Restaurants in District II (Budapest)

Nancsi Neni Vendéglöje

Nancsi neni is popular with families with small children, tourists who want to sample home-style Hungarian cooking and couples out for a romantic evening under the stars. Inside, you'll find jars filled with homemade pickles and preserves, gingham tablecloths and rustic furniture. Outside are tables and a playground for the little ones. The menu includes traditional Hungarian dishes and summer seafood. Meat is featured predominantly on the menu. The Budapest Wine Society compiled the wine list.

Remíz Café and Brasserie

Although Remiz means 'tram depot,' the trams glide past silently. In the summer, everyone sits outside and enjoys the aroma of the grilled dishes wafting across the bushes. Enjoy excellent salads and one of the best and healthiest lunch options around. The grilled salmon is divine and the chunks of meat grilled on skewers will delight carnivores. Choice wines from all over Hungary and naughty desserts can also be found on the tantalizing menu.

Auguszt

The Auguszt family make some of the best cakes and pastries in the city and this is one of their outlets. You can either sit in the tiny, cramped café and enjoy a coffee and delicious cake, or take away. The decor recalls a certain turn-of-the-century faded glamour, with old-fashioned mirrors and lamps.There is a variety of cakes and a selection of little savory scones (served by the kilo), as well as specially made cakes for family celebrations and mouth-watering pastries. See the website for further details.

Horgasztanya

The Horgasztanya (Fisherman's Camp) restaurant has been a feature of the Buda bank of the mighty Danube for as long as anyone can remember. It stubbornly refuses to change with the times and continues to make some of the best fish dishes around. A dingy wooden interior is not the Horgasztanya's high spot and should really only be considered if you cannot find a single free table on the narrow terrace which clings to one wall of the building. Guests sit almost in the road, with a flimsy fence keeping the traffic away.The venue is popular with tourists who come across it when promenading along the bank of the river beneath the walls of Buda Castle. The fish soup is still considered to be one of the best in town and is served in a dainty black cauldron. Trout is the best bet amongst the river fish on offer, as Hungarian lake fish tend to be lazy and fatty. Meat eaters can try the beef in a rich Stroganoff sauce but the fish here is really too tasty to miss. Finish off with a wicked Hungarian pudding; Somloi Galuska, a mixture of sponge cake, cream, rum and chocolate. On a hot summer evening this all goes down well with a bottle of rose from Sopron.

Szep Ilona Vendeglo

Szep Ilona ("Beautiful Ilona") lends her name to a green, leafy region on the way up Budakeszi ut leading towards the hills. The name comes from a poem by Vorosmarty and this vendeglo or local bistro is a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike. In the warmer months, everyone passes the charming traditional vendeglo signs at the front and heads for the garden around the back. This is a delightful space, full of foliage. The interior is also welcoming. Tables and chairs are arranged at a discreet distance from each other so you don't have to listen to your neighbour's conversation and can concentrate on the business in question—food. The menu offers just what you would expect from a Hungarian restaurant - meat and plenty of it, nourishing, hearty soups and stews, a range of pickles and breaded and fried dishes for vegetarians, all rounded off with naughty-but-nice puddings. The goulash is divine and you get a half-litre pot of the potent stew for HUF800. Dishes like duck in red wine sauce or fogas—a Hungarian fresh-water fish in Orly style—cost around HUF1000 and some excellent Magyar Chardonnay wines will wash your meal down in style.

Sunny Diner

Sunny Diner is located adjacent to a gas station. Inside, it has an authentic diner atmosphere. As you might expect, the decor is reminiscent to that of a typical All-American diner. There's lots of chrome and the ubiquitous booths with overstuffed (and therefore comfortable) seats. The tables are covered with interesting news articles about real American diners. While these chart the demise of the diner, Sunny Diner is definitely not going the same way: a new branch has already opened. Expect typical diner fare, with a few concessions to modernity. The salads are tasty and come in generous portions with imaginative dressings and giant veggie burgers are also available. Also on the menu are the more traditional burgers, shakes and of course French fries.

