Showing posts with label Fast Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fast Food. Show all posts
For any gyros connoisseur, proper preparation of a gyros is nothing short of culinary art, and Budapest is by no means short on options for sampling. But where to? Maybe you've tried your hand at a Star Kebab, asked for extra napkins at Titiz, or even braved one by the metro at Nyugati. But for those gyros enthusiasts with a discerning palate, an eye for ambiance, and no qualms with what's inside, look no further.
Wikinger (Gyros rating: 9.5/10)
Móricz Zsigmord körtér [map]
Buda, XI, (4/6 tram), 1 min
More popular with the Buda crowd, Wikinger, located at the heart of Móricz Zsigmond körtér, offers the most lavish dining options of the three. The inside breathes efficiency, and if you've got your Gyros Ordering Script memorized - Csirke vagy birkahűs? Csirke. Hagyma, csipős? Minden. Give me everything you've got! - you're whisked off to the checkout where you have the option of Soproni on tap: a real rarity when you're eating Turkish.
What's inside? I would label the finished product in the aromatic vain, doused with particularly strong sauces and complemented well with generous portions of lettuce and tomatoes. They're a bit frugal with the "meat", but enjoying your gyros out on their tent-covered patio overlooking the square more than makes up for it. Perhaps not the best option for staving off a hangover, Wikinger is much better suited for an early evening stop and more than worth the trip across the river.
What's inside? I would label the finished product in the aromatic vain, doused with particularly strong sauces and complemented well with generous portions of lettuce and tomatoes. They're a bit frugal with the "meat", but enjoying your gyros out on their tent-covered patio overlooking the square more than makes up for it. Perhaps not the best option for staving off a hangover, Wikinger is much better suited for an early evening stop and more than worth the trip across the river.
Fufu és Fau Gyros Büfé (Gyros rating: 9.5/10)
Tompa u. 2, [map]
Pest, IX, (4/6 tram, Mester utca), 1 min
Though tucked away on Tompa utca, in between the körút and cafe/bar laden Raday utca, the comically large 'GYROS' sign that adorns the facade makes Fufu és Fau's hard to miss. Inside, the owners are inviting and more than willing to strike up a conversation. Space on the ground floor is a bit cramped, so once you've got your gyros, grab some extra napkins and head upstairs to the more spacious seating area. Dim lighting and a view of the church at Bakáts tér make it one of the more romantic gyros hideouts. "Yeah, you've got sauce all over your cheek. Let me get that for you."What's inside? A real carnivore's delight, chock-full of the most tender gyros meat I've come across in the city. The sauce is both lighter and less spicy than commonly found, though perhaps it serves as a better complement to the meat. The whole oily mess is served in the ever-classy gyros cup. For the true gyros lover, Fufu és Fau's is a must.
Szultán Büfé (Gyros rating: 9.0/10)
Boráros tér, [map]
Pest, IX, (4/6 tram, Boráros tér), 0 min
Szultán büfé is one of the more unassuming gyros haunts in Budapest. Located in the underpass beneath the 4/6 tram at Boráros tér, it's a quality option for those looking to dine on the move. The "meat" is "fresh", the owners are friendly, and for the more health conscious, the falafel is vegetarian fast-food bliss. It's also one of the few places in the city where you can still find a falafel for under 500 forint.
What's inside? Szultán Büfé's gyros are packed with greens and drenched in a notably flavorful sauce. The owner never forgets to give the sliced pita tip a little flourish by running it through the flame before handing it over, almost making up for the fact that you'll be eating, dripping and dabbing your face as you walk to other night time destinations. Hop off the 4/6 for a quick bite if you're in the area.
What's inside? Szultán Büfé's gyros are packed with greens and drenched in a notably flavorful sauce. The owner never forgets to give the sliced pita tip a little flourish by running it through the flame before handing it over, almost making up for the fact that you'll be eating, dripping and dabbing your face as you walk to other night time destinations. Hop off the 4/6 for a quick bite if you're in the area.
