Pest-Buda Bistro — Restaurant in Budapest

We visited on our first night in Budapest immediately after checking in at the Hilton around the corner. This was extremely convenient and despite some of the negative reviews from some people who don't seem to review much, we decided it was a great local eatery with local foods. Richard was our waiter and he was quite attentive and made excellent suggestions on wine and the dishes we wanted to try. One of our party has celiac and they were very accommodating and helpful in finding the right combination of foods that would everyone. We wanted local wine and local food to get a feel for the new environment. We got that in spades. We had the knuckle, the chicken paprikosh, the stuffed cabbage, and the beef cheek stew. A couple other items I can't remember. Our wine was a local 2020 vintage of Ikon which was recommended by Richard. It was excellent. We scanned it and was a 4.2 on vivino. The stuffed cabbage was gone before I got to try it. The paprikosh excellent. You don't get bold flavors here; you get subtly and certain complexities that are specific to the region. We found them wonderful. The knuckle was also excellent. The right amount of flavor and importantly available gluten free. Which is not always the case. We tried a couple of the desserts. The apple flavors won over the walnut for me, but both disappeared, so... All in all, we were very happy we didn't let a couple bad reviews turn us away from this gem. We were extremely happy with everything and everyone...

WHEN: Wednesday, 8/10/22

Our first dinner in budapest! We were staying in the Hilton in castle district and the tour guide recommended this place. We were very pleasantly surprised because it is so close to our hotel. We arrived at 6:30 and they were nearly empty. The restaurant inside is very big and our service was good. They all speak English and our menus were in English as well.

What we got: Apricot Palinka (2960 HUF / $7.65) - the Palinka is a Hungarian fruit brandy that is VERY strong (usually around 50%). You drink it as a shot Traditional Goulash Soup (2680 HUF / $6.93) - delicious! Nice and thick and paprika-y with small solid chunks of potato. Homemade Duck Liver Pate (4980 HUF / $12.87) - yumm! Came with 3 small pieces of pate and 3 slices of bread. Very liver-y so def only get it if your accustomed or prepared to adventure Crispy Duck Leg (6240 HUF / $16.13) Chicken Paprikash (5160 HUF / $13.34) - a big piece of a leg quarter with a thick orange sauce and some sour cream on top. I loved the sauce and the chicken was moist enough

Overall, I think this is a very safe bet for “traditional” Hungarian food. They absolutely are a touristy spot so the prices are very expensive compared to the rest of budapest. It was a good introduction to Hungarian food but definitely not the best and not local. But if you don’t mind the price then this is a good...

I strongly do not recommend this restaurant. My experience there was extremely disappointing. The portions were tiny, and the main waiter was rude, constantly more focused on making us leave quickly or order more than providing proper service.During our visit, a couple arrived and was told that if they wanted coffee, they couldn’t sit alone because all tables were reserved. This was clearly false, as only three tables were occupied, and it seemed the staff simply made this up to refuse service.After paying the bill, it started raining heavily. We stood under the restaurant’s umbrella, but the main waiter walked around with a look that clearly suggested we should leave immediately. He didn’t approach us himself—instead, he instructed the second waiter to start clearing tables and even said he needed to close the umbrella. Only at the very end did he come over, in an angry tone, telling us to leave so he could close the umbrella. He could have shown some basic human decency, especially in such heavy rain, but chose to act rude and impatient instead.The staff’s behavior was completely unacceptable. The attitude toward customers was dismissive, rude, and unprofessional. This was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. I strongly advise against visiting this place—you will likely leave frustrated...