Hungarikum Bisztro on Steindl Imre near Parliament cooks the canonical Hungarian classics, with goulash, chicken paprikash and stuffed cabbage in a tiny old-school Budapest room.
Signature dishes: Goulash soup, Chicken paprikash
Must order: The chicken paprikash with house nokedli and cucumber salad.
Tip: Online reservation only; the small room books out for both lunch and dinner.
Address: Steindl Imre utca 13, 1051 Budapest
Kispiac next to the Hold utca market is a six-table Hungarian room cooking veal liver, pork belly and roast duck right by the open kitchen in downtown Budapest.
Signature: Breaded veal liver, Pork belly
Order: The breaded veal liver with mashed potato and cucumber salad.
Tip: Six tables, Mon to Sat noon to 22:00; book at least two days ahead.
Menza on Liszt Ferenc ter is a retro 70s-style Budapest bistro off Andrassy, cooking modern takes on the Hungarian canteen canon at a steady boulevard pace.
Signature: Hortobágyi palacsinta, Goulash
Order: The Hortobagyi palacsinta, savoury crepes stuffed with veal stew under sour cream.
Tip: 11:00 to 23:00 daily, kitchen runs 11:30 to 22:30; the terrace fills first.
Getto Gulyas on Wesselenyi cooks 14 varieties of Hungarian stews alongside Jewish-Hungarian classics in a tiny ghetto-era room in the Jewish Quarter of Budapest.
Signature: Beef goulash, Rooster pörkölt
Order: The rooster pörkölt with nokedli; the Jewish egg paste as a starter.
Tip: Tiny room, no walk-ins after 19:00; reserve a day ahead.
Kispiac next to the Hold utca market is a six-table Hungarian room cooking veal liver, pork belly and roast duck right by the open kitchen in downtown Budapest.
Signature: Breaded veal liver, Pork belly
Order: The breaded veal liver with mashed potato and cucumber salad.
Tip: Six tables, Mon to Sat noon to 22:00; book at least two days ahead.
Ket Szerecsen on Nagymezo's theatre strip is a two-floor Mediterranean-Hungarian bistro and cafe serving from breakfast to midnight in Pest, Budapest.
Signature: Mediterranean breakfast, Mangalica pork
Order: The Mediterranean breakfast plate with avocado and Hungarian sausage.
Tip: Open 08:00 to 24:00 weekdays, 09:00 to 24:00 weekends; the upstairs balcony is the quieter room.
Koleves Vendeglo on Kazinczy in an old kosher meat plant cooks affordable Hungarian and Jewish-Hungarian lunch menus, with a summer garden across the road, Budapest.
Signature: Goulash, Chicken paprikash
Order: The weekday lunch deal: soup, main and dessert in the kosher-meat-plant room.
Tip: Lunch menu Mon to Fri until 16:00; the summer garden across the road is the better seat from May.
Frici Papa on Kiraly utca has poured the cheapest sit-down Hungarian lunch in Budapest since 1997, with shared tables, no menu cards and a daily blackboard.
Signature: Daily lunch menu, Goulash
Order: The daily lunch menu under HUF 3000 with the day's soup and main.
Tip: Cash preferred, no reservations; shared tables and quick turnover, no English menu.
