Klauzál Café & Restaurant — Restaurant in Budapest

I regret to say that our experience at Klauzál Café & Restaurant was profoundly disappointing and brought my fiancé to tears. We had high expectations, having heard so many positive recommendations about this place being the go-to for an authentic Hungarian meal. Sadly, the reality was far from what we anticipated.

Our evening began on a positive note with a charming waitress who helped us choose a meal. We ordered a soup, a bottle of wine, and two main dishes—one featuring their homemade pasta and the other supposed to come with special potatoes. The waitress even double-checked with the kitchen to ensure that the potatoes would be prepared as shown in their review pictures, and we were assured that they would be.

However, our good mood quickly turned sour when we had to wait an hour for our food. When it finally arrived, my dish came with mashed potatoes instead of the special potatoes we were promised. I brought this to the attention of the manager, who we later learned is the owner. Instead of addressing the issue politely, he started arguing, dismissing the waitress as inexperienced and implying that her age (18) was a factor in the mix-up—something entirely irrelevant to the matter at hand.

The manager insisted that mashed potatoes were what I ordered and rudely asked if I wanted to order something else. I calmly requested the potatoes I had originally asked for, only to be told that they were out of them. This confrontation left us both frustrated and upset. We decided to leave and asked for the bill, only to find we were still charged for the incorrect main dishes. After a further 10-minute wait and additional complaints, they reluctantly adjusted our bill.

While the food itself may have potential, the appalling service we received overshadowed everything. It's a shame that such poor customer service can tarnish what could have been an enjoyable dining experience. We left feeling extremely disappointed and upset, and we certainly won't...

The outside and restaurant atmosphere was the only good thing about this establishment. We came for a Saturday night. The service was mediocre. One thing I’m always weary of is when you ask for recommendations and the servers always recommends you the most expensive things on the menu. We were debating about doing a whole bottle of wine but I was on the fence. We felt rushed into the decision so ultimately I had the new server cancel the wine. Ordered beer instead.

We ordered the goulash to start. Never came out. After the first order of goulash, the servers switched out and must have not put in our order. The new server was a little better until he recommended the special. Wow is all I can say. And not a good way. It was a sirloin with duck liver and potatoes. He said a local dish and very good. I don’t pretend I know anything about Hungarian food so I go with it. My fiance got the Chicken Paprikashe. When it came out, it didn’t look that good. But I was open minded because I’ve been to many countries where the food wasn’t attractive but was delicious. Comfort food. This was basically a tiny thin sirloin cooked well done covered in boiled duck liver. It was inedible. Horrible. I ate the small steak the size of a tea cup and the potatoes. Like I figured the chef would figure out a way to cook liver in a more appetizing way. I tried my fiancé’s chicken and it was pretty decent. I would have eaten that hands down. So this brings me to the point why I was turned off by this restaurant. The bill came and they charged me 8500 HUF for the plate of liver… Haha $25 USD. Total rip off. The rest of the menu was max $18 Euro. Which just proves to me they offered me the most expensive things on the menu. Total tourist trap. I should have known when I didn’t see a single Hungarian in the place. SPEND YOUR MONEY AND NIGHT...

Unfortunately, we experienced some serious underhandedness at this restaurant. The server did not provide a physical bill when we requested the check. Instead, they quoted an amount which seemed much higher than what we had ordered (I keep track!). We insisted on a bill, checked it carefully and paid, then they refused to give us our change. We asked for it twice.

Service was already included in the total; additional tipping should be done at the customer’s discretion. When we persisted in asking for our change, the server rudely pressed a few coins into my hand, which of course did not at all come close to what we should have been given. Based on other reviews, it seems they have done this literal short-changing before and have cheated other patrons out of their change.

To add insult to injury, service was slow and brusque despite a nearly empty restaurant. We waited a long time for our food. Prices were surprisingly high, but food quality was only average for the area. Much better value can be had elsewhere.

Absolutely cannot recommend this restaurant at all. Instead, go to Pipa Etterem for similar food with honest service and great...