As a dietitian, my excitement over all the travel possibilities goes beyond the obvious (seeing the world) and, of course, comes back to FOOD. I can’t wait to learn about different food cultures and nutrition issues from around the globe. I also get to challenge my travel eating skills: Just how good am I at striking that balance between gobbling up all the yummy local, traditional, exotic cuisine that a city may have to offer and making sensible meal choices? Don’t get me wrong. Eating for fun and eating for fuel are not mutually exclusive. But sometimes enjoying a food strictly for the experience of it means making a less nutritious choice than I might normally make. Still, I try to find the balance.
Budapest offers a wide range of traditional cuisine, modern dishes, heavy comfort food and lighter fare...and some delicious Hungarian wines!
Wine & Dine
Lunch & Lattes
At Culinaris (Balassi Bálint u. 7), a gourmet market and eatery, I picked up a protein-rich Cobb salad for later, with smoked salmon, egg, avocado and blue cheese. In the grocery store, I discovered that Budapest is the first place I’ve traveled where I could not make out one word of the written language. Fortunately, a local girl gave me a tip that I could identify the sparkling waters by their blue caps.
Quick Guide
- Foie gras Tigris (Mérleg u. 10)
- Tomato salad 21 Magyar Vendéglő (Fortuna u. 21)
- Traditional spirits Bizstró (Erzsébet krt. 43-49)
- Hungarian bistro Vár: a Speiz (Hess András tér 6)
- Classic opulent cafe Café Gerbeaud (Vörösmarty tér 7-8)
- Print studio & coffee Printa (Rumbach Sebestyén u. 10)
- Third-wave coffee Espresso Embassy (Arany János u. 15)
- Gourmet market Culinaris (Balassi Bálint u. 7)
- Fröccs wine spritzer Café Smúz (Kossuth Lajos tér 18)