Szeged and Budapest?

[sangerinde]

Hi Chowhounds,

Thanks for those of you on earlier posts that wrote about Budapest...it's been interesting sorting through and I look forward to digging a little more into the suggestions & links to chew.hu, for example.

I'll be spending about 3 days in Szeged and 1 in Budapest, so I'd love to hear if anyone has recommendations and wisdom about the former, or updates from the latter?

We're a couple of budget-conscious musicians travelling, so keeping the bill under about 25€ per person is a priority. It would be nice to have at least one truly Hungarian meal, but other standout recommendations are also welcome.

thanks!

[MurphyLikesToEatToo]

I haven't been to Szeged, but in Budapest I do know.

You have to go to a staple restaurant on the Pest side (Buda = the hilly side and Pest is the flat side). Fatal Etterem (restaurant) is just off of Vaci utca (which is an amazing pedestrian walk that starts from the Freedom bridge down to the Elizabeth bridge. The food is cheap, huge (probably a plate is enough for two people), you have to have to have to try their schnitzel...it is simply amazing! It is also about a foot and a half in diameter....I'm not kidding. Their goulash is delicious, paprikash is devine....you really can't go wrong there. I would say most of their dishes are very shareable..I really don't understand why they give such generous portions, but it is worth sharing.

Here's the address, hope you make it there.

Vaci utca 67., Budapest 1056, Hungary

Have fun!

[sangerinde]

Thanks Murphy!

I just got a tip from a friend that for some odd reason foie gras is cheap & good in Budapest. Since those are two of my favorite words in any language, I'd love to know where to go for that, too... :-)

[MurphyLikesToEatToo]

I'm not sure where to go for that....I would suggest going to the Market Hall (by the Freedom bridge), it's a huge food market place...you can grab a fresh loaf of bread and some Foie gras there and enjoy the Market place..it is really nice!

You also have to try Langos.....aw, it is simply tasty! Go to Moskva Ter (on the subway line) and go towards Mamuth Shopping Mall (literally across the street from the subway/streetcar). Go towards the rear side of the shopping mall and you'll notice an open air food market place attached to the end of the shopping mall. Once you see the escalators, go up one flight and head to the very end of the strip and you'll see the Langos stand on the right side....best in the city! Must try!

[farago]

There's a pretty good cukraszda (pastry cafe/shop; cukor is the word for sugar) on the main square of Szeged as I recall...that's the depth of my knowledge there.

As to Budapest updates, there are many (sadly, mostly recession-based closings), and I frankly disagree pretty strongly with the comments posted thus far to this thread: Fatal is a serious tourist trap; if you are spending only one day in Budapest, avoid it like the plague unless you are a big fan of theme-park ersatz travel experiences.

Instead, consider Trofea Grill (an all you can eat Hungarian Buffet, one branch near the Margaret Bridge, one not far from the West End Mall), or for a serious foody but low key and not very pricey dinner, Csalogany 26 (one of several places in Budapest that have discovered sous vide). A new spot, very reasonable and overseen by arguably Budapest's best chef Viktor Segal, is the Stand Bisztro on Sas utca.

For wine by the glass in an upbeat setting, Klassz.

For foie gras, you can get neither decent foie gras (except raw, and whole) nor decent bread in the Central Market. If you're looking for a large hunk of cooked foie gras to eat al fresco, there's a chicken butcher on Semmelweiss utca, not far from Gerloczy utca, and they do killer foie gras (though you should add salt and thinly sliced onion) but you have to buy at least a lobe packed in goose fat. Good bread is a bit of a challenge, but on Gerloczy utca there is a cheese shop that sells excellent baguettes.

For foie gras in a restaurant, Cafe Bouchon's pate is marvelous, as is the very expensive spread at the Gresham Kavehaz. If I had only one night in Budapest generally, I'd opt for Cafe Bouchon. Period. And if I liked foie gras pate I'd make sure to have that as a starter. If you like it cooked and warm, I'd consult with the maitre d' about what he recommends as a preparation.

For more sources, http://chew.hu and http://everythingbudapest.eu/Budapest...

For foie gras