AZL
It's easy to develop a lazy routine as a foreigner in Hungary. You get to know a few places that you like and you just keep on going back for familiar grub, at a familiar spot in a familiar restaurant. But those who earn an average Hungarian wage aren't hitting up sit-down restaurants every night; their bankroll simply wouldn't allow it. So, every so often, when in Budapest, why not do as the Budapesters do?
Fortunately for me, two brand new canteens - "étkezde" - opened up a couple months ago in my neighborhood. Literally, one just around the corner from the other. The first is the size of a walk-in closet, the second, a two-floor behemoth.
Kis Pozsonyi 
Pannónia utca 2 [map]
Pest, XIII, Jászai Mari tér (T4/6), 1 min
Cuisine > Hungarian, Fast food
Rating: 7.6/10
For weeks I watched a little hole in the wall get transformed into one of these canteen eateries. While the construction was taking place, I fumbled to fathom what might be going in here. Once opened, I was still unsure what Kis Pozsonyi was exactly. The intimacy of the unassuming space was perplexing. Do people eat in this little place? After much internal struggle, I mustered up the courage, and decided to be the intruder on true Hungarian eating culture.
The first couple of times I ate here, I went for soup, sometimes, főzelék, sometimes an additional meat portion. The major selling point: it's cheap. Almost insanely cheap. I grabbed a quick főzelék and a beer, and realized that the more expensive of my two items was the beer, with my check totaling just over 400 forint. That's another selling point, they've got beer—230 for a pohár and 380 for a korsó of Dreher. The rest of the menu is similar fare, Hungarian staple foods all warming in stainless steel trays.
For one thing, at high lunch-traffic time, you can't move in the place. You might have to take a couple of walks around the block before some elbow space frees at one of the maybe ten chairs. Presumably, this is when most of the food gets devoured here, so get there early for the best selection, though they're open 'til 8pm daily.
The people that come here are of all sorts. I've seen cute girls scamper in the door, construction workers just off the job, a flock of French women, and eagerly hungry 30-something males popping in for a quick bite. The fact that it’s family-owned and operated adds to its allure.
It wasn't until after snagging their last leg of duck one day that I came to a stark realization. This must be the little brother to Pozsonyi Kisvendéglő, which I reviewed with much acclaim not long ago. The taste of the duck, along with the red cabbage (accompanied by fries, a simple soup and a beer—a mountain of food for under 1200 forint) was strikingly similar as the restaurant's big brother, which helped me finally put two and two together. Though the smiling chef decal in the window—which the big Pozsonyi shares—should have given it away to me.
Kis Pozsonyi has quickly become my place to go for a quick meal, one that's inexpensive, tasty enough, always reliable, and saves me having to contemplate cooking.
Food: 6.5/10
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Value for money: 9/10
Lecsó
Szent István körút 10 [map]
Pest, XIII, Jászai Mari tér (T4/6), 1 min
Cuisine > Hungarian, Fast food
Rating: 5.1/10
Lecsó (named after the Hungarian stew) feels like walking into a bathroom where they serve Hungarian fast-food, thanks to the fresh tile everywhere. The puzzled-looking women behind the troughs of food are robotic in everything from their insincere "szia" to their green look as they spoon out your food. Maybe it's because Lecsó is the new kid on the block, and boy can you tell it. It's big, two floors, and rarely filled with people, except maybe at lunchtime.
Sure there's plenty to choose from, Hungarian soups, goulash, assorted deep friend meats, even desserts and salads, but the employees don't even seem to know what any of it is. Perhaps most off-putting: people watch you eat. The bored ladies have no trivial small talk or menial tasks to tend to, so they stare, silently. Eat here and you'll know how monkeys in cages feel.
The food is not particularly inspiring either; insipid, in fact. Worse still, it’s insanely expensive. On one of my few trips into the place, they managed to con me out of 1070 forint for a dry piece of breaded chicken and a bowl of unidentifiable főzelék! It could have been white beans, maybe potato, who knows?
Oh and a side of rice is 290 forint! Rice? 290 forint!?! Highway robbery!
The only time it might be acceptable to think about eating in Lecsó is from 8 to 10 in the evening, when the food is half price (and still too expensive at that). At least there's no risk of it losing its flavour!
