Borkonyha Winekitchen — Restaurant in Budapest

As someone with a background in fine dining and prior experiences at Michelin-starred restaurants, I was particularly looking forward to dining at Borkonyha . I made a reservation back in March for May 15th at 20:00, hoping to introduce my husband and our friends to their first Michelin-starred meal. The kitchen delivered. The food was outstanding—artfully presented, technically impressive, and thoughtfully composed. The truffle pasta delightful, the mangalica and wagyu mains were perfectly executed, and each dish highlighted quality ingredients and seasonal inspiration. The wine list was another highlight, offering a curated range of Hungarian wines that paired beautifully with our selections. Unfortunately, the service fell far below expectations, and at this level of dining, that disparity cannot be ignored. We arrived on time for our 20:00 reservation, only to be told by the host that it was scheduled for 18:00. I showed the confirmation email, and after double-checking, he confirmed the mistake and apologized. A minor hiccup—but it set the tone. The host took coats from only two of the four of us (oddly) and instead of walking us to our table, pointed vaguely to the back and told us we could sit there. To make matters worse, as we stepped in, one of the servers returning from the patio barreled into my husband without acknowledgment. Once seated, the service continued to underwhelm. While we took a few minutes to settle in and review the menu, the staff appeared disengaged. Basic questions about the menu were met with curt, unhelpful replies that felt more like recitations than guidance. The initial wine service was awkward—when I ordered the '21 Konyari Páva, the server asked who would be tasting it, though I had ordered it myself. Furthermore, my wine glass was clearly unpolished, with water stains and residue. The next round of glasses wasn’t any better—wet and streaked—requiring me to pour water out before wine was served. The team-based service model is usually a positive, but in this case, it lacked coordination. Our early courses were “auctioned off” at the table—servers asking who ordered what rather than placing dishes directly. It felt casual to the point of sloppy, more like a mid-range chain restaurant than a Michelin-starred experience. For instance, when my soup arrived, the server asked who it belonged to, placed the bowl in front of me, and left the carafe at the opposite end of the table. Another server eventually poured it. Thankfully, the service began to improve as one main server (whose name I regretfully didn't catch) took over. He was friendly, attentive, and engaged—elevating the experience in a way that matched the kitchen’s excellence. We appreciated his hospitality, and he remained present through the mains and dessert. Unfortunately, that positive momentum didn’t last. After dessert and a round of after-dinner drinks, no one returned. We sat for over 22 minutes, completely unattended, even as the restaurant had visibly emptied out. We weren’t in a rush—we actually enjoy lingering over long meals—but this was neglect, not a relaxed pace. Eventually, I had to leave the table to find someone and ask for the check. Rather than offer assistance or a friendly close to the meal, the server asked—condescendingly—“Are you in a hurry?” No, we weren't. But we certainly ready to leave. As we prepared to go, one final strange moment occurred: a server brushing past our table elbowed one of our guests in the head. The space around us was clear, and the gesture felt careless at best, intentional at worst. It was an oddly sour note to end the evening on. In summary: The food at Borkonyha is everything you’d hope for—refined, seasonal, and skillfully prepared. But service is just as vital to the dining experience as what’s on the plate, and here, it was disjointed, unpolished, and at times downright dismissive. For a restaurant of this caliber, especially one carrying a Michelin star, hospitality should be a given. Sadly, that wasn’t...

New Year's day 2018 I walked in by myself without a reservation feeling the need to load up some much needed energy after an intense two hours lying around doing nothing in the hot pools of the Gellert spa. On my previous trips to Hungary back in the early 2000s, I had never eaten well and always resented their obsession with paprika added in excessive quantities and with much national pride to every dish. I knew that there are good Hungarian wines and wanted to finally experience good food to go with them. The waiter at the door initially told me that it was fully booked, but then once he realised that I was asking for one person and for right now, was happy to let me have a table. As in many gourmet restaurants, the staff were delighted that I was actually there to enjoy their special dishes and wine rather than to use their gastronomic creations as a secondary backdrop for a social occasion. The waiter and sommelier came to see me every three minutes and wanted to hear every detail of what I thought of their wine recommendations and dishes, which greatly enhanced my experience.

