Eat in Budapest

M is a small cosy bistro in downtown Budapest overshadowed by the busy Liszt Ferenc square and Király utca, not to mention the establishments of Andrássy street. Located in the shadowy Kertész street on appr. 70 square meters and with a facade of 3 meters it’s completely undetectable and still visited by tourists. In spite of this it’s a quiet place run by food-enthusiast friends without any formal culinary education and visited by young students and artist as well as by French and Anglo-Saxonic tourists. With a capacity of around 35 people it’s often full but as opposed to Klassz on Andrássy street, here you can make a reservation. If you’re lucky you can experience one of their theme days like their Jewish weekend this fall.

The food is decent home-made style International and Hungarian made of perfectly fresh material. And this is one of the key aspects of M, the other one being the charming, friendly atmosphere created by the poor illumination and the handicraft wallpaper decoration covering the entire space. The prices are reasonable, even tourists on a budget will be satisfied with the bill.

They have a short wine selection of the lower-medium segment.

It’s been more than 2 years ago when I read the first acknowledgements about Momotaro Ramen which captured my imagination through its originality and good value aspects, according to the late matula.hu fanzine. 2 years used to be more than sufficient with Budapest standards to experience major degradation in food and service and general quality decrease in any restaurant in Budapest but I have good news: despite some minor faults Momotaro Ramen is still an authentic place to eat relatively quickly.

The interior remained unchanged since the socialist era and the service is a bit old-fashioned too (in Hungary it means harsh).

Portions are huge, the only disappointment was frozen sea-food mix used for the soup.

Due to its quality, location and affordability I’d recommend this place to tourists and locals, those who are looking for authenticity in eastern cuisine. 

Review

Once entering the restaurant you are chez lui indeed: the small 2-floor house is located in a downtown residencial district stuck between much larger buildings but the house reflects the character of the neighbouthood and the owners did not change mch of the spaces since transforming this residential building into a charming French restaurant. The courtyard is small but very pleasant to stay in when the weather’s nice but the interior, the former rooms of flats is less friendly: they’re dark, hardly decorated at all and the toilets occupy the central area.

You must not be extremely lucky to get a table during lunchtime: we were the only guests on this late August sunny day. Perhaps the evenings are different but then you’re less likely to be served by Daniel himself. Her wife and Daniel were both present during my two visits and they’re friendly, nice people who make you feel like you’re at their home, with their dog taking central attention within the family. The easy-going, family atmosphere is supported by nice, but not outstanding French food with Provence’s influence being dominant.

The seafood and fishes are daily adjusted to the market’s offering, but the rest of the menu has been more or less unchanged for the last 3 years the waiter tells me.

In spite of the flags hanging above the entrance, Pomo d’Oro does not call any attention in the busy street of the Budapest banking district. From inside it has more character with lot of wood decoration, although it’s very dark at least during the day. But this is not something negative.

They’re proud to be the first to receive the plaque of patronage from the Italian Chef Association.

Review

Durint my sole visit to Pomo D’Oro the service crew was not bad: timing of foods was good although they did not pass my ice cube test (I like drinks with lot of ice so I always have to ask for it or for some extra and usually waiters simply forget about it). But this seems to be normal in Budapest because waiters in Budapest restaurants hardly ever do.

As usual in Italian restaurants in Budapest, starters are relatively expensive but the seafood carpaccio for instance is worth it: their octopus is really an exception in this price category.

Their tomato soup is incomparable to any other tomato soup I’ve ever had.

The main courses on the other hand are very good but not so outstanding. Their strive for good quality is visible, their materials are of good quality and after a single visit I can’t say anything negative about Pomo D’Oro. In my opinion it’s one of the 3 best Italian restaurants in Budapest.

Review

I spent many years in clubs, pubs and rock festivals but I’ve never met such polite punks as I did once and again on A38. Yes, on, because A38 is a boat. Let’s just quote their website about it:

“A38 is the reincarnation of a Ukranian stone-carrier ship. With its inauguration on 30 April 2003, it started a new life on the Danube in Budapest as a cultural venue. Since its opening it has become one of Budapest’s most important venues, and according to artists’ feedback, one of Europe’s coolest clubs.”

It’s cool indeed. And you would not expect such a nice restaurant on this boat which hosts (mostly underground) shows almost 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The restaurant is very bright due to tis huge windows which provides 70% of the walls and a great view to southern Pest and Buda. These days arworks are hanging on these enormous windows. It’s well decorated in a minimalist style with lot of wood and not just the ceiling is very high but there’s also lot of space between the tables.

The waiters used to be the most polite and aloof in the city. That changes but A38 still has one of the best services in town.

The food is made of fresh material but they’re not too original or unique, they wary from medium boring to good. But the whole ambience compensates for it, believe me. The best is going there for a lunch when 80% of the tables are empty, based on my sample of half a dozen visits.

I know a lot of people would think it’s pathetic to eat in a shopping mall and I can only agree. But before you judge me, you should know that LeRoy used to be a landmark in the XIIIth district’s gastronomy almost 10 years ago. Now that the original LeRoy no longer exists, they still have some of their classic meals on their menu. As long as their consistency is concerned, these iconic items are like a junk food franchise chain’s flagship products. Their hot chicken wings for instance is the best I’ve ever had in Budapest.

LeRoy is not easy to emotionally connect with (especially since their expansion in the shopping mall world) but they really have a constantly good quality and a funny, though sometimes quite annoying customer base. And it’s accessible, they’re in Buda as well as in Pest in different places but always well located from accessibility point of view. Plus, this particular LeRoy is almost always half-empty.

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.