Levante Budapest — Restaurant in Budapest

Chosen to celebrate my wife’s special day. Easy access from our Air BnB and to the river for an evening sightseeing cruise. This is a Mediterranean establishment, covering Greek/Turkish/Lebanese cuisine. With some interesting ingredient combinations. We love a good Babba Ganoush so that was the starter of choice here. Quite a bit different than the version we usually enjoy in the states. The eggplant was significantly chunkier (no tahini??) than the whipped smooth style of our experience but with a nice smoky flavor. The dish was also made with grapes, almonds, and macadamia nuts. lovely fresh pita served alongside. We enjoyed it but prefer the style we know and love.

The birthday girl chose to enjoy a couple of items from the Mezze (appetizer) menu for her meal and as it turned out so did I. The lady’s choices were a Greek Salad and the Mini Kebabs. The salad was a unique combo of tomatoes plus onion and cucumber, plus some quite large caper berries (full berry with stem not the usual small, pickled buds) and copious quantities of feta (too much). Ignored the berries and removed some feta. The dressing was light and herbaceous, excellent flavor. The mini kebabs were made with lamb & beef, with the interesting additions of apple, ginger, and cucumber. The texture seemed as if they were pan fried with an uncommon exterior crunch. The dish was very tasty.

My two choices from the Mezze section were Burrata, served with pineapple, passionfruit, and kombucha “dressing”. Chunks of pineapple and passionfruit with a few almonds, laying in a fruity sweet liquid. Served with the pita, this was a much different preparation than I have experienced previously. I found it very tasty. The octopus dish was a single medium sized grilled tentacle, surrounded with a sesame and apricot cream sauce and wedges of grilled apricot. The meat had an outer “crust”, similar to what we found on the exterior of the kebabs. Most likely a cooking technique I’m not familiar with. Needed to ask some questions without a doubt. Not a big drinker but chose to celebrate the day with a unique, non-alcoholic beverage. I wish that I had bothered to note the name of. It consisted of alcohol-free prosecco served in a cordial glass, along side a martini style glass of somewhat bitter mango/passionfruit puree. Didn’t love it. The other choice of a strawberry lemonade was delicious. We surely enjoyed most of the unique...

Spectacular Presentation Not What It Seems - Mezes a Hit - Mains a bit of a Miss.

We stumbled on to Levante as we were intending to go to another restaurant up the road that happened to be closed due to a power failure. Lucky for us, as we found Levante. It was already inviting us from outside, as the warmth of the lights and atmosphere coaxed us in. We were immediately greeted warmly and allowed to choose where we wanted to sit. It was actually the Tojásos Nokedli or the Egg Dumplings on the outside menu which tempted our daughter and the Mezes which looked interesting. Our waiter was excellent in offering suggestions. The Mezes were really interesting and we ordered the Mushroom Souvlaki, Hummus, Roasted Beetroot and Baba Ghanoush. We also ordered the Elderberry Lemonade.

WOW! The mezes, especially the Roasted Beetroot was something extraordinary. It was in a small pestle and it came in a rich roasted capsicum sauce, which was both sweet and silky smooth. It also had some specks of what I think was caramelised pecans. The other outstanding dish was the Baba Ghanoush. A really interesting take on this, no tahini however a rich mediterranean taste, glazed with mint oil and garnished with dried fruit. The Mushroom Souvlaki was not at all a Souvlaki but a tempura, however, it was excellent. It was an Oyster Mushroom and came with an amazing paprika mayo and speckled with truffle dust. Superb!

This got us so excited, we were eagerly awaiting the Tojásos Nokedli (Traditional Hungarian Egg Dumplings) with much anticipation. Yes, we were expecting this to be a variety on the traditional, taking the lead from the Mezes, however, we didn't expect what we received. No, this is not a traditional Tojásos Nokedli and while the presentation was beautiful, the taste, texture and overall result was a real let down. There was one long obelisk stodgey dough thing that tasted like rubber, which we assumed was supposed to be the Nokedli. It was made with quail eggs and had shredded cheese on top which looked nice, but couldn't save the dish. The one saving aspect was the truffle sauce, which was rich and savoury, but had not place in this dish.

Overall though, Levante is a great quiet place, a cool find, to get out of the cold and enjoy and drink and Mezes with friends or family. A tiny bit on the expensive side, but worth...

On St. Stephen’s Day, when nearly every restaurant in Budapest was fully booked, we happened to walk past Levante and decided to take a chance. It turned out to be the best decision of our trip.

From the moment we sat down, the service was flawless. Our waiter was informative, patient, friendly, and genuinely funny — the kind of hospitality that gives a local establishment a truly good name. He guided us through the menu with care, making thoughtful suggestions without ever being pushy. In just a few days in Budapest, we enjoyed wonderful service nearly everywhere, but Levante stood out as truly exceptional — a world apart from the single negative experience we had elsewhere.

And then there was the food. Every dish was a masterpiece — modern, beautifully deconstructed, and absolutely delicious. The tomato consommé soup was nothing short of a revelation: a crystal-clear broth that somehow carried more concentrated tomato flavor than any traditional tomato soup we’ve ever had. Every sip was layered, balanced, and remarkable.

The starters — pistachio hummus, tzatziki, and warm pita bread — were perfectly balanced in flavor and texture, the kind of small plates that make you pause between bites just to appreciate them. And the chicken “Gödöllő style”? An absolute must. The richness of flavor packed into the airy foam alone was almost indescribable, with surprises in every single bite.

Levante was, without question, the most divine dining experience of our time in Budapest. It set the standard for what service and food should be. If you’re seeking true hospitality paired with unforgettable dishes, Levante is where...