Culture tales from Budapest: the enchanting pearl of the Danube
We just came back from another short and very hot holiday. We were in Budapest for 4 nights, from Saturday to Wednesday, on the magical Margaret island. This time around, we were visiting with our godparents. So here are our culture tales from Budapest.
NOTE: The hotel and restaurants presented below are the ones we visited during this holiday. I am in no way affiliated with or sponsored by them. Me and my family have chosen them based on availability, reviews both on Google and TripAdvisor, and what we have seen on their menu from their website (if they have one).
1. Spicy Fish Budapest and Sakura Ramen: spicy, indeed!
The first of our culture tales from Budapest was in the Spicy Fish Budapest and Sakura Ramen restaurant. After a 6-hour drive, we couldn’t wait to stop somewhere to eat. I have mentioned to my colleagues from work that I was going to Budapest, and the most passionate suggestion I received was this restaurant. So we said we’d give it a try!
Our godparents had a different plan, they flew to Hungary, so me and my husband are the only ones who tested these delicacies. As I am watching this photo of the cold salad we ordered, my mouth is watering. This was the most delicious combo that I have ever tasted. And after such a long and tedious drive, it was the best taste-bud awakener! Silky tofu, very thin slices of carrots, celery, and mushrooms, and a few coriander leaves, all sitting together in a simple aromatic sauce. Absolutely amazing!
Impressive starter; let’s see more!
Then it was time for the main courses: Kung Pao chicken for me and Hot Plate with beef for my husband. The waitress kindly asked me how spicy I wanted it, and I asked for the original amount of spiciness. I don’t regret it, but WOW, that was a punch in the gut! Don’t get me wrong, I get along with spicy dishes, but this one really hit me! It was amazing nonetheless. It was my kind of spiciness: you feel the burn, but you also taste all the other ingredients.
As for my husband’s hot plate with beef, his eyes were shiny! He merely tasted the beef and wowed in amazement. I agreed with him as soon as I tasted the dish. The veggies were stir-fried, still crunchy and juicy. And the beef was chewy and just the perfect protein for the dish.
All in all, this was a great first experience for our culture tales from Budapest!
Spicy Fish Budapest and Sakura Ramen Restaurant has a 4.1 rating on Google out of 704 reviews. We went there following a recommendation, and the starter, the cold salad, has now entered our breakfast routine. Such an amazing find! At the restaurant, we paid 42 euros for our meal (21 euro/person).
I haven’t found a website for their restaurant, but I found their Facebook page if you want to visit: https://www.facebook.com/people/Spicy-fish-budapest-corvin/100028021045336/
2. Day 2 of our culture tales in Budapest: Bangkok Thai restaurant
It was our second day in Budapest, and we were walking around when our godparents told us they had arrived at the airport. So we opted to go to a nearby Thai restaurant, Bangkok Thai.
Me and my husband had satay chicken (appetizer), one Tom Kha soup for the both of us, one green curry with coconut milk and beef, and a portion of fried vegetables with oyster sauce. All the meals came out so fast! The appetizer was warm and absolutely yummy. The chicken was juicy, tender, and very nicely seasoned. But for us, the cherry on top was the quick-pickled cucumbers that came with the chicken. The cucumbers were tangy, crispy, and so good!
Then came the soup, which was creamy goodness. The flavors just burst in this soup. The coconut milk made it creamy, the veggies were crunchy, the chicken was chewy, and the entire dish just made me dance! Also, there were coriander leaves here and there that brought the PAPOW! in the dish. Lastly, we had our main courses: the curry, which was a bit spicy, and the stir-fry vegetables, which were a delight: light and crispy, and the sauce just brought everything together.
The first vegetarian delight
As our godparents are vegetarians, they opted for the vegetarian menu for two people, which includes spring rolls with vegetables, vegetable soup with coconut milk, fried rice noodles with basil, and Massaman curry with tofu and jasmine rice. They were very happy with their choice and delighted with the restaurant we chose.
