Budapest’s tourism has been on the rise for years making more and more people around the World want to visit our beautiful capital. One of the most frequently asked questions is what budget they need to spend a long weekend or a whole week here. Budapest is thought to be a “cheap” destination, but this, of course depends on your needs. The city is more affordable than most European cities, offering a very wide variety of fun things to do to the budget traveler as well as the luxury jet-setter.

Prices

Budapest is still one of the cheapest cities to travel in Europe, partially because Hungary is not part of the Eurozone, and the Forint, the Hungarian national currency has decreased in value in the past years to increase the attractiveness for companies to start open up businesses in Hungary.

Hungarian currency

Hungary’s official currency is Hungarian Forint (Ft or HUF). 1 Euro is usually between 380 to 400 Ft (currently 395 HUF, as of June 2024) depending on current economics. 1 GBP is usually between 460 to 470 Ft

However, shops and restaurants in the city centre commonly accept EUR and US Dollar, but typically at a higher exchange rate, so you end up paying more than you would in local currency. For this reason, it is better to exchange local currency and always keep some Forint on you.

Popular tourist places like Vaci Street sometimes have people on the street offering to exchange your foreign money to Forints – they most probably offer you a fake exchange rate, so be careful with giving them money. We recommend you always use the official Exchange Offices that are found all over the city, especially at the airports, train stations and popular tourists destinations.

On the other hand, even in small shops and restaurants you can pay by debit card so you don’t need to exchange a lot of cash.

Accommodation

As every big European city, Budapest offers a wide variety of accommodations. Danubius Hotel’s an excellent place to start as the group has plenty to offer from 3 start hotels up to high end luxury just like the Hilton hotel Budapest in the Castle District. But you can also stay in the city centre for less money. Should you wish to extend your search, the best available Budapest city break deals are right here waiting for you.

The best hotels for your budget

Wishing to stay close to the beating heart of the city centre, and enjoy the modern comfort of a hotel? Radisson Blu Béke Hotel is an ideal choice for everyone who wants to explore the rich cultural life of the capital. The hotel is located just a few steps from the beautifully lit up Andrássy Avenue, and easily accessible by car or public transport. The theatres, museums, restaurants and cafés located nearby guarantee that those interested in high-end entertainment will not be bored for a moment. Rooms available from 97 EUR per night.

Hotel Astoria City Center that opened in 1914 as one of the city’s most elegant hotels, and – over a century later – it stays true to that original character. Guests have always been attracted by its sublime fin-de-siècle architecture and comfortable rooms. The location of the hotel is perfect if you want to stay close to the city centre as it is only a 5-minute walk from prime attractions like the Hungarian National Museum, the Great Synagogue, the Danube promenade and the famous Váci Street. Rooms are available from €95 per night.

Average Daily Costs for food

Depending on your needs, Budapest can be extremely affordable. If you’re on a budget you can visit the city with just as little as 30 EUR a day, excluding accommodation. You can have lovely local or international food the whole day on a tight budget and it would be still one to remember! Hungary’s a great place to eat and drink well on any budget.

Example of a day of food on a budget:

Breakfast pastry 300-480 HUF (around €1,2)

Easy lunch: 2300 HUF & (small beer) 470 HUF (€7)

Dinner: 3400 HUF & (small wine) 700 HUF (€10)

However, of course the city has a touch of luxury hidden between its walls so you can live like Kings and Queens for a couple of days. There are lovely, high end restaurants waiting for you all over the city.

Cooked breakfast with a large latte: 4000 HUF per person (€10.5)

Lunch in a restaurant 6000 HUF &  glass of wine 1.500 HUF (€20)

Fancy dinner in the city centre (two courses) 12.000-15.000 HUF per person & bottle of wine from 5.900 HUF (€50)

Restaurant prices

Budapest’s food scene is technically a metaphor of the city itself: authentic, spicy and sprinkled with plenty of surprises as a new generation of Hungarians turned the traditional cuisine into an avant-garde dining experience whilst staying true to real local flavors. Hungarian food will take you far away from what you know by serving you unexpected flavors and hearty, quality wines.

As most things, how much you spend on your dining experience can vary based on your taste and preference. Hungary, especially Budapest is one of the good Heavens of Europe and as the exchange rate works for your favor, even luxurious or more expensive restaurants are more affordable than anywhere else in Europe.

Restaurants for the best value for your money

Our recommendations go from low to high price, based on our Hungarian standards, however the dining experience can still remain between €15 to €40 per person.

Danubius Hotel Helia’s  Yellow Bistro serves not only hotel guests, but also the general public, so that anyone can drop in any time for a pleasant gastronomic adventure.

Yellow Bistro & Bar’s selection includes healthy and quick meals, delicious sandwiches and pastries, but also a great soft drink and wine selection, specialty coffees, and for those with a sweet tooth, the newly introduced bright Yellow Cake. In the summer season, you can also enjoy an evening with friends on the terrace of the Bistro by the bank of the Danube. Tasty coctails, local dishes, a large selection of street food and perfect summer vibes await you!

Prices vary from 1700 HUF (~€4,5) for Snacks and Sweets to 7.400 HUF (~€19) for Grilled salmon steak asparagus risotto. Average price for dessert is 1.400 HUF (~€3.5).

Zsolnay Cafe is a little oasis on the busy Teréz körút, located in the Radisson Blue Béke Hotel. It’s the perfect place for a warm-up hot drink, a romantic bottle of champagne or even a late-night cocktail with friends. The pastry assortment takes the place to another level which also includes lactose- and sugar-free options. Just recently refurnished the café with a gorgeous interior is open from 10 am to 10 pm, catering for all meals and drinks of the day.
If you plan a romantic dinner come and immerse yourself in the joys of our candlelit dinner offering three-course of seasonal dishes. Or try the Classic English afternoon high tea we serve for two in stylish handmade Zsolnay porcelain.

Modern and elegant, the stunning Lang Bistro and Grill embraces the future and yet pays homage to the history of the Royal Castle District. Icon has introduced a contemporary décor of warmness to create a relaxed, friendly and informal atmosphere located in Hilton Hotel in a truly premium location right next to Matthias Church. Featuring an upscale 240-seat restaurant with a private saloon and 16 panoramic windows, guests of the Icon can choose from a distinctive Hilton breakfast to an extraordinary a la carte lunch and dinner menu as well as a sumptuous weekend brunch. Appetizers from 4.490 HUF (~€11), soups from 2.990 HUF (~€7,5) or you can go for delicious meat right off the grill, Angus steak for 17.490 HUF (€45).

Tipping

In Hungary gratuities are appreciated but the general tipping etiquette is not set in stone. People will appreciate it if you tip them for good service, but there won’t be the expectation like there is in the USA for example. You should know that many venues have door and bathroom attendants and tipping these people is good practice, usually 100-200 HUF which is less than a €1.

Tipping in hotels

Again, tipping at hotels is not expected, but it is appreciated. So, if the bellhop helps bring your luggage to your room from the front desk, it is normal to tip him around 500 HUF. Similarly, housekeepers will not mind if you don’t tip them, but will appreciate it if you do. It is common for foreign travelers to tip housekeepers 200-300 HUF each day of their stay at the hotel. If you decide to sign up for the hotel’s concierge services, it will be normal if you tip your concierge 1000 HUF for the services offered.

Tipping in restaurants

When you talk about sit-down eateries in Budapest, the standard tip rate for a good service is 10% of the bill and 15% for an exceptional service. However, many restaurants in Budapest charge an avarage of 10-13% service charge on the total bill. So, you don’t need leave anything extra. But it is important that you never leave your tips on the table when you decide to leave. Always tip your waiter directly or drop it in a tipping jar.

Sightseeing

Budapest is rich in attractions and most of them are free which makes your budget even lower. However, if you do decide to visit some museum or exhibitions, calculate with €3-10€ each average.

• Thermal Baths: 3.600-12.000 HUF(€10-30)
• Hungarian National Gallery: 4.800 HUF (€13)
• Museum of Fine Arts: 5.400 HUF (€12)
• House of Terror Museum: 4.000 HUF (€10,5)
• Escape room for 2 people: from 9.000 HUF (€23)

Travelling

Most of Budapest’s inner city and historic districts are best to explore by foot. There are pedestrian precincts in downtown Pest and traffic is restricted on Castle Hill, so walking is probably the best way to get around. Great news, however that the city is very well connected by public transportation, too. Budapest has a fast and efficient metro system as well as many trams (streetcars), trollies and buses. Outer suburbs are served by the local suburban railway called HÉV.

Ticket prices and ticket prices

If you’re visiting the city for a couple of days your best option is to purchase a 72-hour or a 7 day pass, even a Budapest card which will give you plenty of benefits when visiting attractions in the city as well. You can of course always decide to go with the single tickets which are valid for one single journey and cost 450 HUF. The official ticket prices are available on BKK’s Official website.

Budapest card

Budapest Card is an excellent option if we you wish to have unlimited travel and planning to visit some attractions as well. Cards can be purchased with 24-hour, 48-hour, 72-hour, 96-hour or 120-hour validity and all of them come with great additional benefits. All cards include unlimited travel on public transportation, free entry to several museums, two free walking tours, and 10%-50% discounts at baths, museums, restaurants and spas.

Taxis

Taxis can be fast in the city, especially late at night when there is limited public transportation. Taxis can be hailed on the street, but it is cheaper to call ahead of time. All taxis must have a yellow registration plate, as opposed to the white background on regular car plates. All taxameters are equipped with a receipt-printing function, displaying the fares charged and identification of the driver.

Base fare: HUF 1100

Price per minute: HUF 110

Price per kilometer: HUF 440

How much money you need for 3 days in Budapest?

Depending on your needs and taste, the minimum budget you need for visiting Budapest is €40-€55 including all meals of the day and at least one attraction. From here the limit is the sky as the city is offering luxurious accommodation, dining and sightseeing options. With a 72 hour Budapest card (€53) and a comfortable room in one of Danubius Hotels cosy hotels (€60-€120/day), your budget should end up around €330 for one person.

Visiting Budapest will be always the one to remember. So much to see and experience which gets even better with the great exchange rate and affordable prices in one of the best cities in Europe. The young buzz, that cool Eastern European spirit, amazing food, excellent wine paired up with low costs and a great, ever-changing atmosphere. Do you want to have it all? Yes, Budapest is the place to be.

How much forint do you need for a day in budapest?

Depending on your needs, Budapest can be extremely affordable. If you’re on a budget you can visit the city with just as little as 10.000 forints a day excluding accommodation. From this budget you will get access to public transportation and have some simple, but delicious Hungarian meals.

It’s hard to think of a long weekend in Budapest without mentioning those ever famous ruin bars. In the long span of the city’s history, these pubs are just a blip in its historic lifetime, but even in the last 15 years Budapest’s ruin bars have evolved into an attraction that is almost as popular  today as Fishermen’s Bastion or Buda Castle. They are often considered the best bars in town with probably the most affordable drink menus you can not miss whilst enjoying Budapest nightlife.

History of Ruin bars

In the early 2000s, the inner part of the 7th District was full of abandoned buildings. Once the site of the Jewish ghetto, the historic Jewish Quarter became dilapidated in the decades following World War II, after the deportation of some 10,000s Jews. In 2002, the people behind a placed called Szimpla opened up the very first venue in Kertész utca – where you still find Szimpla Café today. However, the real hit happened in 2004, when Ábel Zsendovits and his friends decided to gamble on a building complex in Kazinczy street, which marked the official start of the legendary ruin bar era the World knows so well by now.

Szimpla began as a small experiment, a bar set up in an abandoned, ran-down factory building offering affordable drinks for the creative crowd in the city. Szimpla became a bohemian hub after the crumbling building got spruced up with local design and vintage, mismatched furniture. Its chaos and eclecticism has turned into a trend and inspired and keeps inspiring an entire generation of people.

