Eat in Budapest

Review

First of all, Heller’s Pub, as well as the other “Pubs” in Budapest, is not Pub. Not just because John Bull’s Pub, Beckett’s and others’ foods exceed most Londoner gastro pubs’ offering, but to me Pub must fulfill 80% of the following requirements:

- A selection of at least 3 ales, including at least 1 bitter
- 80% of the guests are British
- Easy-going atmosphere
- People tend to get drunk
- Majority of guests drinks bier
- Most guests are standing during the evening
- No drink table service
- Guests represent all types of society members in the same place
- Immigrant staff

Today even a flat-screen television is almost obligatory on match days.

According to this classification, Heller’s could be anything but a Pub since it meet none of these requirements.
On the other hand, they offer surprisingly good food and quality has been stable over the last 2 years.
They have wine tasting dinners, very well compiled, at reasonable price.

Review

In brief: confusingly stable quality. And if you scroll down a bit you’ll see that this is a good thing. But Arcade is more than a reliable business lunch place. Although it’s predictable to the point of boredom, somehow it’s always nice to be there. The place is well-known in the expat community’s business section and due to its location and profile it will never attract beck-packers and university students, so let’s just say that Arcade Bistro is a good choice for a risk-free business lunch provided that your guest does not insist eating goulash or paprikáscsirke.

I also like the hosting socialist-realist building as well as the similar style neighbor buildings.

Their wine selection is OK for foreign visitor (i.e. not too many, but relatively good selection served at good temperature), somewhat even experimental (Lisicza).