Spoon The Boat — Restaurant in Budapest

Tldr: Avoid this place, don't ruin your evening. Bad service, below average food, stuffy and pretentious.

After reading the reviews, I decided to book a table to enjoy the evening with some friends who were in Budapest for just one night. Service is slow and substandard for the vibe the restaurant is putting off.

No one greeted us upon arriving and after a few minutes I had to wave the waiter over to check our reservation, take our coats and seat us. When reserving I asked for a table with a nice view if possible, and was told they would try to accommodate my request. The restaurant was half empty but we were seated in the middle despite the empty tables by the window. The restaurant itself is stuffy and the decoration is pretentious. A couple of minutes pass and the waiter comes over asking if we were ready to order. When we asked for a few more minutes, he asked if we wanted to order drinks, we asked for some time to look at the menu, and I quote him: "you're not even ready to order drinks now?". At this point we asked to be seated in one of the tables by the window overlooking the Danube, and we were ushered over begrudgingly. We were told food will be served in 10 minutes, and the "kitchen here is quick". Food took 40 minutes to be served. Waiter was rather rude, and we did not feel at all welcome.

We ordered drinks, main courses, and instead of appetizers we ordered the tacos and quesadilla from the "bar snacks" section. The duck tacos were abnormally small; two miniscule tacos were served, each taco the length and width of a thumb, basically bite size. Topped with red cabbage that muted any flavor, these two tacos were extremely overpriced akin to robbery. Similarly, the quesadilla was tiny and wouldn't even suffice as a snack for a child. The main courses were bland, uninspired and overpriced. Portions were small, duck was raw, veal cheek was bland, and the chicken breast was dry. Sides were extremely disappointing and basic. No one came to check how we were enjoying the food.

We decided to end dinner early and head over somewhere else. Hungry and disappointed, we headed to the cloakroom where again, no one was present. When finally someone came over, they handed back our coats and, without asking if we enjoyed anything at all, asked me to leave a review for the place.

Needless to say, my friends' only night in Budapest was ruined, and I will not be recommending this place to anyone for...

An average restaurant with great views that sadly does not make the effort.

First of all, the service is not to the standard at all. The staff seemed impersonal and even rude - when a member of our party asked for others to place their order first, the waiter rather sternly instructed them that it had to be done in a specific clockwise order. Not something you expect from a restaurant of this level. Following that, the waiter rather forcibly pushed a significantly more expensive wine that was described as ‘best in Hungary’, even though we specifically asked for house. Then came the overall slow service and missed items: one of us asked for some olive oil for the bread without balsamic vinegar, that only came after a reminder and still with vinegar.

Overall, the vibe is quite tacky. You are greeted with a humongous portrait of the executive chef on the staircase, a rather tasteless display of ego. On the upstairs terrace you are greeted by a pianist playing tired pop standards on a cheap electric piano, throwing in a ‘happy birthday’ jingle once and again. The views across the river are beautiful, but we didn’t really get the benefit of this, as we were facing the other side.

The food itself was good, but not mind blowing. While there were certainly some highlights like the delicate starter of stuffed squid, other dishes were less memorable. The presentation was hit and miss with some dishes just looking messy. There is a good amount of choice - about a dozen mains, but I wish they just spent more time and effort on a smaller selection.

The bill was pretty high by Budapest standards. We left the equivalent of €250 for 5 people (all having starters and mains and a bottle of wine between all of us). The service charge was included at 14%. Considering there are a lot of excellent, and much better value restaurants in the city, I would suggest you...

My recent visit to Spoon left me with mixed feelings and a sense of disappointment. I had chosen this restaurant to celebrate a special birthday, and I must say that the service and communication during the event left much to be desired.

One of the major letdowns occurred during the booking process. I had ordered a birthday cake as a surprise for the celebration, and despite requesting confirmation, I never received any acknowledgment of my order. I sent an email inquiry regarding the cake, but to my frustration, I received no response from the restaurant.

Upon arrival at the restaurant, I decided to inquire about the cake once more. The manager assured us that a dessert would be provided as a courtesy, which was appreciated. However, the promised dessert never arrived at our table, even after we reminded the staff. This lack of follow-through on their part was a source of considerable disappointment and frustration.

To add to the confusion, when we asked for the bill, we noticed that one of the desserts had not been charged. While it was a pleasant surprise to not have it on the bill, the absence of communication regarding this deduction and the long wait for the courtesy dessert only further compounded our frustration.

Despite these issues, I must note that the food was quite good, and the ambiance of the restaurant was pleasant. However, the lack of communication, unfulfilled promises, and the subsequent wait for the courtesy dessert significantly marred what should have been a joyful birthday celebration.

In conclusion, my experience at Spoon was disappointing, primarily due to the restaurant's communication and follow-through failures. For a special occasion, such as a birthday celebration, it's essential that a restaurant's service and commitment to customer satisfaction are top-notch, and in this case, that standard...