eating out | thehub.hu | guide to budapest

Luther utca 1/b [map]
Pest Centre, VIII, Blaha Lujza tér (M2), 5 min
Cuisine > Chinese
Tel. 061 314 1080

Rating: 8.0/10

A few years ago, my friend Akio was transferred here from a smallish city on the coast of Japan. Budapest isn't the easiest place to settle, especially for a fifty-year-old man who can't speak the language, misses home comforts, and doesn't particularly like Hungarian food. He actually takes a pretty dim view of Asian cuisine in the city too, which is why once a month, the whole family pile into the car and drive across to Vienna for a meal.

I think I’ve only ever heard him speak enthusiastically about one restaurant in Hungary and that’s Lan Zhou, a Chinese place off Rákóczi. It’s been around for years, long enough in fact, to give birth to a sister establishment across the water in Buda. While it might not be fancy, it is certainly a cut above any of Budapest's mostly dreadful Kinai büfés.

Lan Zhou always strikes me as extremely laid-back. The grizzled waiters look like nothing would faze them, the kitchen staff spend an awful lot of time sitting around outside the kitchen, and you rarely need a reservation. The menu is extensive and authentic, right down to the sometimes hairy meat selection - gizzard, heart, lungs and ears - which all sound like key ingredients of Pedigree Chum.

At this point, a word of warning might be in order... although it's been translated, the menu can still be puzzling, and certain dishes should be approached with caution. Pork 'stripes' for example are not, as you might expect, strips of pork. Instead, take away the first and last letters of the word, and you'll end up with this.

Once you're over that hurdle, there's plenty to enjoy. Lan Zhou has excellent noodle soups, the dumplings (420 ft) are delicious and there's a huge variety of main courses. When it comes to recommendations it's difficult to know where to start, but the 'Chinese mince with eggplants' (1300 ft), is excellent. Taking friends and putting together your own banquet is advised; the more the merrier.

Lan Zhou stands out then, without seeming to make very much effort. It's unpretentious, the food is consistently good and it really is value for money. Which brings me on to Akio's two favourite things; first, the bill, because it's always much less than he imagines. And, the other thing is the location, because it's in Blaha, not Austria.

Food: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 7.5/10
Value for money: 8.5/10

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

No matter how long you're in Budapest for, there are a few places we think you should really check out. So we've created: