Paulay Ede utca 7 [map]
Pest Centre, VI, Deák tér (M1/2/3), 3 min
Cuisine > International
Rating: 8.5/10
When used together, the words 'travel' and 'restaurant', invoke in me a perverse nostalgia for the Little Chef phenomenon: a series of bog-standard restaurants at the side of British motorways. Now, although not a travel restaurant in that sense - Vista is, in fact, a travel agent - I remained skeptical. My expectations, however, were easily surpassed.
Duck with asparagus wrapped in bacon; pike-perch stuffed with spinach; beef steak, Budapest-style... the food doesn’t disappoint, with enough variation to satisfy both the “I want to try something Hungarian” and the “I’m sick of Hungarian cuisine” camps. A main course can cost under 2000 Ft or over 4000 Ft, while an extensive wine-list also varies from the affordable to the ridiculous. Actually, you can check out the menu yourself, if you have the patience, at VistaCafé's fantastically annoying website.
Face to face, Vista is far more helpful. They seem to have imported an attitude alien to Budapest: the customer comes first. Waiters are polite, friendly and enthusiastic about the food and wine... and they smile! Paper place mats ask politely for your comments, so someone is taking customer service very seriously indeed.
Most importantly, Vista feels nothing like a travel restaurant. The main part is open, airy, with plenty of window-tables and a strange ‘evocative’ tableau above the bar: I leave you to judge. The smoking area is more intimate. Altogether, it's pretty sizeable, making it an ideal choice for large groups or last minute decisions.
Food: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Value for money: 8.5/10
Walk from Deák tér, along Bajcsy-Zsilinszky towards the Basilica, on the opposite side to the park. There's a Vista office on the corner of Paulay Ede utca and the restaurant is further down, on the right.
Viszta, Vissta, Vister, hub choice
Andy Sz.
