Seeking historic-themed restaurant with great food and unique atmosphere in Budapest
Posted by vikke63@reddit | budapest | View on Reddit | 17 comments
We are a group of 10 visiting Budapest for a weekend, and we’re looking for a unique dining experience. Specifically, we’re interested in a restaurant with a Soviet Union or old ruins theme, where the atmosphere reflects that history—perhaps a place that serves dishes like meat skewered on a sword and has a lot of beer. lt’s important to us that the food is excellent and authentic, not just a tourist trap.
BeautifulTale6351@reddit
You just described a tourist trap in your question. Hungary was not part of the Soviet Union, this is like asking if you can have authentic restaurants in Poland with a Nazi theme. I am sorry but how misinformed do you have to be?
Go and eat some good food at Rosenstein, visit Central Kavehaz...you know, try to visit Hungary and not some Soviet Disneyland you imagined.
DevsSolInvictvs@reddit
Marxim pub is soviet themed, but I dont know about the food there.
Kobaljov@reddit
Or the Bambi still have some 60s eastern block retro vibe but it is just a cafe
Sonique227@reddit
But they have MELEGSZENYA :D, from the 80's
Kobaljov@reddit
Yes, there is also some food, e.g. for breakfast, scrambled eggs, hot sandwiches, etc.
https://welovebudapest.com/en/article/2021/05/18/gastro-happy-birthday-bambi-cult-cafe-marks-60-years-of-divas-discos-and-dominoes/
Kobaljov@reddit
It won't be ready by the written arrival time and not soviet just retro hungarian, so it's just a matter of interest for other Hungarians: a Kádár (miután Gerendai vette meg) elvileg az év vége felé nyithat újra a régi kockásabroszos stílusban, de modernizált konyhával https://telex.hu/gazdasag/2024/09/25/kadar-etkezde-gerendai-karoly-csuszik-felujitas-engedelyek
Sonique227@reddit
yeah, they have food too, fully authentic - pizza :D
so just the deco is soviet themed
AnarchiaKapitany@reddit
Pizza is decent, the filled flatbread is quite good. I don't think they have much more on the menu.
Be aware that the waiting sometimes is somewhat.... err... unique. I was a regular there in the '90s, and a returning patron since, but the last time I was there was interesting to say the least. It was the waiter's last day, and at 6PM he was shitfaced, to the point that he forgot orders, blasted music, and the whole place was a mess. Now I do think that that was a one-time thing, but be prepared that the waiting times may be a bit longer that you're used to.
DevsSolInvictvs@reddit
The waiter is clearly a part of the soviet theme then.
VszVszVsz@reddit
what you are looking for we don't have because there's no market for it (and its culturally insensitive since we were never part of the soviet union)
budgie4321@reddit
You are looking for a tourist trap.
Though, Sir Lancelot is a recommended one osuch kind.
Environmental_Bass42@reddit
What you're asking is similar to someone asking where they could have an overpriced wild west themed dinner with servers dressed as cowboys... in New York. Instead of pastrami, matzos, pizza, cannoli etc.
If you want "babushka, more vodka!" and red stars and portraits of Lenin on the wall kind of stuff, try Russia, Belarus etc., as we were never in the soviet union so even back in the day we didn't have this kind of stuff. We were a socialist country which meant boring restaurants and canteens with bad food. Nothing spectacular, just greasy, overcooked, boring food. Anyway, those 40 years were the lowest of the low for Hungarian cuisine, where century old traditions and best practices were ignored in favour of quantity. It's better to not revisit that era, believe me.
"Meat skewered on a sword" would probably mean medieval themed restaurants, which are also not authentic, since those times are long gone, recipes are forgotten and eating meat off swords is impractical, so it's all done as a show for tourists, which means you are probably looking at a tourist trap. High prices, mediocre food.
If you really want traditional and good food, just forget the show and go to a place where they serve you food from an era worth revisiting, which is the 19th/early 20th century, when the traditions worth keeping still existed. Try Jewish-Hungarian food (Rosenstein), try some good goulash or mangalica in Stand 25, try the menu in Szaletly. Then try traditional cakes and coffee in cafes like these: https://vince.hu/helyek/legjobb-kavehaz-budapest/ . That's an authentic, uniquely Budapest experience.
loylos@reddit
Meat skewered on a sword and authenticity should not be mentioned in the same sentence, that's generic tourist trap bs. But maybe check out Sir Lancelot, it's a medieval themed restaurant, very touristy but that's closest to what you're describing.
vikke63@reddit (OP)
You’re absolutely right and thank you for the suggestion, Sir Lancelot. However, it seems a bit too touristy for what we’re after. Do you have any other recommendations? We’re also open to authentic old/soviet themed restaurants that offer an authentic experience, perhaps with private cabinets and great food.
donkeyflow@reddit
there is a Soviet Pub which recently became a pizzeria called Marxim near Moszkva tér (Széll Kálmán tér)
Kobaljov@reddit
I don't remember any soviet themed ones. The soviet union was not famous for its gastronomy, it might be interesting for western tourists, but its existence was not so pleasant for the locals (especially around October 23), probably that's why there isn't one. There is a Russian restaurant in the city (e.g. the Arany kaviár/Golden Caviar), but not the swords and beers type.
hkfuckyea@reddit
Themed restaurant. Great food.
You can only pick one.