Evolution of Ruin bars

As ruin bars very quickly became an iconic part of the cityscape, people started to come to Budapest specifically to have a drink or two in these now iconic buildings. More bars popped up following the concept of the ruin bar look and feel, like the legendary Instant-Fogas Complex , which is the collaboration of the Instant and Fogas Ház. While places like Fogas Complex and Szimpla were meant to be alternative cultural hubs, they eventually changed direction to cater for party crowds, whilst places like Instant with their surreal decor spanning an entire apartment block, offered places for pure hedonism.

The look and feel

As mentioned above, ruin bars have been around since the foundation of Szimpla Kert that has been the mecca of the ruin bar era. These bars are primarily found in Budapest’s 7th District (the old Jewish quarter) and its neighbouring areas in the old ruins of abandoned buildings, factories, warehouses, stores or lots. This district was left to decay after World War II, creating a perfect place to develop an underground bar scene. (Not so underground)

From outside these bars look like normal Budapest townhouses. They don’t have large signs leading the way, you don’t hear any loud music, and there’s no queue of people outside waiting to get in. But once you walk into the inner courtyard, you find yourself in the middle of a hip, artsy, and funky place bustling with crowds chatting, dancing, and enjoying a very unique, laid-back atmosphere.

In a ruin bar you feel like you’re drinking at your local thrift store. None of the furniture matches. They are old and eclectic. You may also feel like you’re visiting your grandmother’s house. The ceilings are all designed differently. The building purposefully haven’t been renovated, there are still holes in the walls and visible pipes everywhere to keep the look and feel eclectic, authentic and full of history of the last century.

Popular as a night out in Budapest, ruin pubs also offer a range of activities during the day, with many functioning as community spaces and live music venues. Szimpla Kert holds a weekly farmer’s market on Sunday mornings, or occasionally a vintage clothes market, while Anker’t screens films and holds markets.

Drink prices in ruin pubs

You’ve probably heard urban legends about how affordable Hungary is so you might be wondering how much a pint of beer or a glass of wine costs. In Budapest, tourists can purchase both a glass of wine and a bottle of lager for less than €4 – wine can cost less than 2€, whilst a bottle of lager is around €2-3 – while cocktails, such as a Mojito or Cosmopolitan, the most expensive drinks in the city, were priced at €5 A round of ten different drinks comes to about €24 in total.

The coolest ruin pubs in central Budapest

Szimpla Kert for creative, environment friendly vibes

The opening of Szimpla Kert in 2002 was a milestone in the alternative life of Budapest. Converting an old factory into a huge open-air cinema and pub, they created a unique framework for hosting concerts, theatre shows and many different cultural events. Szimpla defines itself as a ’cultural reception space’, indicating the intention to embrace genres and performers off the mainstream, presenting them in an informal atmosphere. With constantly supporting initiatives for urban sustainability, Szimpla has been serving as an ultimate incubation house of green ideas from the very beginning, too.

The Szimpla lifestyle is brought to life by culture, creativity and constant change day by day. Everybody and anybody can make themselves at home, have a rest or have fun when visiting Szimpla in Budapest. Right from the beginning, their main mission is to shape the environment and make it more liveable and human friendly. Searching for the cultural treasures of both Hungary and the World, introducing and managing creative talents and their products as well as implementing and operating models that help sustainable development in many walks of life are all the things Szimpla lives by. 

Kazinczy u. 14, szimpla.eu –  Open 15pm-4am on Mondays until Thursdays, 12pm-4am on Fridays and Saturdays, and 9am-5am on Sundays.

Instant & Fogas Complex for the biggest parties in the city

The immense club kingdom of Instant and Fogas is concentrated into 2 neighbouring buildings in 49 Akácfa street and offer inexhaustible amount of fun in all aspects on almost every single day of the year. Intant and Fogas ház used to be two separate ruin pubs, but they have recently decided to unite their forces to create the kingdom of ruin pubs in the heart of Budapest.

When looking for places to go out in the evenings or to spend the whole night somewhere a bit wild, one has to contemplate a handful of factors to make sure all needs would be fulfilled. Fortunately, you get to skip this planning-thinking-deciding phase, by having all facilities together that a party fiend might possibly desire. Instant & Fogas have 8 bars altogether to keep you fuelled until the end of your stay, but there is also a bunch of solutions to ease your hunger. For complete courses and fine treats accompanied with top quality wines and spirits you should definitely check out Liebling, but as long as you are satisfied with a small nibbles, quick grilled snacks and pizzas are also available. Just follow the delicious scent of freshly cooked food and you’ll easily find where to get them.

They also have 1,200 square meters dedicated to hosting music events from a wide range of genres separated properly from each other. While this isn’t a brand new concept for Instant or Fogas, by establishing the complex and forming new rooms the entire idea manifested on a whole new level.

Budapest VII, Akácfa u. 49-51., instant-fogas.com – Open every day 6 pm – 6 am

Mazel Tov for an upscale ruin bar experience

 This is one of Budapest’s newest ruin bars. Mazel Tov (located in the old Jewish quarter) is a community centre and restaurant serving traditional Jewish cuisine by day. At night, the courtyard is a party with DJs and live entertainment entertaining guests.  Head to Mazel Tov if you like the ruin bar concept in theory, but prefer things more upscale. This Middle Eastern restaurant inside Budapest’s buzzing Jewish Quarter does have a disintegrating facade like other ruin bars, but the inside is a different story: Cheap drinks have been upgraded to cocktails, ham & cheese sandwiches to mezze plates, self-service to hostesses, and cheap furniture to a thoughtfully designed, industrial-chic interior with sleek wood paneling.

Mazel Tov’s Israeli and other Mediterranean dishes are reliable and arrive without delay, to ensure that tables turn over quickly in this wildly popular restaurant.  Reservations are an absolute must as the place gets mobbed by people every day of the week. Instant and Fogas is next door in case you want to compare and contrast.

Akácfa u. 47, www.mazeltov.hu/en. Open every day 12:00 pm.-0:00 am.

Szatyor Bar and Cafe for the posh Buda crowed

Filled with colourful, eclectic furniture, Szatyor Bar looks like your typical ruin bar, but it’s actually different from those swarming Budapest’s party district on the other side of the Danube. This being in Buda, instead of scruffy students sipping low-priced beers, Szatyor draws an over-25 crowd where shirts and skirts outnumber hoodies and backpacks. Duck confit and sous-vide venison leg are rarely part of the ruin bar culinary repertoire, but here, you will find them alongside pricey craft beers.

This updated ruin bar is situated on the fashionable Bartók Béla Boulevard in 11th District, where middle-class Buda residents wind down in the evenings, who are more discerning drinkers and eaters than the tourist-heavy partygoers in Pest. Attached to Szatyor Bar is a classically-furnished café, Hadik, which has earned a place in Budapest’s collective memory as a legendary haunt of bohemian writers and poets in the 1920s. It shuttered after WWII, but was finally revived in 2010 after a long hiatus.

Budapest, Bartók Béla út 36, table reservation: reservours.com/szatyorbar/tablereservation/en , open Monday-Wednesday and Sunday 12 pm – 23 pm, Thursday-Saturday 12 pm – midnight

Wherever you decide to spend the night, any of these places will guarantee an unforgettable time. Ruin bars are now par t of our culture and the era they created keeps inspiring the younger generation of people to stay creative and re-create the cityscape in our beloved city.

Our city-centre hotels for visiting the Best Ruin Bars in Budapest

If you’re a night owl who’s planning to stay out late, it’s important to live close to the city centre, because nobody likes to spend a long time travelling back to the hotel once the party’s over. Choosing a downtown hotel will allow you to have a shower and get off to sleep in no time at all.

Danubius Hotels offers 5 city-centre hotels in Budapest: the Hotel Astoria City Center, Hotel Erzsébet City Center, Hotel Hungária City Center, Radisson Blu Béke Hotel and Hotel Gellért. All the hotels are fully air-conditioned and pet-friendly. Check out on a map: Best Area to Stay in Budapest for Nightlife

Hotel Astoria City Center – A four-star hotel in the heart of Budapest

Hotel Astoria is within walking distance of Gozsdu Court or Kazinczy Street, so you won’t need to worry about getting a taxi or night bus back. Astoria is within walking distance of Erzsébet Square, Gozsdu Court, Kazinczy Street and the surrounding ruin pubs.

Radisson Blu Béke Hotel – A city centre hotel near Nyugati Station

Hotel Radisson Blu offers a stylish, peaceful place to stay on the bustling Grand Boulevard. It’s a stone’s throw away from the bars on the Grand Boulevard, and very close to Kazinczy Street and the heart of the city’s nightlife area.

Hotel Hungaria City Center – A modern hotel near Keleti Station

Hotel Hungaria is next to the busiest railway station in Pest, but still close to the centre. It is situated only two stops away from the night spots and bars of District 7, and the No. 24 tram takes you directly to the Budapest Park concert venue.

Hotel Erzsébet City Center – The best choice for shopping and business travel

Hotel Erzsébet City Center is a modern hotel within easy reach of the River Danube, Deák Square or the Bálna.

While there’s hardly a meat that cannot be prepared Stroganoff style, have you ever tried the vegetarian version? It’s filled with loads of mushrooms and the distinctive flavours of sweet pickles, smoked paprika, and red wine. And while you’re at it, why not try adding a bit of heat?

Ingredients:

500 g mushrooms (common and brown field mushrooms, oyster mushrooms)

• 1 large onion
• 3 large pickles
• 1 bell pepper
• olive oil
• 1 dl red wine
• 1-2 chilli pepper
• salt, smoked paprika
• 1 dl vegetable broth
• 1-2 Tbsp. sour cream

Begin browning the sliced mushrooms in a small quantity of olive oil. Cut the pickles and the bell pepper into strips and add them to the mushrooms. Add the finely diced onion and the wine and allow to boil. Season with salt, add the chilli pepper, then sprinkle with the smoked paprika. Add the broth and, when it has boiled enough to blend the flavours, stir in the sour cream.

Tip: You can use heavy cream, or, where a lactose-free version is desired, even a vegetable substitute in place of the sour cream.

Pumpkin cream soup is a staple of the autumn-winter season. This special version of the dish features a spicy, distinctive flavour that is a guaranteed immediate winner!

Ingredients:

• ½ pie pumpkin
• ½ red kuri squash
• 1 onion
• 4 medium-sized potatoes
• small quantity of rapeseed oil
• 2 tsp. Thai curry paste
• 200 ml vegetable broth
• 100 ml coconut milk
• 1 pinch each ground curry powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, and smoked paprika

Peel and cube the pumpkin, squash, and potatoes. Finely chop the onion, then sautée in a little rapeseed oil. Add the pumpkin, squash, and potatoes, season with curry paste, and cover with vegetable broth. Simmer until soft, in the meantime adding the coconut milk and spices. Finally, purée with an immersion mixer. Serve with fresh coriander.

Tip: This can naturally be made with any single type of squash, or the ratio of squash/pumpkin to potatoes varied, as desired.

For cooler days, we offer you this vegetarian soup, elevated to something truly special with the addition of delicious, autumn-ripened chestnuts.

Ingredients:

• 70 g red lentils
• 50 g brown lentils
• 150 g chestnuts
• 2 lemons
• 1 onion
• 0.5 l vegetable broth
• 20 g butter
• 100 ml heavy cream
• 1 tsp. brown sugar, salt, pepper, curry powder, turmeric, Madras curry, fresh chives

Finely chop the onion, squeeze the lemon, and coarsely chop the chestnuts. Brown the onions in the butter, add the lentils, chestnuts, and spices, then cover with the broth. Cook for around 40 minutes until soft. Add the lemon juice and cream. Bring to a boil. Serve with fresh chives.

Tip: This soup can be made with fresh or frozen chestnuts. To shell fresh nuts, incise the shell of each nut, then toss into boiling water for 1-2 minutes. The shells will peel off easily.