Food: 5/10
Service: 6.5/10
Atmosphere: 5/10
Value for money: 4/10
Both restaurants are a quick jaunt from Jászai Mari tér. Just walk away from the Danube down the körút and Lecsó is on the left. Kis Pozsonyi is on the left a bit further down, on the corner of Pannónia utca, immediately before Vig Színház.
Letcho, Lecho, Lecso
Jacob P.
Pannónia utca 2 [map]
Pest, XIII, Jászai Mari tér (T4/6), 1 min
Cuisine > Hungarian, Fast food
Rating: 7.6/10
For weeks I watched a little hole in the wall get transformed into one of these canteen eateries. While the construction was taking place, I fumbled to fathom what might be going in here. Once opened, I was still unsure what Kis Pozsonyi was exactly. The intimacy of the unassuming space was perplexing. Do people eat in this little place? After much internal struggle, I mustered up the courage, and decided to be the intruder on true Hungarian eating culture.
The first couple of times I ate here, I went for soup, sometimes, főzelék, sometimes an additional meat portion. The major selling point: it's cheap. Almost insanely cheap. I grabbed a quick főzelék and a beer, and realized that the more expensive of my two items was the beer, with my check totaling just over 400 forint. That's another selling point, they've got beer—230 for a pohár and 380 for a korsó of Dreher. The rest of the menu is similar fare, Hungarian staple foods all warming in stainless steel trays.
For one thing, at high lunch-traffic time, you can't move in the place. You might have to take a couple of walks around the block before some elbow space frees at one of the maybe ten chairs. Presumably, this is when most of the food gets devoured here, so get there early for the best selection, though they're open 'til 8pm daily.
The people that come here are of all sorts. I've seen cute girls scamper in the door, construction workers just off the job, a flock of French women, and eagerly hungry 30-something males popping in for a quick bite. The fact that it’s family-owned and operated adds to its allure.
It wasn't until after snagging their last leg of duck one day that I came to a stark realization. This must be the little brother to Pozsonyi Kisvendéglő, which I reviewed with much acclaim not long ago. The taste of the duck, along with the red cabbage (accompanied by fries, a simple soup and a beer—a mountain of food for under 1200 forint) was strikingly similar as the restaurant's big brother, which helped me finally put two and two together. Though the smiling chef decal in the window—which the big Pozsonyi shares—should have given it away to me.
Kis Pozsonyi has quickly become my place to go for a quick meal, one that's inexpensive, tasty enough, always reliable, and saves me having to contemplate cooking.
Food: 6.5/10
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Value for money: 9/10
LecsóSzent István körút 10 [map]
Pest, XIII, Jászai Mari tér (T4/6), 1 min
Cuisine > Hungarian, Fast food
Rating: 5.1/10
Sure there's plenty to choose from, Hungarian soups, goulash, assorted deep friend meats, even desserts and salads, but the employees don't even seem to know what any of it is. Perhaps most off-putting: people watch you eat. The bored ladies have no trivial small talk or menial tasks to tend to, so they stare, silently. Eat here and you'll know how monkeys in cages feel.
The food is not particularly inspiring either; insipid, in fact. Worse still, it’s insanely expensive. On one of my few trips into the place, they managed to con me out of 1070 forint for a dry piece of breaded chicken and a bowl of unidentifiable főzelék! It could have been white beans, maybe potato, who knows?
Oh and a side of rice is 290 forint! Rice? 290 forint!?! Highway robbery!
The only time it might be acceptable to think about eating in Lecsó is from 8 to 10 in the evening, when the food is half price (and still too expensive at that). At least there's no risk of it losing its flavour!
Food: 5/10
Service: 6.5/10
Atmosphere: 5/10
Value for money: 4/10
Both restaurants are a quick jaunt from Jászai Mari tér. Just walk away from the Danube down the körút and Lecsó is on the left. Kis Pozsonyi is on the left a bit further down, on the corner of Pannónia utca, immediately before Vig Színház.
Letcho, Lecho, Lecso
Jacob P.
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