Local Budapest food has been developed over centuries of international influences. Connected by the Danube river to other European countries, the food has long since been influenced by their Austrian neighbor, but also the Turkish during the Ottoman rule and Jewish immigrants. The flavors of Budapest are thus unique and absolutely delectable. Here are some of the foods that you must have in Budapest.
Goulash
Goulash is their signature local dish, similar to that of beef stew, with chunks of beef so tender that it melts in your mouth. Many restaurants also serve it with sour cream, which makes it all the more special.
To tick this off your gourmet food hunt, try them at these local restaurants below.
Gettó Gulyás
Address: Wesselényi utca 18. Budapest, Hungary 1077
Phone:+36 20 376 4480
Hungarikum Bisztró
Address: Budapest, Steindl Imre u. 13, 1051 Hungary
Phone: +36 30 661 6244
Menza Restaurant
Address: Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 2, 1061 Hungary
Phone: +36 1 413 1482
Chicken Paprikash
Chicken Paprikash is my utmost favorite food in Budapest. Chicken is served with a stew made from onions, paprika, tomato and meat fat. The end result is a savory dish with nokedli ( made from eggs and flour), that is highly addictive.
It may look like scrambled eggs, but the nokedli is chewy and tastes like bread with an egg aftertaste. Try this at Getto Gulyas as mentioned earlier or head to the restaurants below:
Paprika Vendéglő
Address: Budapest, Dózsa György út 72, 1071 Hungary
Phone: +36 20 294 7944
Fülemüle Étterem
Address: Budapest, Kőfaragó u. 5, 1085 Hungary
Phone: +36 1 266 7947
Börze
Address: Budapest, Nádor u. 23, 1051 Hungary
Phone: +36 1 426 5460
Langos
Cheese and pizza lovers will drool over this snack. Yeast dough is fried into golden circles and topped with cheese, sour cream and garlic. For a modern twist, add bacon bits or go sweet with ice cream. It is very filling so be sure to share it with a friend on hand!
It is especially popular as street food so you will find it easily but here are our top recommendations.
Retró Lángos Büfé
Address: Budapest, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 25, 1065 Hungary
Phone: +36 20 345 3525
Street Food Karavan
Address: Budapest, Kazinczy u. 18, 1075 Hungary
Drum Cafe Budapest
Address: Budapest, Dob u. 2, 1072 Hungary
Phone: +36 20 540 7422
Halaszle (Fisherman Soup)
Many foods in Budapest surprised me, including Halaszle. I was expecting the fish soup to taste similar to curry fish due to its presentation but it was different. Laced with paprika, the carp (sometimes catfish) is light, salty-sweet with a hint of spice. The fish is cooked so well that it is soft in texture.
A popular local restaurant to have this is Paprika Vendeglo, which was recommended earlier for their chicken paprikash. Here are some other great restaurants where you can try it at too.
Szegedi Halászcsárda
Address: Budapest, Belgrád rakpart 23817/2 hrsz., Nemzetközi Hajóállomás, 1056 Hungary
Phone: +36 1 235 0865
Rosenstein Vendéglő
Address: Budapest, Mosonyi u. 3, 1087 Hungary
Phone: +36 1 333 3492
Túrógombóc (cheese-coated dumplings)
After big savory meals, you may be considering something sweet to have for dessert. These cheese-coated dumplings will give you the right fix. They are small enough for you to enjoy the sweet cheese but at the same time, allow you to indulge guilt-free.
Getto Gulyas and Menza Restaurant make Túrógombóc finger-licking good. I might be biased but based on other reviews, I am pretty sure you will be doing the same.
All in all, the food in Budapest is uniquely theirs and tastes good. With a mix of flavors from different cultures, they have come up with fusion dishes of their own that are nothing less than stellar.