It wouldn’t be a traditional Hungarian Christmas without bejgli! The delicious pastry log is a favourite with everyone – especially when the filling is generous and the pastry thin.  If the wish is to pamper your guests with something other than the usual poppy seed or walnut varieties, this chestnut – dried fruit version will not disappoint!

Ingredients:

Pastry:  (2 logs)

• 300 g flour
• 3 g salt
• 30 g powdered sugar
• 120 g butter
• 90 g milk
• 6 g yeast
• 1 egg yolk

Filling:

• 400 g chestnut paste (flavoured with rum and powdered sugar to taste)
• 160 g finely chopped dried fruit

Combine the ingredients for the pastry thoroughly, then place the dough on a board in two identical mounds.  Wrap in plastic foil and allow to rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.  In the meantime, prepare the filling, removing the pastry dough from the refrigerator one half hour before use.  Combine the chestnut paste with a small quantity of rum and powdered sugar, as desired.  Finely chop the dried fruit.

Roll out the pastry dough into two rectangles.  Spread the chestnut filling over the dough and sprinkle with the dried fruit pieces.  Folding the edges of the dough up carefully, roll the bejgli into two logs.  Brush with egg yolk and allow to rest, then brush with egg white.  Once the egg is dry, bake for 35 minutes at 180 degrees.

Tip:
Bejgli should always be made with clean hands and the resting time for the dough copiously respected!  To give the surface that shiny, marbled look, brush first with egg yolk, allow to dry, then brush with egg white, placing the pastry in the oven only when the glaze has dried completely.

A delicious, juicy duck breast is truly worth the time it takes to prepare! Don’t be intimidated by the trendy-sounding name: the word “confit” refers to a time-honoured food preservation technique in which meat is cooked at length in fat, a process that helps preserve the meat’s original flavour, while leaving it perfectly tender and juicy. And don’t worry: though the fat prevents the meat from becoming too dry, the dish itself is not actually fatty!

Ingredients:

• 400 g duck breast
• 1 kg duck fat
• salt, pepperIf possible, the breast’s own fat should be used. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then place it in a pan and cover the meat in fat. Allow to cook slowly at constant temperature (about 70 degrees) for three hours. Remove, place in a frying pan with a small amount of the grease, and brown on both sides. Serve with spaghetti and vegetables, braised cabbage, braised fruit, pumpkin purée, or beets.
  Tip: The same process can be used to prepare duck leg, goose, or even pork.

Bar cakes can be made with almost anything: apples, cherries, plums, or even fresh cheese. Why not try this version with flavourful pumpkin? Just make sure you have enough filling left for the cake, as most people cannot resist snacking on the honey-sweetened purée as they go…

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 250 g butter or margarine
• 300 g flour
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 3 eggs
• salt

Filling:

• ½ kg pumpkin
• 150 g honey
• 2-3 pieces star anise
• salt

First, prepare the pumpkin filling. Warm the honey and add the star anise and finely cubed pumpkin. Salt lightly, then bake until soft. Make the dough: knead together the flour, powdered sugar, eggs, softened butter, and a little salt. Divide the dough in two. Roll into two circles. Place one of the circles over the bottom of a round spring-form or pie pan and bake for a few minutes. To prevent the dough from rising too much, cover with a piece of baking paper and weigh down with ceramic baking beads. When it is clear that the crust has dried somewhat, remove from the oven, remove the weights, fill with pumpkin, and cover with the other dough circle. Trim the edges, puncture the dough with a fork, and brush with beaten egg. Drizzle the top with a small quantity of honey, place in an oven pre-heated to 150 degrees, and bake 20 minutes until done.

Tip: If you don’t have ceramic baking weights available, dried beans work just as well!

Tender, juicy lamb ribs flavoured with herbs and spices are a culinary experience any day of the week. Make this classic dish seasoned with rosemary on a bed of light, colourful vegetables for your holiday meal and bask in the praise!

Ingredients:

• 50 dkg lamb ribs, sliced
• fresh rosemary
• fresh parsley, chopped fine
• garlic
• salt and pepper
• vegetables, as desired, cut into pieces: baby carrots, zucchini, shallots, fennel, tender pea pods, bell peppers
• 1 dl water

Season the ribs on both sides with salt and pepper. Rub with fresh rosemary and olive oil and allow to marinate for a few hours. In a frying pan with a little oil, sear the ribs thoroughly on both sides until the meat is cooked through. Remove the meat when completely done. In the remaining fat, brown the chopped garlic. Add fresh rosemary, parsley, water, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer until flavours combine. Braise the tender, chopped vegetables in a little oil, flavoured with salt and wine.

Tipp: Sage is another herb that complements the distinctive flavour of lamb.

Rich soups are always in season. 

Ingredients:

• 40 dkg lamb (shoulder) cubed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 10 dkg each carrots, parsley root, celeriac, and zucchini
• 1 bulb garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 dl olive oil
• 3 dl heavy cream
• salt, pepper, tarragon, parsley
• tarragon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon wheat or rice flour (gluten-free)

Cut the vegetables and meat into cubes of equal size. In a little oil, brown the chopped onion, adding the garlic at the end. Season with salt and pepper before adding the bay leaves and cubed lamb.  Allow to become slightly browned, then add vegetables and water to cover. Thicken with flour mixed with cream and cold water. Sour with tarragon and tarragon vinegar. Add fresh parsley for that final touch before serving.

Tip: The broth left after boiling a smoked ham can be substituted for the water, but in that case, go easy on the salt!

Most people eat crêpes with jam, cocoa, or sweetened cheese curd, but have you ever tried them with mascarpone? Fresh fruit and a delicious creamy filling transforms these crêpes into a dish fit for a king… A dessert of Royal proportions! 

Ingredients:

• Crêpes
• Mascarpone
• Mint
• Brown sugar
• Vanilla
• Lime juice and grated lime peel
• Orange peel
• Strawberries

For the filling, mix the mascarpone with the vanilla, fresh mint, brown sugar, grated lime and orange peels, and lime juice. Spread filling over each crêpe and fold into a triangle. Serve with caramel sauce and strawberries.

Tip: Basic crêpes recipe:  beat 2 eggs, 35 dkg flour, a pinch of salt, 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, ½ litre of milk, and 2 dl carbonated mineral water until smooth. Allow to stand a few minutes, then fry in a lightly oiled, hot crêpe pan on both sides until golden brown.

Whether you’re soaking it up in the famous thermal spas around the city, bar crawling through the ever-popular ruins pubs or admiring the city from above – no one could deny that Budapest is a city everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.
This is especially true for fun seekers and party lovers as summer festivals in Budapest are definitely bucket-list worthy.  During the hot summer months, the city is filled with amazing music festivals, summer festivals, cultural and art events that will keep just about everyone happy. Let’s whizz through the upcoming events to see what’s Budapest Summer Festivals holding for you in 2019.

Summer weather in Budapest

Summer in Budapest lasts for about 3.5 months. The climatic conditions during summer resemble those of the Mediterranean environment which makes the country a great tourist destination. The city sees lots of daylight averaging 9 to 11 hours every day with temperatures hovering around 25°C.
Summer (May, June, July, and August) is a favourite time to tour the city. Though it may sometimes get considerably hot during the day, the city gets crowded as most tourists come to see the brimming World Heritage Sites and enjoy summer festivals. Weather conditions are pleasant for more fun due to longer days and night walking in the warm evenings.

Music Festivals

Sziget Festival – 7-13th August

Venue: Budapest, Óbudai-sziget

The famous Sziget Festival, Hungary’s most popular summer music festival to date is held every August in Northern Budapest on Óbudai-sziget (“Old Buda Island”), a leafy 108-hectare (266-acre) island on the Danube.
The week-long festival has grown from a relatively low-profile student event in 1993 to one of the prominent European rock festivals, with about half of all visitors coming from outside Hungary, especially from Western Europe. It also has a dedicated “party train” service with resident DJs that transports festival-goers from all over Europe. By 1997, total attendance surpassed the 250,000 mark, reaching an all-time peak in 2016 with 496,000 visitors from 95 countries (the daily capacity having been raised to 90,000).
It is now being increasingly labelled as a European alternative to the Burning Man festival due to its unique features (“an electronically amplified, warped amusement park that has nothing to do with reality”).
In 2011, Sziget was ranked one of the 5 best festivals in Europe by The Independent. The festival is a two-time winner at the European Festivals Awards in the category Best Major European Festival, in 2011 and 2014.
In addition to music, the festival offers a plethora of other activities including cinema, dance, theatre, tattooing, Internet access, volleyball, tennis, football, indoor rowing, rock climbing, bungee jumping and a life-sized foosball.
The island is located in the city of Budapest allowing trips to the city centre during the day.

You can choose from endless choices of daily tickets and passes from simple tickets (€75) to Citizen (€289) and Moving-in passes.

Summer Bath Parties – 7-13th August

Venue: Szechenyi Bath

While California dreaming comes with pool parties, Budapest nightlife takes this to another level: taking advantage of its natural features the city turns the thermal baths into the best party venues. Whilst reforming our thousand years old bathing culture, the aim with the combination of Hungarian bathing and party-culture is to create a unique musical and visual world that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Szechenyi bath parties are held in the hot summer months, late at night after the official closing hours from 10:30pm to 3:00am.
What should you wear? A stylish fashion show piece with stiletto, a dancing queen dress, or should you just be bare naked?
No, all you have to bring along is nice swimwear, whatever that may be: bikini is just as good as a one piece, besides speedos, long trunks, surf style swim shorts are all welcome. A towel would be very useful, too.
Beers, wines, cocktails, juices and more can be bought on site with your special waterproof party card: there is no cash payment, but you can top up your Party Card with cash or card. The Party Card has a string attached so you can keep it safe with you in the water (around the neck or arm).

On top of the regular Sparties, the spectacular Cinetrip Pool Party is on twice a year: the first one is in August, around the Sziget Festival date, (the other one is normally on 30th December pre-NYE Party). These parties are awesome. No wonder Cinetrip editions are always the greatest hits of the summer season, as they are even more spectacular than the regular weekly bath parties with their own fireworks show.
Buying your party tickets online includes a locker (or a private cabin in the bonus tickets), too.

Cultural and Art Festivals

St Stephen’s Day

Venue: All around Budapest and the country

August 20th is the greatest national holiday for Hungarians, celebrated with day-long festivities followed by spectacular fireworks throughout the country. August 20th commemorates the foundation of the Hungarian state, it’s like Hungary’s 4th of July. Also called St. Stephen’s Day, remembering Stephen I, the first king of Hungary and founder of the Kingdom of Hungary, who was canonised on August 20th, 1083 by Pope Gregory VII.

Festivities usually start already on 18th August with the spectacular fireworks closing the holiday on 20th.

A series of state ceremonies launch the holiday programs in the morning on 20th August to commemorate the Foundation of the Hungarian State.
The main venues of the state programs are held in Kossuth Square in front of the Hungarian Parliament, and in Heroes’ Square.
Besides the state celebrations, a wide range of other programs welcome visitors both in the morning and in the afternoon ensuring a wonderful time for the whole family.
The celebration starts with the raising of the Hungarian flag on Kossuth Square in the morning.

Street of Hungarian Flavours

A Gastro Promenade on the Danube Bank in Buda, between Várkert Bazaar – a beautiful, refurbished series of buildings built at the end of the 19th century – and  Döbrentei Square in Buda (north of Chain Bridge). Visit the Street of Hungarian Flavours (Magyar Ízek Utcája) to taste traditional Hungarian food and drinks as part of the St Stephen’s Day celebration series.

Cake of the Country

Each year a special cake is prepared to celebrate our country’s foundation. Prior to St Stephen’s Day the National Guild of Hungarian Confectioners selects the best recipe submitted by confectioners from all over Hungary which is then announced during the celebration.
You can first taste it – along with the healthy version torte during these couple of days celebrating St Stephen’s Day.
Following the event all major confectioneries all over the country will offer the cake for a full year.

