Cheap eats in Budapest

Cheap eats in Budapest

On the picture above is the Central Market Hall where you’ll find food (more expensive than in tiny restaurant) but also a lot of souvenirs to bring back with you : dried paprika, alcohol, handmade jewelry…etc!

This post is a list of what we ate in Budapest, everything is pretty cheap and almost everything very delicious!

Street food

Those things are puffed pastries we bought at the City Park, in front of the museum. One is savory, stuffed with sour cream and cheese and the other one is hazelnut flavored. It’s warm and cozy. About 2€ for 2 pieces.

This wonderful pastry is called a Rétes. It’s a strudel, this one is sour cherry flavored, crazy good. The filling is thick, gooey and addictive. They have it in all flavors you could think of. (less than 1€/piece)

Kürtőskalács are found pretty much everywhere in Budapest. It’s grilled on charcoal with a specific chimney cake accessory, hence the hole in the middle. This one was hazelnut and sugar but you can find a lot of varieties : coconut, cinnamon, sugar, chocolate…Etc. (2 to 3€ depending on where you buy it).

Kolbasz is the hungarian word for sausage. And they have a lot of sausages. This one tasted quite like a mix of salami and chorizo, not that bad but very greasy as you can see from the picture. (around 5€)

Töltött csirken is another interesting dish. It’s basically stuffed chicken. The stuffing is made with onions, bread and other things. Quite heavy but tasty. (Around 4€)

Definitely not hungarian but I wanted to share this Wok Bar because it is delicious (vegan friendly) and you eat very well for 7€ or less. It’s in Buda.

Best doner kebab I’ve had in my entire life. Lots of fresh vegetables (including cabbage), a delicious spicy sauce and chicken meat for 2€ each. It’s a small sandwich so you might order two but for the price… Still cheap. It is located in Dobo utca, I can’t remember the name but the restaurant is red, spacious with a 1st floor dining area and kid friendly (high chairs and changing tables!!).

This fat and plump looking fried dough is called Langos. Traditionally served with sour cream and cheese but as for other street food, lots of variations exist. 2€ each. Not bad but heavy, I’m thankful we just ordered one and ate it together.

Restaurant food

As you can tell from the 5 next pictures, the 5 dishes have been eaten in the same restaurant for 3€ soup+main+dessert. Menu changes everyday, if you’re interested check their website.

A creamy soup with vegetables, porc dumplings and rice. SO GOOD. Hungarians really know how to make a good soup.

This one is like a very tasty stock with vegetables, noodles and diced bacon. Absolutely perfect to warm up.

Cabbage stew with tomato sauce, sweet and sour with a big serving of meat loaf. It is a little bit too salty and I couldn’t finish the cabbage because there was a lot of it but I really enjoyed it.

What you typically find in local restaurant for lunch : fried chicken, rice and peas. Simple and good.

This is a rice pudding covered with powdered sugar and a VERY sweet strawberry sauce. The pudding is actually delicious but the sauce was too sweet for me.

Bab gulasz, goulash with beans and sausages. Not bad. (2 to 3€)

Two things here : stuffed cabbage. Oh my word, I love that. They eat a lot of cabbage in Hungary and I was the happiest. I love it. And then fried cheese ? YES.

For sweeter delights, please stay tuned. I’m working on a post about the cutest cake shop where I ate a cake so good I almost died (ok not really). If you have questions, please comment!

Have a nice day!