The Bangkok Thai restaurant has a 4.6 rating on Google out of 1465 reviews. This was an amazing experience, and we are so happy that we tasted the rich meals they create. We left the restaurant with full stomachs and a 87-euro setback (about 21.75 euros/person).
Here is their website (in Hungarian and English) if you want to visit: https://thaietterem.hu/
3. A late-night encounter: Rick’s restaurant
Our godmother surprised us with a boat ride / sight-seeing tour, on the Danube late at night on Saturday. And after that short history lesson, we decided to get something to eat. It was 23:30, and we were starving. We walked a bit and found Rick’s restaurant. It was cozy and warm, and the smell around the restaurant was so inviting!
This was an unforgettable experience! First you choose your protein, then you cook it yourself!
Each plate comes with a very, VERY, hot stone. You have your side of French fries, ketchup, and mustard, and the meat cooks on the stone as you keep cutting it.
We got one chicken breast, one pork tenderloin, and two shrimp portions. It is quite an original and creative idea. We all agreed that this was the most unique experience we had in Budapest. 5-star reviews all around!
Rick’s restaurant has a 4.2 rating on Google out of 795 reviews. I could not find their menu online, but you can check out a few photos on Google and TripAdvisor, maybe ones that were not taken in the middle of the night. I read many reviews, and most people agree that this is a unique experience that deserves a visit. Our meal was a total of 122 euros, 31 euros/person).
4. Taiwan Restaurant: hello, we’re so pleased to meet you!
Another Asian gem discovered in Budapest one evening when we were hungry, Taiwan Restaurant. We were the first people to enter the restaurant as it opened, and we were delighted to take a central booth, beautifully decorated in their style.
As we wanted to try as many foods as possible, we went for: wonton soup, prawn soup, pickled spicy cucumber, boiled and fried pork dumplings, steamed shrimp dumplings as starters and Gung-bao pork, tofu in spicy sauce, and prawns with vegetables.
The starters came in about 10 minutes, all piping hot. Wonton soup and the dumplings are my favorite thing to test in Asian restaurants. The soup was light and delicious, and the dumplings were soft and chewy. They all tasted amazing. My only downside, personally, was that the dumplings were filled with fattier pork meat than I usually prefer. But that did not stop me from munching on them all!
Also, this was yet another spicy surprise for me, as the spicy cucumber made a round of WOAH!‘s around the table. As you can see from the chilly peppers from the image, the cucumber was an explosion of briny, juicy, crunchy hot lava! It’s the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about this restaurant.
Taiwan Restaurant has a 4.5 rating on Google out of 2079 reviews. There are many, many photos on Google that show their great array of starters and mains. And I am sure that if we ever go back in Budapest, we will definitely go there again! The total at our table was about 100 euros (25 euros/person).
Here is their website (in Hungarian and English) if you want to visit: https://taiwanrestaurant.hu/
5. Our hotel (breakfast included) in our culture tales from Budapest: Ensana Grand Margaret Island Hotel
Oh boy how I regret not taking any photos. I have no pictures of the hotel, of the pool, of the good food from breakfast. Nothing. But bear with me as I try to explain in as detailed as possible.
The price is steep for us and we were aware. But the hotel is very impressive. For 110 euros a night we got full pool/thermal water/steam room access and breakfast included. The breakfast buffet included an enormous variety of food. They had various pastries and breads, eggs (boiled, scrambled, fried), veggies, dairy products, different sausages, hams and salamis, fruits and fruit salad, and tea and coffee. At home we are fairly lazy in the mornings, but staying here turned our habits around. We woke up at 7am, got some breakfast, swam for 2-3 hours in the cool pool, and then went about our day.
And although we ate much more than we do at home, we came home weighing a little less. And probably a bit healthier from the daily swimming.
This has been an awesome holiday. We came back home rested, full of energy and just happy we tried all the amazing food. Our culture tales from Budapest may have come to an end, but I really hope we will be back there soon!
Read more of our culture tales from around the world by clicking here or by clicking the “culture tales” tag below. And if you have any suggestions of restaurants to visit in Budapest, please let me know and I will take them into consideration for future holidays!