The 20th August Fireworks and family events in Budapest is a great experience for everyone who’s after a fun day.

Festival of Folk Arts – 17-20th August

Venue: Buda Castle

Every year, the Festival of Folk Arts workshops – where masters present special craft tricks and practices – draw a great deal of interest during the St Stephen’s Day celebration series. Visitors are able to observe unique knowledge rooted in centuries of generational experience, immense humility and love. During the event, tradesmen move their workshops to the Buda Castle so that whoever would like to can try their hands at the many crafts. These four days are indeed a celebration of masters and crafts, a borderless event that is the most significant meeting place for masters living in Hungary and abroad. It is truly a festival of crafts!

Jewish Summer Festival

The Jewish Summer Festival started 17 years ago with the purpose of introducing the Jewish culture and heritage. Over the years it grew bigger and bigger, now people come here from all over the World to experience the traditions and the unique vibe of the Jewish Quarter.
One of the three main event sites is the Dohány Street Synagogue where the biggest concerts are held. Among the performers you can find the Budapest Klezmer Band – a world famous group of musicians that plays traditional Jewish music, The Dohány Symphonic Orchestra, The Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra and so on. The second one is the Rumbach Street Synagogue that is hosting modern jazz, blues-rock jazz concerts and the Independent Theatre, performing Caligula’s Eparch.
The third venue is Goldmark Hall, where the Independent Theatre also performs the Fourth Gate and the Dohány Street Sheriff amongst others. These plays are strongly connected to the Jewish traditions and destiny.
This festival offers a great insight to this vast culture and community, it introduces wonderful artists, actors with almost thirty different programmes and performances, in the beautiful centre of Budapest.

The Night of the Museums – 23rd June 2019, 2020

Have a sleepover with history; spend the night in Budapest’s museums and find out if museums really do come to life after hours. Museums open their doors to visitors until 2:30 am for this annual event.
Participating museums include famous museums and galleries, like the Hungarian National Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Budapest History Museum, the House of Terror Museum, the Hungarian National Gallery, the Museum of Applied Arts and the Hungarian Natural History Museum.
Unique museums with quirky collections are also on the list, such as the Hospital in the Rock Museum, the Underground Railway Museum, the Museum of Electrotechnics, the Postal Museum and the Museum of Transport.
There are more than 1,000 programs offered, all of which can be visited with one single ticket; including bus transfer between main venues.
Admission: Armbands cost HUF 1,500 (cca. €5) for adults and HUF 600 (cca. €2) for children (ages 6-18, free entry for kids under 6) and are valid from 6:00 pm until 2 am on the dedicated days each year. Armband includes free transfer between venues on the ‘Museum Bus’, as well as usage of the public transport system from 6:00 pm to 2:00 am. Get your armband at the museum of your choice and explore some of the collections at over 100 museums and galleries in Budapest. For more info and a complete list of participating museums visit the official website.

Budapest PRIDE – 3-12th July

Budapest Pride is the biggest annual LGBT event in Hungary. Smaller than most Western Prides, the main Budapest Pride march is more of a political demonstration. You can also celebrate the month of Pride with film festivals, exhibitions, picnics, concerts and parties, all in this beautiful and romantic city. The entire Budapest Pride Festival lasts over a month, so plan your schedule accordingly and don’t miss out on all the fun.
The march of Budapest Pride proceeds though the main street of Andrássy Avenue (between the City Park and Elizabeth Square). Following the colourful parade people can enjoy an alfresco Rainbow Party in the eclectic Budapest Park.
Hosted by Funhouse, the extravagant Rainbow Party welcomes top DJs and live performers, creating a truly fun and enjoyable ambiance. All of this is wrapped up with an impressive fireworks show.
While Budapest may not be the first place that springs to mind when you think of Pride destinations in Europe, its annual celebrations certainly puts on a lively show which enables the local LGBTQ community to embrace their pride in significant proportions.

Vajdahunyad Castle Summer Festival – 2nd July – 3rd August

Venue: City Park – Vajdahunyad Castle

The Vajdahunyadvár Summer Festival is a festival of classical music, swing, klezmer as well as traditional Hungarian gypsy music. The courtyard of Vajdahunyad Castle, built in Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, provides a beautiful and romantic background for this annual event.
Performances are usually scheduled for Mondays and Thursdays and start at 8:30 pm.

Sport Festivals

Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix

Venue: Hungaroring, Mogyorod

The Hungaroring Circuit was built in 1985, located a few kilometres north-east of the Hungarian capital. Under the impetus of Bernie Ecclestone, who wanted an Eastern European venue for the F1 Championship, the construction took only 8 months. The track is in a huge 110 hectare natural valley making the views as spectacular as the racing.
With the exceptional natural advantage of being situated in a natural amphitheatre, almost 70 percent of the racetrack is visible from any point and this makes the circuit a fan favourite.
The constantly improving circuit, with its excellent infrastructure, meets the strictest requirements for F1 racing. It is praised by the FOM and FIA and it is a popular venue for testing, with the summer F1 testing taking place here.
The Hungaroring Circuit meets the highest technical requirements and is regarded to be one of the safest race tracks in the world, while still playing host to exciting racing.
A favourite with the drivers and teams for the excellent facilities, the circuit has also cemented itself as a fan favourite too. Located so close to a major city, there is no shortage of accommodation, restaurants, entertainment and tourist attractions.

Whatever sets your soul on fire this summer, Budapest will get you covered. From dancing in the moonlight on a hot summer night to getting your heart rate up with speedy race cars, Hungary has the best of the best summer can offer.

This delicious dessert is prepared differently from household to household. We think our fruit-enriched variation will quickly became a favourite of yours, or even an idea for rejuvenating your grandmother’s own recipe.

Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 15 dkg sugar
• pinch of salt
• 40 dkg rice cooked in milk, cold
• the scraped out interior of 1 vanilla bean
• 25 dkg fresh strawberries, chopped
• butter, breadcrumbs

Separate the eggs, beating the yolks with half the sugar until frothy. Beat the whites with the other half of the sugar until stiff.  Flavour the rice, previously cooked and cooled, with vanilla. Carefully add the egg yolk mixture, folding in the fruit, followed by the stiffened egg whites. Pour into a buttered baking mould sprinkled with bread crumbs. Bake at 160 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden brown.  Check for doneness with a toothpick. Serve with raspberry sauce and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Tip: Raspberries, blackberries, or whortleberries may be used in place of the strawberries. Where a softer soufflé is preferred, add 5-6 dkg of butter to the egg yolks.

Have breakfast like a king! – we say often, however we can only keep our well-known wisdom during our less busier days, can’t we? During long weekends, family vacations, sightseeing or romantic holidays, we have more time to enjoy a long, lovely breakfast. That’s when those, who usually miss the first meal of the day on busy weekdays would also join us at the table instead of picking up a quick coffee on the way. Breakfast can be a truly culinary experience.  In this article we would like to show you our favourite breakfast places and the best breakfast options in Budapest so you are confident where to go for breakfast depending on your individual taste.

Traditional Hungarian breakfast

It can vary depending on seasons or whether we fancy cold or hot breakfast. A delicious pastry with a nice artisan coffee is always a great option, but cured meets, toast, jams, cheeses, many different forms of eggs are all on the list of the locals’ favourites.

If you are staying in a hotel during your visit in Budapest, your booking usually includes breakfast. The long buffet tables offer cold and hot breakfast options, cured meets, egg dishes, sausage and salami, French toast, cheeses, jams, vegetables and fruits, but a good  selection of breads and pastries, crispy croissants is also a must. Oatmeal, yoghurts and muesli, naturally with seeds, dried fruits and gluten-free and lactose-free products represent a healthy breakfast. Breakfast must also include juices, teas and coffee, whilst in some places you can even enjoy unlimited champaign during breakfast.

Such an abundant breakfast buffet usually makes us return to the buffet several times so we could stay filled up until the end of the day till dinner time, which is also available in a classic hotel half-board service.

It may happen that your hotel room does not include breakfast automatically though, in which case you are entrusted with where and how you would like to have breakfast. The good news is that Budapest is full of great options from top restaurants to individual craft bakeries. Here is the list of our top breakfast tips:

•  A la carte breakfast on the Danube: Like all Danubius hotels, Danubius Hotel Helia also offers an a la carte breakfast, not only for hotel guests but also for visitors who are not staying in the hotel. On the terrace of Episode restaurant, if the weather allows us we can have our royal breakfast in a cozy environment. We can not even complain in cooler weather, as the hotel offers a recently refurbished restaurant with an eye-catching interior and ultramodern buffet. We may spend hours and hours eating and chatting, experiencing every bit of this culinary experience.
• The Legendary Hilton Breakfast: There is the day, when we want to celebrate breakfast in the Buda Castle. In this case, the best thing we can do is walk into Hilton Budapest’s wonderful LÁNG Bistro & Grill restaurant, taking up the huge window that opens to Fishermen’s Bastion and just enjoy the moment. You can choose from a rich breakfast buffet with unlimited champagne or continental breakfast, but if you only want to have a delicious omelette or fruit salad from the menu you will also have the opportunity to do so. As a sweet pampering, French toast, emperor dumplings or pancakes are waiting for you to start your day in a beautiful way.
  
• Morning at Cafe Astoria: the atmosphere of Budapest, Vienna, Paris and London can be recalled in the breakfast menu of Cafe Astoria. Hungarian delicacies of Budapest (salami, sausage, boiled eggs, fresh vegetables, homemade bread), Vienna’s crisp white sausage with fresh buns and mustard, horseradish, Parisian cinnamon – bread with honey, fresh fruits and London’s barbecue sausage, chilli beans, fried eggs unite in the breakfast offer accompanied by delicious breakfast drinks, of course.
• Breakfast at the Market Hall: The Fővám Square Market Hall, built in the late 1800s, is not only a breakfast place in Budapest, but also a cultural experience. It is a beautiful architectural monument and an exciting, busy, huge marketplace where you can spend some hours curiously contemplating, while tasting delicious delicacies such as lángos, grilled sausages, chimney cake, croissants or home-made strudel, cheeses, scones.
• Brinner by Zsolnay: Can you imagine anything better than an all-day breakfast? Brinner, a.k.a breakfast for dinner, offers a themed variation of coloured ingredients any time of the day, besides omelettes, snacks, salads and sandwich creations are also available. Zsolnay Café’s atmosphere speaks for itself, offering a peaceful experience in the bustle of the Grand After finishing the gorgeous brinner, it is so easy to get tempted by a slice of delicious Zsolnay cake, too…
• Fast-food breakfasts: If you trust the well-known global chains, you might want to try McDonalds or Starbucks, where you can enjoy a tasty sandwich or coffee. If you are looking for a truly Hungarian experience, you can choose from a selection of pastry, sandwiches or a cocoa-cinnamon-pizza swirl that is already a classic breakfast from Lipot Bakery.

Walking down the streets of Budapest, you will come across small craft bakeries, cozy cafés and health-conscious breakfast buffets any time. If you fancy something truly unique you can always check out the best restaurants in Budapest, too. It is worth experimenting, discovering new flavours and playful takes on the classical breakfast. Budapest is a Culinary Heaven, so keep you mind and heart open and get ready for a truly heavenly experience wherever you choose to eat.

Don’t let spring get by you without serving some fresh asparagus!  Though this vegetable has near-zero calories (only 17 kcal/ 100 g), its nutritional value is in the clouds. Asparagus contains vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C, as well as calcium, phosphorous, iron, sodium, potassium and beta carotene.

Ingredients:

• 50 kg green asparagus
• 4 dl water
• 5 dl heavy cream
• salt
• nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon rice flour
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• sesame seeds

Finely chop the asparagus. Brown in a little oil with added salt. Add water and cream and simmer thoroughly until soft, about 15 minutes.  Flavour with a little balsamic vinegar and ground nutmeg and thicken with rice flour. When ready, purée using an immersion mixer. Garnish with drops of balsamic vinegar and sesame seeds.

