HILDA Budapest — Restaurant in Budapest

Headline: Absolutely magnificent chef (5star) but poor front of house service (2star), all set in an exquisitely decorated restaurant.

After a friendly welcome we were seated immediately at a table of our choice (which was super as we had 2 little ones both asleep). The place was not busy, but since we weren't given menus after waiting for 5 mins I decided to take matters into my own hands and I went to get these myself so we could order lunch. We ordered immediately alongside the drinks order, which was a good choice since people came flooding in after (round 1:30pm) filling up the entire place. Whilst waiting we could admire the beautiful interior decor of the place and the fin de siecle atmosphere. We were running out of patience around 2:15pm and enquired to our lunch's whereabouts (at this point we were more upset than pleased with the place especially as we ordered before the sea of people came in). The food was promised to come within 1.5mins and indeed within that time it was in front of us, knocking our socks off both visually and in terms of flavour. The "mangalica pork" was the best we've ever tasted and the duck was good too. At this point we felt it was worth the wait and all was well until not long after the ladies at the table realised this wasn't what they had ordered. They had ordered the roast duck (duck leg) and were served the rose duck breast. This was an issue as my mother couldn't eat the rare duck breast and we didn't want to wait another hour to get the right food for her. (I got to eat this delicacy too!) This mistake and the long wait diminished what would have otherwise been a fantastic lunch. To make things right they offered free desserts on the house (we had to leave unfortunately by this point) or a discount on the bill, which we gladly accepted so all in all we left on a positive note. This gesture meant that we might give this place another chance...

We were in the mood for goulash and initially planned to visit a nearby establishment recommended by a friend. However, it was packed, so we had to find an alternative and stumbled upon this restaurant. The décor was impressive: vibrant, modern, and inviting.

We were greeted by two staff members and, with several tables available, allowed to choose our seating. Upon receiving the menu, we noticed that the prices were listed in euros. Since I preferred to pay in Hungarian Forints (HUF), the server helpfully provided a reverse menu featuring Hungarian descriptions and prices in HUF.

When ordering drinks, I requested tap water, but there was a slight miscommunication. The server insisted on offering sparkling or still water until I clarified that I specifically wanted tap water. Once that was resolved, we placed our order for goulash, which turned out to be delicious and was accompanied by fresh sourdough bread.

The restaurant has lavatories on-site, but there are only two. One for men and one for women, which led to long queues. While not ideal, it was a minor inconvenience in an otherwise enjoyable experience.

One critical observation, however, was regarding the bill. The total came to 9,720 HUF, with an option to pay €27 if using euros. Based on today’s exchange rate from the European Central Bank (1 euro = 408.9 HUF), the bill in euros should have been €23.77. This means paying in euros would have resulted in an overcharge of €3.23, or approximately 13.59%.

Pro Tip: If you’re a tourist from a euro-using country, always opt to pay in the local currency (HUF) rather than euros. Exchange rate discrepancies like this can cost you more than necessary. In this case, I saved €3.23 by choosing...

On of the most amazing, wonderful, delightful & pleasurable Hungarian restaurants. Let me start with the atmosphere; a warm & cozy place where you feel like home, you don’t want to leave your chair as you can enjoy the decoration of the place. Second let me talk about the food, I just arrived in the city from a long road trip and heard amazing recommendations about the food, start ordering appetizers and would really recommend their traditional Hungarian soup and it’s a mixture of homemade and warm feeling that you enjoy every drip of it 🤤, also don’t miss on ordering Duck Liver as it’s cooked in an amazing & balanced way, you should not miss those dishes for your appetizers. As for the main course I would recommend the rabbit dish, don’t wanna spoil the enjoyment of every bit. My first traditional Hungarian meal and would really really recommend it, as I added Hungarian food on my favorite food list. Would like to highlight one important point, the staff are welcoming and helpful, they welcomed us in a warm way and they did went the distance to make sure that our staying was joyful, they kept giving us updates on our meals, asked us about our meals after each course, it’s a normal thing to do but the way they approached and asked about it was very welcoming. My respect and greetings to those who are...