Central Pest – Local tips (snacks)

Arioso is a coffee-, furniture- and flowershop very close to Deák Ferenc Square. It’s a small, friendly place where you can sit down in the middle of the day for a tea and a hot sandwich, or maybe a salad, and have some peace away from the rush of the street. Besides the street front area, Arioso also has an even mellower garden in the back, open whenever the weather is nice.

They also have furniture and other home decoration elements like candelabras for sale, and if you walk a few meters down the street, you’ll find the Arioso flower shop (which is where the photo was taken) with a wide selection of really elegant potted and vase plants, bouquets and the like.

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Arioso | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Tea HUF 350
VII. Király utca 9 | Central Pest | +3612663555
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 16:00

If you regularly eat or use organic products but forgot to bring them to Budapest- or you just need something healthy after all the meat and potatoes, never fear, the Bio ABC comes to the rescue! Hidden under ugly green scaffolding for ages now (with no apparent progress on the work), this shop has an impressive stock of anything organic you might need- and a few things you didn’t know you needed- like algae?!

Seriously, from cereals to whole wheat and yeast free pastries, from nuts and seeds to tofu and miso, from cold cuts and milk made from soy to vitamins, from organic fruits and vegetables to lactose and gluten free products, it is all here. The Bio ABC also stocks a nice selection of organic cosmetics, essential oils and a vast variety of teas. This is the only place in the city that I have found coconut water, which I love, and which is excellent for rehydration after flying on planes. Some of the staff speak English, but all make an effort to help you find what you’re looking for.

The Bio ABC also has a great fresh juice bar next door that is open from Monday to Friday, 10:00 – 17:00 where you can get any kind of fresh juice, or a combination of juices.

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Bio ABC | Shopping, Snacks
Múzeum körút 19 | Central Pest | +3613173043
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat: 10:00 – 14:00

People come and go, some meet friends, others check the news, some wait for the theatre show in the nearby Vígszínház to start. That’s Café Európa (Európa Kávéház), a good place to stop and recharge yourself after strolling the neighbouring Falk Miksa street (see this article) in the antiques treasure hunt.

It’s a bustling place where you’ll see young and old alike, people picking up the coffee just before work, actors or local politicians during their breaks (Parliament is not far away) or kids being glued to the counter with cake display.

Café Európa is a spacious coffeehouse on two floors with the atmosphere of a traditional Budapest café. They offer a good selection of various Hungarian desserts (try their Európa chestnut cake), you can try some cheese or potato “pogácsa” (something like scones) and if you are there for a light breakfast or lunch they have sandwiches, salads and omelettes.

They have a pastry shop next to the café where you can buy all their goodies to take away and it will cost you about 30% less. No credit cards, though. For more check a short movie (in Hungarian) and see how they make their “sajt torta” (cheese cake).

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Café Európa | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Cake HUF 390.00
Szent István körút 7-9. | Central Pest | +3613122362
Nov – Apr 09:00 – 22:00 daily, May – Oct 09:00 – 23:00 daily

I know, it’s kind of weird to blog about a blog, but sometimes it is silly not to. This is true of www.chew.hu. Chew.hu is devoted to Hungarian food and wine- and it’s in English! This is one of the things that makes it different from other Hungarian-only sites. Chew.hu is definitely not one of those usual boring review blogs about the tired restaurants one finds on the web. Chew.hu really has bite!

Where do I start to tell you what I love about it…For one thing- Chew.hu is dead serious about food and caters to ‘foodies’, among others- but it can also be irreverent- check out some of the comments to the articles. Chew is done with a sense of humor- the articles are focused on food, but not at the expense of fun. Chew.hu is also always up to date- so I can get the latest news about restaurants, as well as about all kinds of food and drink festivals that happen in Budapest regularly.

Chew.hu covers all of Hungary, but there is plenty of Budapest-focused information- and not just about restaurants. There is a great recipe section with an explanation about each dish, featuring some very Hungarian things like tripe stew…that I have never dared to make, but might try now.

If you’re like me and you’re thinking about the FOOD on your next trip, and you want the truth, get your tips from Chew.hu before landing in Budapest.

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Chew.hu | Art & culture, Bars, Relaxing, Snacks, Festivals & events
Clark Adam Ter | Central Pest
24 hours daily

This is one of my very favorite spots in Budapest, and I recommend everyone visit- at least once. This place is about a lot more than just food! Opened in 1897 and renovated in the early 1990s, the architecture is amazing. Zsolnay tiles cover the roof, and there is an airy feeling within because of the huge glass windows reaching to the roof.

Since I am not a fan of crowds, I like to visit in the mornings during the week. But if you want a glimpse of bustling Budapest market life, definitely go on Saturday when you will see Budapestians doing their shopping. The ground floor is all fresh food. Downstairs in the basement I am always surprised by the smell, which combines fish and pickled vegetables….because that’s what they sell down there. And the upper floor has resturants and food kiosks as well as crafts of all kinds.

There is a ton of stuff here for tourists looking for souvenirs, from the classic Hungarian foods and drinks: paprika, salami, tinned goose liver, wines and spirits (pálinka), to white cotton peasant shirts and wooden crafts on the upper floor.