Tip:  Use green asparagus, which is thinner and tenderer and will not require peeling. When selecting, make sure the tips are closed, the stalks are rigid (not rubbery) and of uniform thickness (if they are too thick, the texture may be woody), and the cut ends are not inordinately dry.

To really get to know a city and its atmosphere also requires that you experience the range of cuisines it has to offer. In Budapest, the tastes of the city can be sampled in haste – by grabbing a bite to eat between sights – or by way of the city’s more comfortable, elegant venues, where the setting dazzles and every meal is an exercise in indulgence. When planning your trip to the Hungarian capital, a Sunday brunch – whether for two, or for the entire family – is something worth making time for, not in the least because special lunch buffets are a standard of iconic restaurants situated in some of the most beautiful locations around the city.

What does a Sunday Brunch entail?

In essence, a Sunday Brunch is an event held at lunch time on Sundays (regularly or nearly regularly), from approximately 12:00 to 3:00 p.m., for a fixed price per person. The food itself is served either as a buffet, or from a special menu. In Budapest, seating for a brunch must be reserved in advance due to a growing interest on the part of families in this more festive form of Sunday meal. And indeed, how glorious it is to wake up on a lazy Sunday morning and, following a light, sparing breakfast, stroll into a restaurant of your choosing, dressed to suit the venue and occasion, to partake of…. No, not “brinner,” but a real, multi-course Sunday family lunch eaten not in haste, but with the intent of indulging your taste buds with special culinary delights.

At the best of Budapest’s brunch restaurants – the Hilton Budapest, Gundel Restaurant, Danubius Hotel Gellért – guests are greeted by a buffet table that is truly extravagant. The format is, of course, “all you can eat,” allowing you to sample everything and consume as much as you like. And, not least importantly, unlimited food is accompanied by unlimited drinks from a selection offered specially for occasion.
As for the brunch dishes themselves, each establishment – without exception – serves an abundance of choices guaranteed to have you standing up from the table full and satisfied. All foods are prepared using the latest in culinary technology according to the most recent gastronomic trends. Menus are put together under the supervision of the hotels’ noted chefs with a mind to providing a gastronomic experience that is truly unforgettable.

Is Sunday Brunch Less Expensive than Choosing à la Carte?

The answer here is yes: compared to selecting and paying for your tempting entrées and accompanying beverages separately, the Sunday brunch’s unlimited food and drink format is one that goes light on your wallet. It is worth noting that in Budapest, Sunday Brunch events are geared toward families, with children receiving substantial discounts and – at restaurants like the Gellért – the services of a special children’s program coordinator. Restauranteurs know that children cannot sit quietly at a table for hours: that most will finish their meal in ten minutes, then want to play. In such cases, the entertaining programs and creative craft opportunities furnished by a children’s entertainer can be an enormous help, permitting children to spend time in quality pursuits while their parents enjoy a relaxed lunch and animated conversation over a glass of wine or cup of choice coffee.

Where is Sunday Brunch Served in Budapest?

In choosing a place for Sunday Brunch, you should not wait until the last moment, but make preparations a few days in advance: survey possible locales, check prices and menus, and – most importantly – reserve a table or purchase online admission to ensure that the elegant restaurant you have chosen will be able to accommodate you.
Though most Danubius hotels in Budapest offer Sunday Brunch deals, presented in detail here are the three most popular. The all-you-can-eat buffets of these illustrious restaurants are ones we are happy to recommend, and because their respective locations – the Buda Castle, City Park, and Danube Waterfront areas – are among the most beautiful in the city, a Sunday family lunch at any one of them can be combined with a stroll, outing, cultural event, or nature program.

Sunday Brunch at the Gellért

With its elegant terrace and stunning view of the Danube, the Gellért’s Panorama Restaurant is an arresting location for a lunch with your family or significant other. Every Sunday, the Panorama serves its lunch guests a rich array of dishes made from premium ingredients in a variety of tastes. Playing a key role is the concept of seasonality, including an emphasis on the use of fresh herbs and spices. Home-made cakes and pastries and warm Hungarian desserts are also a perpetual feature.

Brunch at the Gellért is a treat for the whole family! Offered as an accompaniment to brunch at the Gellért are a variety of professionally led, interactive programs featuring a different range of themed games, quizzes, and prizes each week.

Brunch is served from 12:00 until 3:00 p.m. at a cost of HUF 7,400 + 10% service charge per person and includes unlimited consumption of food and drinks (champagne, wine, beer on tap, soft drinks, and coffee). Children under 12 eat for half price, while toddlers under the age of 3 enjoy the full selection free of charge.

Ticket purchases and table reservations for Gellért’s low-priced Sunday Brunch special may be made comfortably online via the Gellért Webshop.

Sunday Brunch at the Gundel

If your goal is to have Sunday lunch in a truly elegant setting, then Gundel Restaurant, with its centuries-old tradition, posh decor, and delicious signature dishes, is a perfect choice. At Gundel, the menu includes a variety dishes to please both meat lovers and those seeking lighter vegetable fare. Though the Sunday buffet selection at Gundel varies from week to week, certain mainstays, including Hungarian classic and cream soups and traditional Hungarian meat dishes, are a permanent feature.

The buffet is open from 11:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and costs HUF 9,800 (+12.5% service charge). Guests receive a glass of champagne and an orange juice upon arrival, after which they may choose at will from a selection of hot and cold foods of both Hungarian and international origin, finishing their meal with dessert. The cosy atmosphere is rendered even more pleasant by the restaurant’s offering of live piano music.

Here, too, consideration is given to children, who until the age of 4 enjoy lunch free of charge. Children under 12 partake of the buffet’s diverse array of tempting dishes for the discount rate of just HUF 4,900 per child.

Sunday Brunch at the Hilton

Another location worthy of consideration for your weekend meal is the Buda Castle district: specifically, the Hotel Hilton’s newly renovated LÁNG Bistro & Bar. Here, the regular Sunday smorgasbord, bearing the name “All You Can Eat,” invites families to enjoy unlimited consumption from its buffet table between 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. for the price of HUF 10,900 per person. Included are not only unlimited food, but also unlimited drinks from a selection of champagne, beer, wine, soft drinks, mineral water, coffee, and tea. At the Hilton it is not only the unparalleled view of the historic Castle District that makes brunch memorable: the experience is also elevated by an accompaniment of pleasant jazz and swing music.

Children under 4 lunch for free, while those between 4 and 14 enjoy a 50% discount. Here, too, a children’s corner is provided to help keep the younger family members occupied while their elders take advantage of a Sunday lunch rife with all the flavours, aromas, and special culinary fare the Hilton has to offer.

Bon appetit!

The traditional Hungarian boiled smoked ham is prepared for Easter in a variety of ways.  These ham slices tenderised with special spices and baked with a piquant glaze are delicious hot or cold.

Ingredients:

• 1 smoked boneless ham
• 1 orange peel
• 4 slices ginger
• 1 large onion
• several cloves, star anise, whole peppercorns, bay leaves
• 5 dl cider

For the honey-mustard glaze:

• 2 T honey
• 2 T mustard
• 2 T cider

Retie the ham, then place in pot with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then add the spices.  Simmer for approximately 3 hours until soft.  Remove from the water and while still hot, remove the string.  For the glaze, combine the honey, mustard, and cider.  Place the ham in a baking pan and pour the glaze over the top.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180˚C (with convection ovens 160˚C) for 30 minutes

Tip:  The ham will be more flavourful if you cook it in a pot, rather than a pressure cooker.  It is important that the water covers the ham completely and that it cooks slowly at a simmer, not a boil.

After all those heavy winter dishes, a little crisp-baked fish with vegetables makes the body feel good.

Ingredients:

• 1 piece filleted pike-perch per person
• shallots
• asparagus
• pea pods
• bell peppers
• whole chilies
• fresh parsley
• olive oil
• salt, pepper

Season each piece of fish with salt and pepper, then pan-sear the slices in the oil, turning several times.  Remove the fish, and add the vegetables.  Brown until crisp, seasoning with salt, pepper, and fresh parsley.

Tip:  Excellent when accompanied by new potatoes with parsley!

The rejuvenation of a restaurant is an event that always occurs amidst a swirl of exciting questions. The whys as to name, chef, menu, ingredients, concept and – naturally – decor are typically many. In the case of the Budapest Hilton, therefore, we trusted nothing to chance, but took in the hotel’s newly renovated restaurant personally.

It is in the spring sunshine, beside the well-known, perpetually impressive buildings of the Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church that we, filled with expectation, stroll into the recently remodelled Budapest Hilton. At the outset, our footsteps are perceptibly slowed by the bedazzling atmosphere of the international-prize-winning interior of the lobby, but from there, our attention is quickly drawn to that particular view of the Danube that pops into view behind the wide-open door of the restaurant – the one extolled by many thousands of posts on social media.

Taking our seats in the elegantly reserved, warm atmosphere of the restaurant, we immediately sense the comfort of the locale and mindfulness of its staff. Thanks to moveable walls, the new restaurant, the work of English interior designers at Goddard Littlefair, accommodates large-scale breakfasts attended by hundreds as easily as smaller, more intimate lunches and dinners for 80-100 or the hotel’s popular Sunday brunches. There is even room for a modern show kitchen and elegant wine bar to enhance the dining experience. The interior does not, however, distract from what is certainly the best view in Budapest, but rather permits the blue swath of the beloved Danube and the archways of the Fisherman’s Bastion to peer through the windows. Exclusively comfortable furniture and warm sandy colours, too, help us to take in and enjoy the experience that LÁNG Bistro & Grill has to offer.

LÁNG Bistro & Grill. The reason behind the choice of name grows ever clearer. Láng = Flame, as in fire, renewal, passion. Flame that offers both warmth and a welcoming presence to sit around. The arrival of Executive Chef Imre Maráczi and his menu, a dynamic selection built around knowledge, experience, and an abiding love of good food, is flame itself. Maráczi speaks of ingredients from the best places with torrential enthusiasm, a feeling he similarly exudes when recounting his ties to Vas and Zala Counties, which – in offerings such as his Chef’s “Zala Crayfish Cappuccino” or Home-Made Őrség Goat Cheese – have naturally left their mark on the menu, as well. The chef believes it important that a menu be clear, and that it be able to be taken in at first reading.  In putting his selection together, Maráczi strives for seasonality, a proclivity from which one can already surmise that with the coming of spring, the Bistro’s menu, too, will take a lighter, more colourful turn.

Imre Maráczi, who first arrived at the Budapest Hilton on 17 August 2018, now fills the position of both Hilton Executive Chef and Corporate Executive Chef for the entire Danubius Hotels Group, while also assisting corporate-level kitchen and restaurant work as Corporate Executive Chef and Director of Food & Beverage. Maráczi came to the castle from the Budapest Marriott, where he had been directing the hotel’s culinary and Food & Beverage groups as head chef since returning from abroad in 2015, and where he had the distinction of having been selected Marriot’s best chef in Europe in 2017.

The Budapest Hilton’s new, modern, bistro-like restaurant is characterised by a clean, honest kitchen in which traditional gastronomy is invested through creative touch with a light, trendy, international quality. Its domestic take on international ingredients – one which witnesses scallops and blood sausage keeping good company on the same plate – gives the familiar elements of Hungarian cuisine new meaning.  Naturally, the menu also includes old Hungarian favourites in a classic, but fine-tuned form, like Grandma’s Chicken Paprikash, cooked sous-vide and served with buttered dumplings in a little red cookpot, with a side of sour-cream cucumber salad. And as one scoops up from the bottom of that little red pot that very last, freshly cut dumpling, still dripping its mellow, creamy paprika gravy, the steeple of Matthias Church peers in through the window. It is, in short, an authentic, old-fashioned gastronomic experience in Budapest’s iconic Castle District, where every day, thousands of tourists come to gape, eyes open wide.

