Lakomativ Étterem — Restaurant in Budapest

When we arrived we we're welcomed by a very unpleasent waiter with a big frown who was clearly annoyed that we entered the restaurant in the first place. Since he drank beer in the middle of the restaurant and seemed a little tipsy, it's no wonder that he raised his voice when he greeted us and asked (almost yelled) if we have a reservation. Since we did, he told us we can sit at any table we want in the already almost empty restaurant.

We sat down, got our menus and ordered a bottle of white wine (he was for some reason pretty surprised when we told him we want the whole bottle) and 2 bottles of water. The water bottles followed by 2 empty wine glasses and a semi-warm bottle of white wine we previously ordered arrived by a little train, which was a nice touch, and a few minutes later we ordered food. Since the warmish bottle of wine was almost undrinkable and it arrived without an ice bucket, after asking the waiter, he brought us one shaped like the bottle itself but it was filled with ice and there was no room to put the bottle in there for it to cool down so we had to wait for the ice to melt a bit so we can actually use the ice bucket as it was meant to be used. It felt like it was the first time this frustrated middle-aged waiter actually saw someone have a bottle of white wine.

The food was alright, the steak potatoes felt like they came out of the freezer, but the more than large portions made up for the bad potato taste. The horror began when my partner found a piece of hair while finishing her meal and that is when we decided to finish as quickly as possible, without having any desert, and get the hell out of this HOSPITALITY SCANDAL called a "restaurant".

The place had wifi, but the waiter told us beforehand that "we can try, but I don't think it works at all" 🤷🏻‍♂️. There were 4 elderly men playing instruments and walking around the restaurant hall, going from table to table, but since we don't speak hungarian, and they obviously don't speak english, they walked away after figuring out they can't communicate with us. It seemed that they only played a song or two if you have them money, but since nobody out of the 4 tables that were there gave them any (probably all foreigners), there was no music playing in the already very unpleasent restaurant, there was only the sound of their loud staff sitting in the middle of the restaurant hall, drinking beer and watching videos and it seemed like they very having more fun then the 20 guests sitting inside combined.

My partner and I are restaurant owners ourselves and have been working in the hospitality industry for years. Although the concept of this so-called "restaurant" is really good and seems attractive from the outside, all I can say is that this is a disgrace to our line of work and I hope that people won't waste time and money supporting such a scandal of a...

WARNING FOR SOLO FEMALE TRAVELLERS!

I want to share my experience so other solo female travelers can be aware. I visited this restaurant today with high expectations, but I walked out after just five minutes because of the way I was treated.

I had a reservation for 5 PM and arrived on time. The waiter saw me standing there but made no effort to greet me or show me to my seat. I stood awkwardly for several minutes, feeling out of place while other people looked on. There were plenty of empty tables, so eventually, I sat at one just to avoid standing there. The waiter finally approached, told me rudely, “This table is not for you,” and led me to the very back. I didn’t mind the location as it was actually brighter but the tone was unwelcoming.

I had specifically come for their pork knuckle, but he told me they didn’t have it today. When I said I’d go somewhere else instead, he dismissively told me to “just pick something else.” I explained I only came for that dish and decided to leave. That’s when the most shocking part happened, he and another man started laughing, whistling, and making catcalling noises at me as I walked out. It felt degrading and deeply disrespectful, especially in what should be a professional restaurant setting.

I was dressed modestly with pants and a shirt yet treated as if I were an object instead of a paying guest. No woman, whether traveling alone or not, should have to experience this kind of behavior from staff. It was upsetting, and I truly hope the management addresses this, because no one deserves to be made to feel this way.

I walked across to the Asian food court instead, where the staff were kind, the food was great, and I finally...

We made a reservation for 1:00 PM on Sunday at the Locomotive Restaurant in Budapest. We came all the way from Romania especially for this experience, as our little boy is a big train enthusiast.

When we arrived on time, we were refused entry, with an unpleasant attitude from the waiter — the same gentleman we had met before, who has always been rather unfriendly. He greeted us holding a handwritten paper sheet, and simply told us that “there is no reservation”, without even asking for our name or checking anything. We were then asked to leave, with no explanation or sincere apology.

Only after insisting were we told that the only available alternative was a much later time — 6:00 PM, which was not suitable at all, especially since we had travelled from abroad with a young child.

We still don’t know what went wrong with our reservation, but regardless of the reason, the waiter’s attitude was completely inappropriate, especially considering that we were there with a small child. It was a very...