Magnaskert Etterem

Situated a little way out of the centre of town in one of the city's posh residential hill areas (Rozsadomb), Magnaskert's reputation for high-quality meals and innovative combinations reaches across the city. The modern, low building does not look too prepossessing and inside, its bare brick walls and peculiar paintings provide a strange first impression, but once you taste the food, you'll be won over. Unusual dishes such as little courgette strudels with basil or duck consommé with goose liver soufflé are good starters. Sample the quail's eggs or try an ice cream and mint mousse. They also offer two set menus of nouvelle cuisine, which can be costly, but you do get eight courses: beef tenderloin in balsamic marinade, French bean soup with tarragon and lamb dumplings, spinach shell pudding with crayfish sauce, medallions of veal with an apricot hat, a sorbet, rabbit mignons in sherry, a white chocolat e pudding and cheese in garlic.

Kacsa Vendeglo

The prices here are significantly above average. Start with pancakes à la Hortobagy (a national park on Hungary's Great Plain). These are filled with minced meat and cream. Sopszka salad is a lighter mix of cucumbers, tomatoes and sheep's cheese from Bulgaria. The beef stroganov and goose liver with fried apple might be tempting, but the real draw is the duck dishes served with asparagus, green pepper sauce or morello cherry. Choose from some very pricey wines to swill it down. The decor is chic and elegant with high ceilings and space for around 45 guests. It is visited by tourists but most often it is filled with wealthy Hungarian couples enjoying a special night out and the live music entertainment.

Hegymegi Etterem

Hidden away in the hilly residential district of Huvosvolgy (Cool Valley), this restaurant is perfect during hot summers, with its huge garden dining area and shaded terrace for drinks. The restaurant has a tiny interior dining area as the emphasis is placed firmly on eating outside. There are red parasols and rustic decor as well as a view of the chestnut and pine trees on the surrounding hills. There is a huge menu stuffed with around a hundred traditional Hungarian as well as international dishes. You can order the same dish in two different styles: cooked the Hungarian way, or if you prefer, in a lighter, more continental style. Good soups and salads are available, followed by grilled meat and fish served in a variety of styles. Quality local wine is also on offer.

Szent Jupat

Szent Jupat must be the patron saint of those who like to gorge themselves on meat after a night out drinking as it is always filled with hiccuping youth and/or startled tourists. A take away facility is available on the street around the corner. The decor in this semi-cellar bar is all brown wood booths, purely functional for chowing down. Each table sits four, although six small ones could squeeze in but probably not out again after a meal here. Szent Jupat is legendary for its gigantic portions of meat. Do not attempt both a starter and a main course unless you haven't eaten in months. The emphasis is on fried meats, breaded and fried mushrooms and there is an enormous mixed grill for two that takes up the whole table. For hours of operation and other details, call ahead or check the website.

Jukebox Diner

Situated on the Buda bank of the Danube with a wonderful view of the Parliament building on the river, the relatively new Jukebox Diner is heavily themed with rock 'n' roll memorabilia. The outside is covered in aluminium-style coating reminiscent of a trailer park caravan or a diner. Inside, it's all lurid neon and loud music. Ceiling fans whirr overhead and a giant Wurlitzer jukebox dominates the scene. The dishes are all given wacky names - one wonders whether Andy Warhol would really have enjoyed a deer steak named after him or whether Jimi Hendrix preferred his namesake cocktail to Jack Daniels.

San Remo

Sanremo is simply wonderful. It has pleasing and relaxing decor, a good location and best of all, some of the tastiest Italian food in all of Hungary. It is owned and operated by three Italians: Aldo the manager, Fabio the chef, and Angelo the pizza baker. Many Italians come here to eat which is always a good sign. Sanremo is located in an underground cellar, complete with arched ceilings. The large space is divided in two: the simple café-bar has wooden tables and a rustic atmosphere while the main dining room has proper tablecloths, wine glasses and so on. The food is uncomplicated, but perfectly prepared while the ingredients are fresh and of the highest quality. The pizza crust is simply perfect and there are some wonderful combinations: the pizza with ruccola, fresh tomatoes and real mozzarella (called Italia) is nothing short of spectacular. The pasta dishes are also well made and delicious. There is a very good selection of Hungarian and Italian wines t o choose from.