The trendy, single-leaf Hungarian-English menu devotes a separate section to foods from the “grill,” which diners can pair at will with a variety of side dishes and free sauces, from Tuscan tomato to Jack Daniel’s BBQ sauce. Naturally, LÁNG Bistro & Grill’s own signature dish is the LÁNG Burger prepared with a secret sauce, and which commands a size, appearance, and orgy of flavours to instantly appease any burger lover. A notable feature of this dish is that each and every part is made in the Hilton kitchens!

The desserts, too, hold at least one surprise in store: the Terka torte, subtitled “Pándi cherry nibbles”. “Aunt Terka” was a legendary figure in hotelier circles; and that her pure chocolate, almond-flour miracle cake, with its fresh, variously textured Pándy cherry accoutrements, should have made its way from the staff’s canteen to the plates of the Hilton’s guests is a striking example of the establishment’s honest, traditionally based yet creative cuisine.

To view the full menu, click here:

Sunday Brunch at LÁNG Bistro & Grill

Currently enjoying unbelievable popularity are the restaurant’s revamped Sunday brunches, for which an early reservation is strongly recommended. The “All You Can Eat” buffet lunch offers unlimited consumption of sparkling wine, beer, wine, soft drinks, mineral water, coffee, and tea for a total price of 10,900 HUF per person, including service. Children are kept entertained in special play corners, while adults enjoy pleasant live music. Children under 4 eat free of charge and those between 4 and 14 receive a discount of 50%!

LÁNG Bistro & Grill, with its seasonal, á la carte menu, is open for lunch from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m., and for dinner from 6:00 p.m.

This undeniably iconic Hungarian dish has been around since at least the late 19th century, when it inspired writers and poets with its heartiness, fragrance and flavour.  With a little patience, it can be made with ease even at home.

Ingredients:

• Half a hen
• 200 g carrots
• 200 g parsley root
• 200 g celeriac
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ bunch parsley
• 6 button mushrooms
• 30 g peppercorns
• a pinch of saffron
• salt

Thoroughly clean and dress the hen.  Peel the vegetables and cut into largish pieces.  Fill a large soup pot with cold water, add all the ingredients, including the spices, and bring to a boil.  Once the soup has begun to cook, skim the foam from the surface, then reduce the heat and simmer until done.  Allow to stand a little, then strain.  Cut the meat and vegetables into strips.  When serving, enrich with boiled peas and vermicelli.

Tip:
This soup cannot be prepared quickly.  Give it time to achieve that golden colour and perfect flavour.  If making it with a whole hen, first put the hen on to simmer, adding the vegetables only later to prevent them from becoming mushy.

This dessert is a favourite with Hungarian children.  In some families, its enjoyment is restricted to the winter holidays, while in others it is happily consumed almost every week.  There are many variations, but when made correctly, it is always soft, sweet, creamy, and packed with poppy seed flavour.

Ingredients:

• 10 crescent rolls
• 200 g ground poppy seeds
• 200 g powdered sugar
• vanilla-flavoured sugar
• lemon rind
• a pinch of salt
• 1 l milk
• 4 egg yolks

For the vanilla custard:

• 2 egg yolks
• 20 g vanilla pudding mix
• 50 g powdered sugar
• half a vanilla bean
• ½ l milk, scalded and still hot
• 2 egg whites
• 50 g sugar

Combine the dry ingredients.  Scald the milk with the egg yolks, add to the dry ingredients, and mix well. To make the custard, first, scald the milk.  Beat the egg whites with the sugar until stiff.  Combine the egg yolks with the powdered sugar, the vanilla pudding mix, and the scraped out flesh of the vanilla bean.  Carefully add the hot milk to the pudding, bring to a boil, and then fold into the egg whites.

Tip:
Use drier rolls to better absorb the milk.  If you’re feeling adventurous, try adding ground walnuts to the poppy seeds.

Variations on strudel can be sweet or savoury, and may even feature ingredients like cheese and bacon.  This tasty variety is rich enough to be served as a separate course.

Ingredients:

• 1 package strudel dough
• 1 leek
• 1 package bacon
• olive oil

For the filling:

• 1 package cow’s milk curd
• 1 package soft goat cheese
• 1 egg
• 2-3 T sour cream
• 1 grated lemon peel
• 1 grated lime peel
• salt, pepper

Cut the bacon into strips and brown.  Mix the ingredients for the filling, adding one third of the bacon.  Lay a sheet of strudel dough out on a damp kitchen towel and sprinkle with oil.  Spread the filling over the dough, sprinkle with finely chopped leek and bacon, then repeat the process to form a second layer before rolling into a log.  Bake at 180˚C for 30 minutes or until crispy.

Hungarians would tell you that there are only 3 essential styles of cooking: French, Chinese and Hungarian. This, of course, might be a unique opinion of the locals, however Hungarian cuisine has undoubtedly been the shining star in Central and Eastern Europe in the past years. Also, we do have one thing in common with French and Chinese: we are driven by food.

For whatever reason you are visiting the Hungarian capital from spending a long weekend to searching for the best nightlife spots in the city there is a restaurant for you to kick start your stay with delicious local food you will love. Our extensive list of restaurants showcases places for the ones who’d like to try the traditional flavours, who like a bit of cheekiness, the wine and gourmet-lovers and for the ones who long for a Michelin-star experience.

Hungarian cuisine and its revolution

Budapest’s food scene is technically a metaphor of the city itself: authentic, spicy and sprinkled with plenty of surprises as a new generation of Hungarians turned the traditional cuisine into an avant-garde dining experience whilst staying true to real local flavours. Hungarian food will take you far away from what you know by serving you unexpected flavours and hearty, quality wines.

In recent years a younger generation of chefs and food lovers transformed Hungarian food into a creative art form, exchanging the carbs- and meat heavy traditional dishes into healthier alternatives, exploring unexpected ingredients and flavours. Cool restaurants in Budapest await with incredible chefs’ remarkable fusions, traditional Hungarian food or Hungarian with a modern twist.

Traditional dishes

Duck-breast, goose liver and grilled sausages are the key players on the city’s food scene where you also find World-famous cafes and wallet-friendly Michelin-star restaurants. Traditionally meat heavy, but both vegan and vegetarian options are spreading like wildfire.

Goulash, the most commonly known Hungarian dish, is actually not eaten very frequently, it’s a traditional food. Other famous Hungarian meat stews include paprikás, a thicker stew with meat simmered in thick, creamy, paprika-flavored gravy, and pörkölt, a flavorful Hungarian stew with boneless meat (usually beef or pork), onion, and sweet paprika powder, both served with nokedli or galuska (small dumplings). In old-fashioned dishes, fruits such as plums and apricots are cooked with meat or in piquant sauces/stuffings for game, roasts and other cuts. Various kinds of noodles, dumplings, potatoes, and rice are commonly served as a side dish. Hungarian dry sausages (kolbász) and winter salami are also an integral part of Hungarian cuisine.

To find out more about Hungarian dishes or willing to try some of them yourself check out our latest selection of local recipes.

Traditional Hungarian restaurants

Gundel Restaurant

Tradition and evolution at Gundel Restaurant could stand for the history of modern Hungarian gastronomy and hospitality. You can discover the country by its unique taste invented by a Bavarian born genius Károly Gundel who tamed the Hungarian cuisine. Gundel is the restaurant where you can find traditional dishes based on original recipes, served in an exceptional ambiance.

Whilst creating the menu, newly appointed Executive Chef, Zsolt Litauszki aimed to keep the 120 years old recipes true to their traditions founder Karoly Gundel created. Goose liver in all its variations, The Gundel Pancake that is well-known around the Globe, a traditional Goulash or Hungarian fish soup are all on the menu for you to experience the taste of real Hungary.

Click here to reserve your table at Gundel Restaurant.

Where to find them? Gundel K. út 4., 1146 Budapest,

Phone: +36 1 889 8111, +36 30 603 2480

E-mail address: info@gundel.hu

Café Astoria Restaurant

Café Astoria Restaurant brings the classical coffee house back to life where the offer includes a quality à la carte menu. Café Astoria has become a restaurant where the guest can simultaneously enjoy the comfortable atmosphere of a café in a place that it is also suitable for social events and experience the tempting culinary adventures of a restaurant. During the day they welcome guests with their special Astoria Breakfast, Astoria Snacks, Astoria Afternoon Tea and Astoria A la carte offers. It is worth dropping in here any time of the day!

Where to find them? Kossuth Lajos u. 19-21., 1053 Budapest

Phone: +36 1 889 6022

E-mail address: astoria.restaurant@danubiushotels.com

The Gellert Brasserie

One of Hungary’s most famous hotels, Hotel Gellert has been accommodating guests since 1918. The hotel houses the newly refurbished Gellert Brasserie that has been serving generations since its own separate kitchen opened in 1960. Full of tradition this place is everything you need after a long day.

The chef truly believes that the ingredients speak for themselves, so the food always has true character. They offer handcrafted beer, the best Hungarian wines and a creative cuisine for old and young who crave a bit of history.

Where to find them: Szent Gellért tér 2., 1114 Budapest

Vakvarju Restaurant

The word Vakvarju literally means „blind crow” in Hungarian and it is the common name of a simple yet delicious country food (oven-baked flatbread with a wee bit charred, serrated black edges). You will find this delicious statement snack on the menu which is perfect for a hot summer night to accompany a pint of ice-cold beer. If you prefer more sophisticated, more elaborate dishes, you are in the best place too: browsing through the menu you will come across specialities that you would not find anywhere else. You are also made sure you will find the right selection of wines, to make every mouthful even more delicious.

The Head Chef has always got something to come up with that will make you go WOW. His creativity is unlimited, his skills are devilish, and his dishes are delicious. It may be Halloween, St. Martin’s Day, Christmas or New Year’s Eve, he always succeeds to design something new or elevate something traditional to a new level.

Vakvarju has different locations all around the city, so simply follow the link to find your preferred location.

Bistros – The ones with an attitude

Yellow Bistro & Bar

Danubius Hotel Helia’s new Yellow Bistro serves not only hotel guests, but also the general public, so that anyone can drop in any time for a pleasant gastronomic adventure.

Yellow Bistro & Bar’s selection includes healthy and quick meals, delicious sandwiches and pastries, but also a great soft drink and wine selection, specialty coffees, and for those with a sweet tooth, the newly introduced bright Yellow Cake. Additional choices include coconut-prawn soup, pumpkin pappardelle, Norwegian salmon fillet, and the recently re-invented cottage cheese pockets, to name just a few of the tastes

The bistro is found in the lounge area on the ground floor where you can stretch out on comfortable sofas and armchairs whilst being served by the very kind and professional staff.

Where to find them?  Kárpát u. 62-64, 1133 Budapest

Phone: +36 1 889 5800

Deryne Bistro

Chic, sexy, cosmopolitan, yet utterly local – Déryné opened on a street market, far away from the tourist crowds in the heart of a quiet Buda neighbourhood on the summer of 1914. It has been the café to hang out and the spot to be seen ever since. Artists, authors, movie stars, designers, ballerinas, the rich and famous shared the space with local crowds over coffee, drinks, food and the decadent magic lingering around its walls ever since.

This bustling corner of the city attracts hedonists, foodies and a cool young clientele with charm, smile and amazing food. They serve morning café, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and snacks till late. There is even a bakery on the premises, just to make sure the sourdough is always fresh and crunchy. Deryne is the place where you can start the day in style with a glass of prosecco.

Where to find them? Krisztina tér 3., 1013 Budapest

Reservation line: +361 225 1407

E-mail address: friends@deryne.com

Zsolnay Bisztro

Zsolnay  is a little oasis on the busy Teréz körút, located in the Radisson Blue Beke Hotel. It’s the perfect place for a warm-up hot drink, a romantic bottle of champagne or even a late-night cocktail with friends. The pastry assortment takes the place to another level which also includes lactose- and sugar-free options. Just recently refurbished the café with a gorgeous interior is open from 8 am to midnight catering for all meals and drinks of the day. What’s even better is they offer 50% discount during Sunday lunchtime!

