó ebéd menő helyen in a larger map

Let's see the best ones. There is Araz, the restaurant of the four stared Hotel Zara. This is where we got one of the best value for our money. The chef sometimes makes mistakes, but essentially is grand, we get modern dishes for less than 4 EUR in a four stars environment.

Than there is Ruben, where you find Hungarian flavours however sometimes only average quality. Price couldn't be neater, I don't even dare to write down that the lunch menu is sold for 3 EUR.

Gerlóczy is a completely different standard, waiting it's guest at one of the most intimate squares of downtown Budapest. They sell some of their evening range (courses that costs 20-25 EUR at night) for 10 EUR as lunch time menu. Still they mustn't be considered as expensive because of the great meal they provide.

Let me mention Olimipia, with it's marvellous quality and creative kitchen. This restaurant was the first in Budapest, where you could have supper for 30 EUR that fulfils any expectation you might have. Tiny, friendly restaurant, where the chef is just as important performer as the chief steward. On top of all the lunch menu only cost 8 EUR, including a drink of soda water.

Last but not least let's talk about the real Michelin stared places: the Hungarian Onyx and the international Costes. At these places you get a lunch menu for 18-25 EUR. For example Onyx is not much more expensive than an average Parisian restaurant, even though together with Costes they belong to the front-rank of the best restaurants on our planet.

So better be safe than sorry, however you can't be mistaken with the above list.

Enjoy your meal!

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Adam invited me to join him for an event, where the"only"missing information was when, where and what about will it be, but he still managed to convince me. After our hamburger dinner we took direction Kiskörút and soon we found ourselves in an elegant room on the second floor of a house in Bródy Sándor street. Enringed by suits and costumes.

Pretty quick I made a survey of the background: the building's name is Brody House and has many different functions. It also contains a hotel with such originally decorated spaces that stands out screemingly from the usual four, five star hotel's confection room. Here are some pictures to show you what am I talking about:

The Brody House is not just a Hotel, not mainly is. It is first of all a club, with frequently organised events, where significant topics will be discussed about Music, Art, Literature, Film, Fashion, Economy and Politics in such manners, that it could easily fit into a Woody Allen scene played in New York. But don't think the Brody House is a snobbish gathering place of A-list people á la Woody Allen. It isn't. First of all, because the entrance fee for this events are perfectly affordable, mostly the same price as going to a cinema, and as a bonus we even got a glas of wine with our ticket. And second, because what we experience here is definitely much more than a movie. There is a value in it. We hear funny or meaningfull, yet perfectly exoteric news from the experts of several topics, surrounded by international audience and elegant decoration.

When I realised what kind of topic will be discussed today (Fashion), I thought the evening will be interesting for me for its ambience rather than for its subject. But after five mins I caught myself listening intensly to what I was hearing. It was not about kniting or how skinny a model has to be to get contracts, there were much more general questions on topic. Not many of us would care about dress-pattern, but if we hear the different definitions of beauty, that's much more exciting. I guess I'd never spend more than ten seconds in front of a catwalk, but instead I am eager to hear what inspires a fashion designer and how he gets motivated and content day by day: this can be a useful advice for all of us, whether we are painters or factory workers.

Besides the capability of the venue, it was Johann Bayle who had a huge part of the success of this event. The Magician led the conversations and entertained the audience in such way, that he became both the star and the invisible ceremony master at the same time. He showed us astonishing legerdemains not simply to entertain, but to pass a message about the perceivability of beauty. He always had a perfectly matching citation in his head, he swang the discussion forward and let the audience participate elegantly and effortless.

The keypoint of a successfull event is to have interesting lecturers, and this was done deal as well tonight. The fashion designers Tamara Barnoff and András Tóth, the set designer Judit Varga and the jewellery designer Svetlana Nesterushkina are all different characters, with different path , principals and point of view, but fundamentally they all strive for the same: impress people and give them something they can love. And this is a hard job.

I will keep on cheking on Brody House's programms looking for anything even just slightly interesting, or in case I have nothing else to do, I'll just drop into for a bit of a sniff of New York, Paris and Budapest with one go.

Brody House
Brody Sandor utca 10, Budapest, Hungary

After having 1-2 - 6-7 beers, everybody agrees that having a gyros is your best bet, but you have to be careful where your want your pita to be filled just like in every other city, you can get really rubbish or really good gyros in Budapest.

We embarked on a mission to find the best placed to get the most delicious mix of meat tzatziki and veggies.

You probably have read our hamburger test, so applying the same rules, we visited the best places recommended by our friends, aquantaces and readers, so therefore everybody could be an active member of our test. Having tasted all gyros, we came up with the top hit list.

Surprise surprise, the best gyros places are not in the downtown area, you can find some good ones there though, but you have to travel a bit for finding the best. The price is not really an issue, since you can get gyros for 2-3 euros everywhere.

A legjobb gyrosok Budapesten nagyobb térképen való megjelenítése

5th Place: Szeráj

We have tried the döner-kebab here. Presentation was visual pleasure, ingredients were good enough, altogether the culinary experience was a bit flat and unchallenging, but we can still include this place in the one of the best category.

Address: 5th district , Szent István avenue 13., across 'Vígszínház'
Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 09:00-04:00

4th place: Fotios

At this place you get the full greek picture, with thick pita bread, real nice tzatziki, huge portions, good quality, so I would call this the whole nine yard. Very similar to the Big Gyros Taverna, with the nice carrot salad and thick tzatziki.

Address: 9th district, Üllői road 214.

3rd place: Pyrgos

This is a bit out of the way at the Tesco Budaörs, but worth going there. The authentic greek family run business make the difference. The quality of the gyros made from leg(thigh) and chuck roll was something to be proud of.