To start, I was offered a furmint based dry wine from the Tojaji region, fairly light bodied with strong notes of smoke, balsa wood, and a slight touch of pomelo and pear.

An amuse-bouche of cucumber, radish and salmon caviar was pleasant but not overly convincing. My first course was a lamb sweetbread with beetroot cream, beetroot cubes and half a beetroot covered with spherified balsamic vinegar "caviar". The sweetbread was cooked to perfection, tender and melting in my mouth. The balsamic vinegar matched the beetroot wonderfully. The dish overall tended to be overpowered by beetroot and could have done with an element of spice or salt to highlight another dimension of the sweetbread, rather than let it sink one-dimensionally into the earthy sweetness of the beetroot. The presentation using only half the plate also made it look a bit lost even though the portion size was more than adequate. Overall a very good dish with some room for improvement.

For my second dish, I was served a Konyari Sessio 2012 Cabernet Franc Merlot blend from the southern Balaton region. This is an exceptionally well balanced wine and it surprised me by evoking fruity notes of Cabernet Sauvignon despite not containing any. Slight subdued tannins, perfectly ripe, a wonderful wine!

My main dish was a wild boar with textures of pumpkin and wild mushrooms. Now we are talking! This dish is exceptional and fully justifies the restaurant's Michelin star. The boar is cooked rare, tender and perfect, with a slight note of smoke. Each piece of boar sits on a thin slice of wild mushroom whose Hungarian name I was not familiar with. Two types of pumpkin were used in this dish: a creamy light-skinned variety to make an unctuous pumpkin cream that blended wonderfully with the delicious wild boar jus on the plate. A few small cubes of still crunchy orange-fleshed pumpkin with a delicate note of smoke added a touch of colour and were the real stars, the little detail that lets a plate of food sing and dance. A perfectly accomplished dish!

For dessert, I was served an off-dry late harvest Furmint Tojaji with strong apricot jam flavours and slight notes of pink grapefruit. I only knew the traditional sickly sweet Tokaji wines and was very happy to taste this crisp fruity modern surprise.

My final course was a sweet dessert on a cheese theme: soft cheese cream, a micro-slice of cheesecake, a dehydrated cottage cheese mousse, blueberries, blueberry mousse and sorbet, shreds of pistachio sponge cake and two pistachio biscuits. I loved the fact that nothing was overpoweringly sweet and hence gave the wine a chance to shine.

Overall, this is a highly recommended restaurant and a wonderful culinary experience. And what's more, not a picogram of...

Kedves Borkonyha

We initially requested to move inside due to harsh lighting from the neighbouring restaurant. We were seated by the entrance — acceptable, though certainly not the most comfortable spot if you had a choice.

Our server was polite and apologetic throughout, but the service was very slow. After ordering sparkling wine and food for my daughter, it took nearly 20 minutes just to receive drinks and bread. During this time, no other staff seemed to notice that we had no drinks, menus still in hand, or no bread on the table — very basic things that should be easily picked up in a restaurant of this level. I ordered a tea for my daughter (who had developed a little cough that day) and had to ask three times over 25 minutes before it finally arrived.

When we requested to see the sommelier, he responded promptly and professionally with a recommendation. However, he never returned to ask if we were happy with the choice, which felt unusual. The food itself was excellent — well executed and delicious — though my request to have everything served on the side for my daughter was overlooked.

Another frustration was the lack of wine service. We had to top up our own glasses three times during the meal, only to be approached moments later with the standard “is everything okay?” check. Small but constant lapses like this made us feel invisible rather than cared for.

Both my wife and I have spent our lives in hospitality, so we understand the challenges. But the failures here were in the simplest of details — the kind that make guests feel either welcomed or ignored. Unfortunately, at this level of establishment, the lack of attentiveness was truly disappointing.

I am Hungarian, my wife is Italian, and we speak English with each other. It would have been so easy to make us feel at home with small gestures and genuine attention. Sadly, that was missing.

The food was a highlight, but the service did not live up to the restaurant’s reputation. I regret that we could not feel part of your vision, dear...