Where to find them? Teréz körút 43., 1067 Budapest

E-mail address: sales.budapestradissonblu.com

 Spiler Bistro

Spíler is Baltazár’s little adventurous brother, a guy from a Guy Ritchie movie – a ladies’ man, a joker with many stories, with style but using his fist if needed. Like James Bond mixed with Johnny Quid. Spíler was born some time at the end of the 19th century in Budapest and is still one of the go to places to kick off a Friday night with a real cool atmosphere, flirty waiters and the one of the best burgers in town.

This iconic gastropub offers high-quality street food, excellent wines and a wide variety of local beers served in a laid-back urban locale in Gozsdu Udvar in downtown Budapest. It’s the great pub menu that sets Spíler apart – each dish is expertly made from scratch from super-fresh ingredients, like grilled chicken sausages, perfect cheeseburgers, and potato jackets loaded with delicious toppings.

Where to find them? Király utca 13., 1075 Budapest,

E-mail address: booking@spilerbp.hu

Wine bars for the gourmet lovers

St. Andrea Wine and Gourmet Bar

St. Andrea Wine Bar is bringing a little piece of the vineyards, the colours, the emotions, the thoughts to downtown Budapest to convey what Dr. Gyorgy Lorincz and his family truly represent, while also letting the land and the grape speak for itself.

They provide an outstanding service to their guests in a comfortable, warm but also elegant environment. The wine list features specific wines and champagne that are only available in the Bar, while also providing delicious gourmet snacks to complement the vintage.

The Bar opened its doors in Eiffel Palace, in one of the most prominent locations in the heart of Budapest, reflecting its significance both in terms of architecture and oenology.  Dr. Gyorgy Lorincz, the estate manager and wine maker of the St. Andrea winery, strongly believes that the Eiffel Palace and the St. Andrea brands perfectly complement each other, as their core values are based on common beliefs. Today, both names are synonymous with prestige, superior quality, respect for historical values, the celebration of the joyful present and future care.

Where to find them? Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 78., 1055 Budapest

E-mail address: info@standreaborbar.hu

Doblo Wine Bar

Doblo is the most beautiful wine bar in Budapest, they say. Not only beautiful but serves the best wines from Hungarian wineries. The large assortment offers sparkling wines, Prosecco and Champagne too, so everyone can find what they like. If you’re adventurous you can taste Pálinka, Hungary’s no1 weapon – also known as the local’s favourite fruit brandy/spirit.

To complement the wine assortment, they serve a traditional selection of meats such as ham, sausage, salami and even crispy goose skin as well as home-made cheeses, breads and pickled zucchini offering the best downtown cold plate experience.

Where to find them? Dob utca 20., 1072 Budapest

E-mail address: doblo@budapestwine.com

The ones with a touch of luxury

ICON Restaurant

Modern and elegant, the stunning Icon Restaurant embraces the future and yet pays homage to the history of the Royal Castle District. Icon has introduced a contemporary décor of warmness to create a relaxed, friendly and informal atmosphere located in Hilton Hotel in a truly premium location right next to Mattias Church.

Featuring an upscale 240-seat restaurant with a private saloon and 16 panoramic windows, guests of the Icon can choose from a distinctive Hilton breakfast to an extraordinary a la carte lunch and dinner menu as well as a sumptuous weekend brunch.

Hilton Budapest offers complimentary parking within the Castle District for its guests and offers a secure, 24-hour underground car park with check-up and manual cleaning services available for a small charge.

Where to find them? Hess András tér 1-3, 1014 Budapest

Phone: +36 1 889 6757

Kollazs Brasserie and Bar

Vibrant and inspiring, yet casual and affordable, KOLLÁZS – Brasserie & Bar is a contemporary brasserie in a landmark Budapest location, overlooking the Chain Bridge and the Danube River.

The Hungarian word for “collage,” Kollázs highlights creative combinations in all aspects of the dining experience. The interior design and décor are a fusion of old and new, luxurious and simple, representing the history of Budapest. The menu features a blend of local and international flavours, as well as traditional and modern dishes. The service is relaxed for the casual diner and professional for the formal diner. In addition, a timeless selection of music ranging from French, Hungarian, international songs, exclusively selected for Kollázs – completes this unique experience.

The interior was designed by the San Francisco based interior architecture and design company, EDG. The space represents the artistic era of the 1910s and ’20s, the coffee house culture, as well as the Art Nouveau style. Artwork is contemporary and consistently changes, complimenting and balancing the historic interior design.

As Budapest begins to emerge as a modern city without forgetting the past, Kollázs will complement the city perfectly and allow it to be defined by the needs of the guests that enter.

Where to find them? Széchenyi István tér, 1051 Budapest

Borkonyha – Winekitchen Restaurant

Winekitchen is a Michelin-star blend of a French-style bistro and a contemporary family restaurant offering the best of Hungarian cuisine. The name Winekitchen speaks for itself. The concept is based on the wide and diverse wine list, the delicious food and the personal and relaxed service.

The wine assortment includes 200 different, mostly Hungarian wines that represent not only the well-known wineries, but also small and yet-to-be-discovered cellars. They offer 48 wines by the glass at a time and have a temperature-controlled wine shelf with 1200-bottle-capacity so that you could buy wine by the bottle at a reasonable price for either take-away or drinking it on spot.

Their cuisine is based on fresh, even daily purchased ingredients and on the weekly-fortnightly changing offers written on the black board. Head Chef Ákos Sárközi has been with the owners from the first moment and he’s highly appreciated for his knowledge and genuineness, professionalism showed while working in Restaurant Alabárdos, his continuous success in the Tradition and Evolution competition, and the experiences he gained as a stage in the Portuguese two-Michelin-star Restaurant Villa Joya.

Where to find them? Sas utca 3., 1051 Budapest

E-mail address: borkonyha@borkonyha.hu

Hungary is a paradise for foodies and everyone who is looking for a unique dining experience. The locals are creative and ambitious and as all Hungarians, love food. We express our love and care through our flavours so don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new when visiting the Hungarian capital.

After all those heavy winter dishes, a little crisp-baked fish with vegetables makes the body feel good.

Ingredients:

• 1 piece filleted pike-perch per person
• shallots
• asparagus
• pea pods
• bell peppers
• whole chilies
• fresh parsley
• olive oil
• salt, pepper

Season each piece of fish with salt and pepper, then pan-sear the slices in the oil, turning several times.  Remove the fish, and add the vegetables.  Brown until crisp, seasoning with salt, pepper, and fresh parsley.

Tip:  Excellent when accompanied by new potatoes with parsley!

Think you already know everything there is to know about this popular dish?  Watch our video and make it as never before!

Ingredients:

• ½ filleted chicken breast
• 1 onion
• olive oil
• paprika
• salt, pepper
• 2 dl chicken broth
• 1 tomato
• 1 pepper
• 4 t flour
• a small quantity of water
• 2 T sour cream
• 0,5 dl cream

crepe batter:

• 400 g flour
• 2 eggs
• salt
• 1 dl milk
• 3 dl soda water
• oil

Slice the chicken breast thinly, pound flat, and season with salt and pepper.  Brown both sides in olive oil until slices are cooked through.  Remove from the frying pan.  Begin preparing the sour cream – paprika sauce by sautéing the coarsely chopped onion in olive oil.  Add the chopped pepper and tomato, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with paprika, then pour in the chicken broth.  Cook thoroughly, then strain. Return the resulting liquid to the heat and carefully blend in the sour cream and cream.  Use a thin paste of flour combined with water to thicken.

Prepare a standard crepe batter using salt, but no sugar, then, after a brief rest period, make the crepes, using a large biscuit cutter to create perfect circles.  To serve, layer the crepes with the sauce and chicken pieces.  Finish by covering the entire stack with sauce and garnishing with sour cream.

Tip:  Be generous with the sauce, spreading each crepe completely and saving plenty for the top, making the entire dish deliciously creamy.
To save time, make the crepes a day in advance.

This simple but superb dish is a favourite of adults and children alike and, done right, can be prepared and consigned to the oven in next to no time.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg boiled potatoes, sliced
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• 200 g bacon, cut into strips
• 1 smoked Hungarian paprika sausage, sliced
• 5-6 dl sour cream
• salt, pepper
• shredded cheese

Layer the ingredients in a buttered baking pan so that the potatoes are at the bottom.  Cover with sour cream.  Layer with sausage, eggs, and bacon, as desired, each time topping with more potatoes and sour cream and seasoning with salt and pepper.  Cover the top in shredded cheese.

Bake at 200˚C for one hour.  Serve hot.  The casserole can be plated with additional sour cream or, for an excellent accompaniment, served with pickles such as the Hungarian yeast-fermented variety.

Tip:  Because potato casserole is particularly susceptible to drying out, be sure to be generous with the sour cream, possibly adding a few spoonsful of melted fat to ensure the right degree of juiciness.

This traditional peasant dish is known by a variety of Hungarian names – bandurák, bere,  cicedli, cicege, hadi rántotta,  krumplibaba, lapcsánka,  lepkepotyi,  macok,  pacsni, recsege,  rösztike, tócsi… – and appears in at least as many variations.

With courgettes:

• 1 large courgette (shredded)
• 1 egg
• 2-3 T flour
• salt, pepper,
• basil

With potatoes:

• 4 large raw potatoes (shredded)
• 1 egg
• 2-3 T flour
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt, pepper

Combine all ingredients and brown on both sides in a small amount of oil until crispy.

Tip:  Served with a little salad or ketchup, this dish makes an excellent stand-alone supper or an accompaniment for stewed vegetables.

Producing a good fisherman’s soup is a bit like carrying out a ritual.  You buy the fresh fish, you give the soup base its proper time… you enjoy the experience.  The Hungarian Christmas table has always held a place of honour for dishes made with fish, including fisherman’s soup.  Did you know that the scales of the fish symbolise the money to come in the New Year, and that people once wished their families that they might make their way through the coming year as a fish makes its way through water?

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ kg fish bones
• 800 g onions
• 100 g sweet banana peppers
• 100 g tomatoes
• 1 hot pepper (optional)
• 100 g sweet paprika
• 600 g carp
• salt

Place the fish bones, diced onion, paprika, and tomatoes in a soup pot, add enough water to cover, season with salt, and put on to simmer for 1 – 1 ½ hours.  Remove from heat and wait for the fat to rise to the surface, then sprinkle with paprika and cook for another 20 minutes.  Cut the carp into cubes.  Pass the broth through a strainer to remove bones, return to heat, add the carp, and cook until done.

Tip:
Optionally, fisherman’s soup can be enriched with fish roe or milt or even matchstick noodles.

Once upon a time, there were breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Then came brinner, the meal from…where else but California?…that rewrote the rules and challenged everything we thought we knew about the classic, eat-and-run breakfast and the leisurely dinner.  Brinner shows us that breakfast-type foods can be eaten at any time of day that one can enjoy fried bacon and beans with tomatoes in the afternoon or the mellow flavour of buttered croissants with jam just before midnight.  Our first encounter with brinner took place at the newly renovated Zsolnay Café, but before we get to that, let’s acquaint ourselves with a bit of brinner history:

Breakfast + dinner = brinner

The word “brinner,” a portmanteau of “breakfast” and “dinner,” is a meal that unites dishes of the type usually eaten for breakfast with those generally seen at dinner.  Put simply, it is a breakfast that can be eaten at any time of day, including dinnertime, but that accommodates everything from Vietnamese Pho to crepes.  From its birthplace in California, this new dietary trend has swept the world at lightning speed, though its presence in Hungary is still limited to the menus of a handful of cafés.  The key to its popularity is that brinner foods are fresh, colourful, variable, and easy to prepare, while – not least importantly – permitting people to make up for what they missed in the morning rush at whatever time is convenient later in the day…to sit down quietly, unhurriedly, and give the meal the attention it is due.  This is why it is typically elegant cafés that are viewed as offering the proper atmosphere for brinner, allowing co-workers, friends, and families to give themselves comfortably over to the experience.

