Budapest

Costes Downtown, Budapest, 4/2/16

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Exterior
Exterior

This place opened about a year ago and is the sister restaurant to Costes, under the same executive chef Miguel Rocha Vieira, but on site under the direction of Portuguese Sous Chef Tiago Sabarigo.  Both have a one star Michelin rating. Attached to the Prestige Hotel, it’s supposed to be a more casual atmosphere, which it is, billing it as “international cuisine with a Hungarian influence”.  It has an open kitchen and a chef’s table for “serious culinary fans.”  One guess where we sat?  At the table they can accommodate up to 8 people for a 6-course tasting menu with some additional amuse bouche; there were just the 2 of us that night. Continue reading →

Bock Bisztró, Budapest, 4/2/16

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entrance
entrance

This reasonably large place has a suitably large menu and lots of daily specials but a smaller wine list with a number of them coming from the Bock winery. The waitstaff is very friendly and helpful that all lends to the casual atmosphere.  They are located next door to the large Corinthia Hotel and it has a dedicated entry into the restaurant from the lobby. Portion sizes are generous.   Continue reading →

Borkonyha Winekitchen, Budapest, 4/1/16

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entrance
entrance

This medium sized restaurant offers a la carte as well as a 5 course degustation with optional wine pairings. It is a smart, stylish place that also has bar seating. It was full the evening we were there and the noise level was fairly high but it was workable and just gave the place a very lively atmosphere. Waiters were efficient and nice but not overly friendly, although obviously an experienced bunch. There appeared to be a number of tourists as well as a local people and a wide range of age groups. We may have come in as a large group was getting their order because there was a extraordinarily long pause after the soup course. This is their third year to receive a Michelin star rating. Continue reading →

MÁK, Budapest, 4/1/16

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Entrance
Entrance

A small place with a fairly modern design that has a friendly staff, MAK offers a good deal for dining at lunch.  It started a little slow but then the food picked up  and every dish was better than the one before. It was a perfect amount of food for lunch. There is a 2 or 3 course menu with a couple choices for each course. If those don’t appeal there is a la carte also.We chose the 3 course option but we both wanted the same choices so there’s not as many pictures as some days but everything we had was well prepared, nicely plated and very tasty.  Continue reading →

Costes Restaurant, Budapest, 3/31/16

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exterior
exterior

This popular place appeared to be a reservation-only dinner as a number of passersby stopped in to enquire and were turned away even though the table next to us sat empty all night. Does that set the tone?  The service was a bit strange. Obviously trying for “Michelin tone” they introduced the team, asked after every course if we enjoyed it, dutifully changed out flatware, refolded napkins, etc. but something was missing – maybe experience. Nice people but missing the subtlety between care and intrusion. Continue reading →

Tanti, Budapest, 3/31/16

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exterior
exterior

A fairly large place located in a small shopping mall about a 20 minute bus ride from the old part of the city. At lunch they offer a 2 or 3 course lunch as well as a couple chef’s special a la carte options. At dinner they offer a much bigger menu. It is a stylishly modern setting with no table clothes and paper napkins and a techno type music playing softly. Continue reading →

Onyx Restaurant, Budapest,3/30/16

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exterior
exterior

This medium sized place opened around 2007 and our delightful waiter has been here the entire time. They have 2 dining areas, one for 30 and the other for 20 persons. The sommelier joined the staff around 2011 when the restaurant received their one star Michelin rating. The 2 chefs are a couple but only Szabina was there that night as Tamas was prepping for the Bocuse awards.  They offer a couple tasting menus and a la carte options as well as wine pairings.   Continue reading →

Tigris Étterem, Budapest, 3/30/16

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exterior
exterior

This medium sized place is open all day and so was perfect for us to visit as soon as we hit town around 2:00. It was the lobby of a hotel about 100 years ago. The staff were most gracious even though we were the only guests for a while. In fact both of the men who helped us spoke great English and were very helpful in selecting our meal and wines. Tigris is known for its selection of foie gras dishes which is another reason to get there. Continue reading →