Budapest’s gastronomy has really made great strides since the 90s. There’s a lot more variety now than there used to be. Right now one can come across every type of food in Budapest, from sushi at the trendy and expensive Nobu Budapest to foie gras at the Holdudvar. This writer has eaten lots of dishes in a lot of places, and I say without hesitation that the restaurants of Budapest can stand comparison to those of any major world city I’ve visited. Why?: Budapest is close enough to Turkey to capture the flavors of that region, while still close enough to Russia and Europe to bring those cuisines to bear on Budapest’s cuisine as well.

People have a lot of choices when it comes to Budapest dining, and restaurants in Budapest won’t let you down–provided we pick the right one for you ! Here are a few general ideas. To start with, avoid Vaci Utca if you want to eat! Its restaurants are all tourist traps, maybe with the possible exception of Fatal. In fact, most of Raday Utca ought to be avoided now, except for Claro, . Restaurants on Vaci Utca and Raday Utca pretty much make their money exclusively from unsuspecting foreigners. Which is a shame, since there are much better restaurants, often quite close. Tourists should check out the Araz Bistro on So Utca 6. Somehow this restaurant manages to be a quite nice restaurant, though it’s close to Vaci Utca.

You should also be aware of the language issues that exist between tourists and restaurants. True, most restaurants these days have someone around who’s good enough at English to help you out, but a diner might not be able to catch much of what that person says, because the Hungarian accent is often challenging . Until recently this was a difficulty for tourists, but now there’s a free web service in Budapest, called TableFree.hu, which allows you to make a restaurant reservation directly over the web, without having to go through the hassle of a phone call. In fact, you can try it right now if you like, to plan and book your reservations. Diners might even try the service to search through 100 of Budapest’s top names.

While you’re visiting Budapest, try to bear in mind that Budapest restaurants offer a lot of never-before-seen culinary experiences opportunities. Don’t be afraid to try what you’ve never tasted ! And don’t be put off by a strange name, either. Lots of foods in Hungarian feature strange-sounding titles. Those with somewhat adventurous palates usually often discover wonderful things in Budapest.

budapest restaurant, restaurants budapest, budapest restaurants