As there is no proper time for brinner, one never experiences what occasionally happens with breakfast, which most eating establishments serve only until 10:00 a.m.  Instead, you can have brinner whenever you like, as the dishes figure permanently on the menu and can be ordered at any time of day.  A sausage omelette at 10:00 p.m.?  Absolutely!  It is even rumoured that overseas, there are 24-hour restaurants with brinner menus.  Last year, moreover, witnessed the world’s first Brinner Festival, organised in Melbourne, Australia.

Brinner at the newly renovated Zsolnay Café

In April of 2018, following a project of several months, Zsolnay Café on Teréz korus reopened its doors.  This year, the 105-year-old Radisson Blu Béke Hotel will be celebrating the birthday of its iconic building and meeting spot in style:  with the rebirth of its noted ground-floor café in a spirit of tradition and renewal.

Guiding the restructuring of the new cultural and gastronomic space were two key considerations:  to provide direct street access that would return the café to Teréz körút and the city of Budapest as conceived in 1913, and, in renovating interior areas and services, to employ unique architectural solutions that would accentuate its special, inviting atmosphere.  In this same vein, the Haranghy Dome, a work of art decorated with intricately patterned leaded glass and a symbol of the hotel’s historic roots, was accorded a new place adjacent to the entranceway, permitting it, too, to share in the rebirth of the café and its cultural life.

The layout developed by the project’s Spanish interior designer functions as a single unit:  the comfortable café armchairs, fireplace, meeting-place environment, and newly created long, open bar counter form a community space that nevertheless manages to preserve the café’s customarily cosy atmosphere.

Responsible for maintaining gastronomic traditions are executive chef József Jaksics and master confectioner György Bechmann, whose combined expertise ensures that Zsolnay’s now-emblematic selection of visually stunning cakes and pastries, including its special lactose-free, flour-free, and added sugar-free desserts, all served on traditional Zsolnay porcelain, remain a natural fixture.

Have breakfast any time! Order a brinner!

Guests looking for an unusual gastronomic experience will enjoy the café’s bistro menu, created specially for the grand opening with a range of light, variable dishes, along with its now-premiering brinner selection.  The concept of brinner – that is, breakfast for dinner – allows café clientele to have and enjoy breakfast at any time of day.

For those who believe that even today, traditional gastronomic elements can make a business meeting or private event special – and what better way than by smuggling the most important meal of the day, eaten amidst mood-setting turn-of-the-century elegance, back into daily life – the Blu Relax, Zsolnay in Blu, and Mr. Foster in Blu brinner menus offer full meals that are available from 8:00 a.m. until midnight

Zsolnay’s brinner menu features imaginatively named, themed variations made with colourful ingredients composed on a single plate, along with à la carte omelettes, snack foods, salads, and sandwich creations.  Specific choices range from Hungarian fried dough filled with meat and cabbage or burritos with guacamole to a complete Zsolnay in Blu brinner with smoked salmon, poached eggs, buttered spinach with hollandaise, seedy rolls, and a mixed-leaf salad – a selection that speaks for itself.

“Omelettes, specialty coffees, Ronnenfeldt teas, fresh fruit and vegetable juices, pastrami, B.L.T. sandwiches, eggs Benedict, bagels, and our own BLU menus are all part of the all-day brinner selection,” says chef József Jaksics, noting that in his opinion, one of the best features of the newly designed breakfast range is that the various elements can be ordered à la carte or in judiciously composed menus.

It has been said that “All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast”.  (John Gunther, American journalist and writer.)  If so, then happiness is on order at any time of day at Zsolnay Café.

This simple, tasty dish is an excellent choice where cooking time is limited.  Getting it right requires careful attention to two things:  that it not become too dry, and that it be judiciously seasoned.  Optionally, pork, turkey, duck, or even veal liver can be substituted for the chicken liver.  Sautéed liver makes an excellent addition to any diet, if for no other reason, than as a rich source of vitamin B.

Ingredients:

• 500 g chicken livers
• 200 g onions, sliced into rings
• 1 sweet banana pepper
• 1 hot wax pepper
• 1 tomato
• 30 g sweet paprika
• marjoram
• salt
• pepper

Sautee the chopped onion briefly in a small quantity of oil, sprinkle with paprika, then add a little water.  Cube the peppers and tomato and add them to the pan.  Season with marjoram and ground black pepper.  Finally, add the chicken liver and braise until soft, about 30 minutes.  This dish is best eaten fresh, accompanied by boiled salted potatoes or potatoes tossed with parsley.

Tip:

Sautéed liver can also be made in the oven, in which case it can be stirred after the first 8 minutes have passed.  Poultry liver can be salted during cooking, while the livers of other animals should be salted toward the end of the cooking time to prevent their becoming too hard.

This hearty meal-in-one dish is an interesting combination of sauerkraut and traditional Hungarian pork stew, with a few minor additions.  It is believed that Székely cabbage, which boasts a tradition reaching as far back as the 19^th century, only grows better with multiple re-warmings.

Ingredients:

• 200 g pork shoulder
• 100 g onions
• 200 g sauerkraut
• 1 80-g piece of smoked bacon
• 3 dl sour cream
• 1 sweet banana pepper
• 1 hot wax pepper
• 1 tomato
• 10 g fresh dill
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 40 g sweet paprika
• ground black pepper, salt to taste

Cube the bacon and brown in a small quantity of oil; add the finely chopped onions, the minced garlic, the paprika, and a little water.  Allow to simmer until the flavours are well blended.  Add the pork, cut into cubes, a little ground caraway, and the bay leaves.  Replenish the water, cover, and simmer until the meat is soft.  Finally, cube and add the tomato, peppers, and sauerkraut.  When all ingredients are soft, thicken with sour cream and season with fresh dill.

Tip:
For milder flavour, rinse the sauerkraut under running water before cooking.

Legendary dishes from a legendary kitchen. Since its grand opening in 1894, the Gundel has been regarded not as a mere restaurant, but – thanks to founder Károly Gundel, János Gundel, and the renowned chefs that followed them – as the cradle of modern Hungarian dining culture, an establishment synonymous with the history of Hungarian gastronomy and restauranteering in general.  The secret of the Gundel Restaurants popularity lies with its sincere hospitality and venerable atmosphere, the centuries-old tradition that permeates its stately building, and a kitchen that, while using the very best of ingredients, remains steadfast in its dedication to innovation.

Starting April of 2018, the Gundel team will be welcoming to its ranks Zsolt Litauszki, member of the Bocuse d’Or Academy of Hungary and former creative chef of the Zsidai Group.

Fresh from a two-year stint in Costa Rica, Litauszki will be charged with developing a new approach for the restaurant, one that nevertheless respects the establishment’s time-tested, traditional values.  At the start of his career, chef Litauszki spent nine years in Austria, where he worked in eight different culinary establishments, including two that boasted Michelin stars.  Upon his return to Hungary in 2008, Litauszki quickly brought the Maligán Wine Tavern, then under his management, to rank among the best restaurants in the country.  Between 2009 and 2016, after opening the Zsidai Group’s second restaurant, the successful chef participated in the founding and operation of twelve other hospitality industry establishments (including the Pierrot, the ÉS Bistro at Kempinski Hotel, Baltazár Hotel and Restaurant, Pest Buda Hotel and Bistro, the Opera Café, the Spíler, and Jamie’s Italian Budapest), developing a special menu for each one.

As for the restaurant itself, as early as the time of the New York World’s Fair, the Gundel represented Hungarian gastronomy so extraordinarily that the New York Times claimed it had done more for Hungary’s reputation than might have been accomplished with an entire shipload of tourist brochures.  Just as Kodály and Bartók had done with the nation’s folk music, Gundel sought to collect recipes for gastronomic specialties from all parts of historic Hungary, often catering to his regular guests with dishes prepared specially for, and named after them.  Since then, the Gundel’s reputation has remained undiminished, winning a top ranking among voters for Budapest’s best restaurant again in 2017.

With the arrival of Zsolt Litauszki starting 16 April, the legendary Gundel will be offering diners an all-new menu, for which the kitchen staff has united selected classics from the Gundel legacy with various elements of contemporary cuisine to create an experience that represents the best of both the past, and present.  Perusing the new menu, one discovers – among other things – Károly Gundel’s famous gulyás, János Gundel’s fish soup, and goose liver delicacies prepared in that particular Gundel style.  Among dishes and accompaniments invented in the time of Károly Gundel himself are mushroom salad, Csíki sauce, Gundel-style tenderloin strips, and Pittsburgh veal ribs.  Still, the most illustrious of the restaurant’s creations remains to this day its special dessert, Crêpes Gundel, whose history is the stuff of legends, but whose invention is attributed not to the famous restauranteur whose name they bear, but to Lola Matzner, wife of writer Sándor Márai.  Though for many years the menu actually referred to the dish as Crêpes Márai, with the rise of communism and the subsequent banning of Márai’s works, the dish was necessarily rechristened.  Filled with rum-infused walnut paste and doused with dark chocolate sauce, Crêpes Gundel are wheeled out tableside, spectacularly flambéed, and served piping hot.

With the Gundel’s a’ la carte menu, visitors to the pleasant green expanses of Budapest’s City Park may also order from among dishes representing a somewhat lighter fare, while the restaurant’s 3-course Lunch, Sunday brunch, Liget Dinner, Sampler, and Gundel Grand Menus, too, serve to bring the still-influential legacy of the Gundel dynasty within reach of all.

This delicious, fragrant, uncommonly hearty meat soup is a true Hungarian speciality.  One of Hungary’s best-known dishes, goulash is made differently from region to region, and even from household to household.  But if there’s one thing you can say for certain, it’s that it always tastes great…

Ingredients:

• 600 g beef shank
• 150 g carrots
• 150 g parsley root
• 200 g finely chopped onion
• 15 g ground caraway
• 50 g minced garlic
• 30 g sweet paprika
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 2 sweet banana peppers
• 1 hot pepper
• 250 g potatoes
• salt to taste
• cooking oil

Finely chop the onion.  Cut the meat into cubes.  Sauté the onion in a small amount of cooking oil.  Add the minced garlic, a little water, and the ground caraway.

Add the beef and sauté until just white.  Season with salt and paprika, then allow the meat to simmer in its own juices for about 30 minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes, the chopped vegetables, and enough water to make a soup and simmer for an additional 30-40 minutes or until all ingredients are soft.

Tip:

Goulash can be enriched with what are known as “pinched dumplings” (csipetke).  To prepare, combine an egg with a bit of salt and enough flour to make a stiff dough.  Pinch dumplings one by one from the mass and add to the soup.  The dumplings should soften in about 10 minutes.

Many, many people love to prepare this truly rib-sticking dish in a variety of different styles. It’s a one-plate meal, and a particularly delicious combination of tender and juicy meat with crisp potatoes. It’s best prepared with a playful lightness of touch, and the most tasty method is always to make it fresh to order.

Ingredients

• 500 grams pork – tenderloin or medallions, depending on preference (see below)
• 100 grams onions
• 100 grams streaky smoked bacon
• 1 large light green pepper
• 1 dark green pepper
• 2 tomatoes
• 80 grams crushed garlic
• parsley
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 120 grams potatoes, cut into cubes

Chop up the meat into little cubes, and brown it in a little oil. Cut up the bacon into small chunks and fry in a little oil, then add the onion, the garlic, peppers, tomatoes, herbs and season well. Then add the meat and a little water and cook gently until the meat softens. Meanwhile, fry the potato cubes in a little oil and mix in with the meat and vegetables.

Tip: For those who like a juicy dish with more sauce, choose pork tenderloin, those who prefer a drier dish should choose pork medallions. When serving, don’t forget the pickles!