Address: 2040, Budaörs Kinizsi road 1–3., Budaörsi Tesco Hypermarket

2nd place: Big Gyros Taverna

This place is not up to the traditional gyros restaurant standard, it has something else completely: CONCEPT, which is built on the different recipe. Theirs is a strong aromatic cheese based chicken gyros which is impeccably spiced. Their tzatziki is so thick you have to shake it off of your spoon, not to mention the carrot salad, and the green salad with beautiful feta cheese and finally their 3 cheese salad which covers meat of chicken drumsticks.

Address: 18th district, Nefelejcs street 89/a., you can drive off the road towards Liszt Ferenc Airport to get here, not the clearway
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 11:00-21:00
Home delivery is available to Liszt Ferenc Airport. (on: 00 36 20/9-556-558) Minimum delivery: 1200 HUF.

1st place: Gyradico

To be honest we cannot make a choice between Gyradico and Big Gyros Taverna, they both very committed to quality and to impress without trying too hard. Gyradico gives you the full greek experience with thick pita bread, deliciously thick tzatziki and massive yummy meat, just like in Greece.

It is not overloaded with vegetables, they have just the right balance, and the veggies find their proper place as well, the tomatoes go on top of the potatoes, and the cucumber makes its way to the yoghturt sauce. And you don't have to struggle through a 'hamburger version gyros' with the unnecessary burger fillers.

Address: 3rd district, corner of Királyok útja – Pünkösdfürdő street
Opening hours: Summer - Mon 13:00- 23:00; Tue-Wed 11:00-23:00; Thu-Sat 11:00-01:00; Sun: 11:00-23:00
Winter - Mon 13:00-23:00 Tue-Sun 11:00-23:00

Sometimes the inner city of Budapest can get deserted especially during the summer months when citizens are heading towards lake Balaton, even if sitting in mile long traffic jams. There are some touristy areas still busy of course but the local life seemingly slows down.

Luckily more and more markets and craft fairs opening offering a fun way of getting to know the locals, the city and shop some quality local products, antiques, art and craft.

The first of these fairs this year is the one called "WAMP" on Erzsébet square being held on the 12th August. A few streets away there is another market open every weekend. 'Gouba' is located between Gozsdu court and Király street.

These fairs only offer quality goods. Merchants go through a strict screening procedure by a specialist panel and only the best applicants able to display their products. Variety is also a point the organisers pay attention to and aim to invite many different and new crafts people, artists to their events.

Looks that most people know this, as by 11am the place usually gets very busy. When we were there we indeed saw a large variety of different products. There was a bookbinder for example, then I found a retro toy Russian tank I used to played so much with as a child, it didn't seem as heavy as it used to! There were handcrafted jewelry stands, saw some creepy dolls with real hair, hand made cards decorated with pressed flowers. These are just a few to mention. There are so much to look at Gouba and we did find many items that we would have liked to buy.

To sum it up the atmosphere is excellent, there are live bands playing and live performances going on. There are more and more pretty cafes, restaurants and sheesha lounges opening in the area. If you have nothing better to do get yourself down to Gouba and make sure you finish it off with a nice glass of Hungarian wine or some Hungarian beer!

Gouba bazaar

Which is the most beautiful cafe of the world? It is evident to the people of Budapest, that for sure it is New York Cafe on Erzsébet circuit, the one who also hold this title a hundred years back. But just like anything trivial, we handle this question with suspicion too. Is this a trumped-up title or do the well travelled beckon to it as well?

I give you the answer quickly: the lead is recognised far and near. Recently we posted the results of Ucityguides.com that counted Budapest into the most beautiful cities of the world. This tourist guide-lining site has a different list of the most beautiful cafes of our planet. And New York came first.

There is no doubt, you can feel that New York on the Boulevard is still in the leading position of all coffee houses ever since it was built in 1894, puffing it's glorious turn of the century image on us.

It was opened 117 years ago with huge ceremony. You can fit a lot into 117 years among others the two world wars, so no wonder New York Cafe is an ever changing place. When thinking about the building itself, we like to think back to the beginning of the 20th century as it had it's greatest magnificence those days, however we love it just as much these days, as the renovation had almost entirely set the original state back.

After it's original opening it became headquarters to many of the great literature, there were constant rented tables for poets, writers, journalists who could drink there on credit. Cafes had their greatest shine at that age. Youngsters were taken to the battle in world war I and military suppliers started to infiltrate into the premises. The humour of locals changed the old slogan of the place: 'After theatre let's meet at New York!' to: 'After the war let's meet at New York!'.

From the middle of the 30's more and more cheap pub opened, night lift has shifted toward Andrássy avenue, into the downtown area. New York stood empty. Through the siege of Budapest it was destroyed and robbed naked, later it was used for storing and selling potato to town folks. In 1947 it went through a restoration, a buffet-brasserie and a modern cafe opened as these places suited better to the intellectuality of the era. They weren't successful at all.

Boscolo from Italy bought the place in 2000, than in 2006 reopened New York with the original shine and finery next to their hotel. They brought back all: gilding, chandeliers of Murano glass, restored murals, marbling (sometimes with artificial materials though), the only thing they couldn't bring back is the Hungarian public.

Between glass sheets you can see pictures of famous writers with a short biography and citation in English and Hungarian if you check the Dohány street side of the building.

On the menu you can find breakfast from the XX and the XXI century too for 17-19 EUR. In the former there is hominy, black pudding, ham, cottage cheese cream and pickles in the last there is cold goose liver, butter-loaf, cold beef, sardine and trout. You can get a soup from 8 EUR and a main course for 15-25 EUR.

New York Café
1073 Budapest, Erzsébet krt. 9-11.