Going to Budapest on the 5th and have been hearing a great deal about it's pub scene outside of Rick Steve's books. Has anyone participated? Recommend any specific places or brews? How about favorite restaurants? I haven't eaten traditional Hungarian food since my grandmother passed away, so the more mom and pop and traditional the better. I don't go to Budapest to eat sushi or Italian :-P I can do that in the states.
Thanks!!!
Can,t speak to the pub scene but for a cheap and easy lunch I always make time for the food upstairs at the market. Yum!
Some years back some out of the box thinking entrepreneurs opened the first RUIN PUB. Now its a pretty healthy trend and something very, very "Budapest". http://ruinpubs.com/ Budapest also has a number of really good wine bars. I enjoy hanging out at Kadarka's before bed time. http://gotohungary.com/winebars
Terry, you are correct about the food in the Market. Despite the fact that the market is a tourist destination it is still very much a Budapest working market and the food stalls are there for the locals and not so much for the tourists. This is real local grub. Nothing fancy but really good and really diverse in the options. But it does get crowded and seating is limited so its best for an early lunch. Try and get there before 11:30.
Right now my favorite Hungarian restaurant in Budapest is Macez Huszar: http://maceszhuszar.hu/eng.html
James is right about the ruin pubs. Budapest's weather is just getting warm, and there are a number of ruin pubs just waiting for you. We took a "free" walking tour of the city to start @ http://www.triptobudapest.hu/ and got our bearings on where everything in the city's located. The ruin pubs are marked on the maps for the free walking tours.
There's also a Budapest pub crawl tour at www.viator.com/budapest-pub-craw We took a pub crawl tour the other day in Prague, and had just a wonderful time. The people on the tour were a crazy bunch and a lot of fun.
After a pub crawl, you'll know where to go, including good authentic local restaurants.
We ate upstairs at the Grand Market and didn't find the food to be that good or that inexpensive. We found a restaurant 150 yards behind the Grand Market (down Csarnok ter) called Borbirosag Etterem that was very nice and a very good value.
worldinbetween much better to stick to the duck liver and the sausage.