This is a great place to have snack once you’ve exhausted yourself shopping- there’s a selection of all the traditional cheap and cheerful Hungarian foods, and drinks, of course. Enjoy!

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Központi Vásárcsarnok | Shopping, Snacks
Fővám tér | Central Pest
Mon 06:00 – 17:00, Tue – Fri 06:00 – 18:00, Sat 06.00 – 15:00

Momotaro restaurant is a perfect place for a good, quick and cheap meal while discovering the center of the 5th district, although you’ll have to look carefully to actually spot it.

The reason everyone goes there (many locals and tourists alike) is the traditional Japanese noodle dish Ramen. The interior of the place is rather small and simply decorated but comfortable and most of the time fully packed, since the food is really good and of great price. Besides Ramen the food is mostly Chinese.

The service is friendly and fast and you’ll be greeted with free green tea and readiness to answer any silly question you might have. Ramen is great and steamed dumplings are as close to my memories of China as they can get in Budapest. They also have plenty of vegetable dishes. The place is located on the corner of Nádor and Széchenyi streets, near the Hungarian State TV Headquarters.

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Momotaro Ramen | Snacks, Restaurants (Chinese/Japanese) | Ramen HUF 1500
Széchenyi u. 16 | Central Pest | +3612693802
11:00 – 22:00 daily

As the name suggests perfectly, Noir is a chocolate bar. While Hungary is not a chocolate world power like, say, Belgium, Noir certainly does its part in meeting the needs of local chocophiles. It’s got all sorts of chocolates, including hot drinking chocolate, hot drinking chocolate with various spices from chili to cardamom, hot chocolate with or without alchohol, or hot chocolate with or without spices and/or alcohol on ice.

What more need I say? If you have the craving for sweet, sweet (or dark and
bitter) chocolate, this is the place to go. Do reserve a table if you’re planning to visit in the evening, it gets crowded around that time.

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Noir ChocoBar | Bars, Snacks | Hot chocolate from HUF 700
VI. Hegedu utca 6 | Central Pest | +36202228555
Sun – Mon 15:00 – 22:00,Tue – Sat 15:00 – 00:00

The truth is I like chocolate and even more I like marzipan. If you fit the category or you are simply looking for a nice place to rest and have a cup of coffee or to shop for traditional Hungarian desserts the chance is you will like the Szamos Marcipán confectionery.

You can find several Szamos confectioneries and stores in the city but my favourite is the Royal Café on the Great Boulevard (Nagy körút), the one next to the Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal (a beautiful hotel by itself whose spa is very well worth enjoying as well).

Royal Café Szamos is a traditional Hungarian pastry and coffeehouse with cakes, confectioneries, coffee and hot chocolate, breakfast and snacks. The atmosphere tries to bring some of the old monarchy feeling (Sacher hot chocolate and coffee might contribute to that) and their website will tell you more about their story. You can also buy their marzipan sweets and chocolate gifts either in the cafe or in another store just a few steps further away, on the other side of the hotel entrance.

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Royal Café Szamos | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Cake HUF 350.00
Erzsébet krt. 43-49 | Central Pest | +3614137968
10:00 – 20:00 daily

Handmade quality chocolate, all forms and tastes that a real connoisseur can dream of. Pralines and table chocolates are just the top of the iceberg. Personally I am a big fan of (dark) chocolates, I don’t even want to hide my enthusiasm.

The shop is really small where the design and the lights create a calm atmosphere that accentuates the bitter-clean smell of chocolate and cocoa beans. I’m still in the phase of tasting various pralines, certainly I can recommend all of the flavours but I wouldn’t miss the lemon-oil caramel bonbon at no cost. The sweets are wrapped in stylish wrappers or put in design-boxes.

Chocolate can also be used as raw material to create artworks: chocolate sculptures, boxes or “rusty tools” show the skills of the craftsmen and -women. Eating these beautiful pieces of art would be blasphemy! Well, hard times sometimes bring the heretic out of the chocolate believer.

The street where the shop is located is currently undergoing a major transformation, it is about to turn into a pedestrian street by 2010. Until then be prepared for a huge ditch in the middle of the street leaving only a narrow stripe of the sidewalk on each side. You’ve got to watch out not to walk past the shop, look for the chocolate brown shop front.

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Rózsavölgyi Chocolate | Shopping, Snacks | Box of bonbons HUF 3250
Királyi Pál utca 6 | Central Pest | +36305044294
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 11:30 & 12:00 – 18:30, Sat 10:00 – 11:30 & 12:00 – 15:00

This is where you can find everybody who lives in the area. At 12:00 the families are having lunch, at 02:00 in the morning people are gathering there to eat because this helps a lot when you are tipsy, as we know, and who are always there: the Turkish family who runs the restaurant.

Exchange students from Middle Eastern countries also often choose  this place because here they can find the tastes of home with a bit of continental twist in it.

The prices are rapidly changing as this is one of the most popular semi fast-food type restaurants in the area. Try the sweets for sure because they are really good, but be aware that it is really-really sweet, and if you ask for Turkish tea then you will get a small cup of strong tea with two pieces of sugar which is also a good choice especially if you are afraid of falling asleep.

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Szeraj | Snacks | Döner HUF 1600
Szent István körút 13 | Central Pest
09:00 – 04:00 daily