Can Someone please tell me what some of the best restaurants in Budapest are, price doesn't matter..thanks

Last summer we stayed at the SAS Raddison Hotel on Korut Terez, a short walk to the Octagon subway station. Just down the street from our hotel, in the direction of the subway, there was a restaurant on a side street, just a few steps off of Korut Terez. The name is Keresztapa which means Godfather in English. The decor followed the Godfather movie theme. The food was wonderful and inexpensive by U. S. standards. As I remember there is a sign for it hanging right at the corner of Korut Terez and the side street it's on.....We ate lunch one day at a sidewalk cafe near the hotel, the Octagon Cafe. It was very good and again rather inexpensive..Budapest was a nice surprise. Far prettier than I had expected. If you get a chance be sure to see the Operetta Theater performance. Music by J Strauss, Franz Lehar and E. Kalman. It's next to the river which is especially pretty at night with buildings across the river and also the Chain Bridge lit up....Vaci Utica is a pedestrian mall with shops and cafes. This leads to the Marketplace which we found interesting. I can still smell the wonderful breads and sausages......We went to a horse farm which was really worthwhile to see the gypsies demonstrate their horsemanship. Another delicious meal there. My, I am going on......but I loved it.........But, you were asking about restaurants. There is a famous one there but I don't remember the name of it. I heard about it on the AOL travel bulletin board. We saw it near Monument Square and the amusement park but never got there....I'm sure you will enjoy Budapest.....Happy traveling.

Gundel's was a beautiful setting, wonderful food. The resutarant was loving ly restored.

Just around the corner from the famous Gundel's Restaurant in the city park near Hero's Square is "Owl's Castle". This place is operated entirely by women. Women do all the cooking and all the serving. Very reasonable prices and great Hungarian cuisine. The place is owned by Gundel's.

Larry J

Hi Frank:

Not sure what type of food your looking for but try "www.budapestweek.com/restaurants/" ... we really liked the Iguana (near the parliament buildings).

But as Betty pointed out, food was inexpensive in Budapest (compared to any big city).

Z

The "Owl's Nest" restaurant is Bagolyvar, and we also recommend it.

Sunday brunch (all you can eat, from goose liver pate' to tortes for dessert) at Gundel.

Belcanto, with opera singing wait staff, near the Opera House.

Kispipa, inexpensive and authentic.

Duna Corso, outdoor seating next to the river, gypsy music.

Carmel, non-kosher Jewish cuisine.

Vicky

The one restaurant I consider the best in the city is Vad Rosa, on the Buda side on the hill. I never knew the address because I went by taxi; but the cuisine is superb. Typical customers seem to be well-heeled locals and diplomats. It's certainly worth a splurge. Good luck.

Gundel is the best-known, and likely the most expensive, but the food and service can be beaten. However, Sunday brunch is worthwhile.

Several other options exist. The question might be better answered if you qualified "best". Fatal has great food but more of a country vs. gourmet type atmosphere, and service good but not a formal type, and caters to tourists and a lot of "locals".

Kisbuda Gyonge (spelling?) is another good choice.

One of my favorites is a French restaurant -- but it is not to everyone's taste.

Iguana -- suggested by "TravelMaster" is altogether different, but saw us with some regularity when I lived there. The suggestion of consulting the Budapest Week web site is good.

I finally tried Gundel on my third visit to Budapest and enjoyed it very much.

Another restaurant I would recommend is the Golden Stag (Aranyszarvas), located on the Buda side near Elizabeth Bridge

Aranyszarvas
Szarvas ter 1

Excellent games dishes, good selection of Hungarian wines and a wrap around terrace make for a great lunch or dinner

BettyBubb, when you stayed at the SAS Radisson Beka, did you try their restaurant in the hotel?

I enjoyed the food there very much - several nights they had authentic Hungarian music. Unfortunately, one night, when they were much more crowded, the quartet played Broadway show tunes It was quite bizarre when they serenaded the crowd with "New York, New York" and "Fiddler on the Roof"...

My daughter had the prawns in paprika sauce, and I had a meat dish whose name I don't recall, but it was excellent, and I washed it down with a nice Hungarian beer. And I am a person who is always reluctant to try new food. The price was very reasonable.

The hotel also has a delightful pastry show, for a last minute sugar fix.

We've just come back from Budapest. We enjoyed our time there very much. We found food in Hungary delicious due to the use of a lot of spices. Our favorite restaurant is Bakara in Pest (District V, Magyar u. 12-14, phone: 1/483-1355). We actually found this restaurant from Fodor's recommendation. It got a star in Fodor's guide book. Reservation is a must. The restaurant is very trendy. The food is exquisite! We are from San Francisco where there are so many good restaurants and I have to say that Bakara food is up there. It's one of the best I have ever tried. The food is Hungarian-fusion. The price is around $30/person for the 3-course meal. It is very reasonable considered how spectacular the food is. In US, these kind of restaurants will definitely costs more than $50-$60/person. Bakara's owner personally came to talk to each table. She's very nice and gave us a lot of suggestions about Budapest's restaurants and where to go. We loved the soups, the main courses and the desserts very much. The restaurant decoration is very trendy, similar to upscale restaurants in San Francisco.

My husband and I go fairly often to Budapest. The qualitly of the restaurants changes often. One time the restaurant might be great, the next visit, they've changed management or chefs. This is very, very common in Budapest.

Anyway, we justt returned this week from Budapest and really liked Muzeum, near the National Gallery. Excellent food, very elegant ambiance, not too expensive. There is also a fabulous Syrian restaurant that we went to- but I can't remeber the name right now.

I would definately avoid Gundel's. It's so overpriced, touristy, the food is mediocre, etc. No self-respecting resident of Budapest would waste his money here!!