Tokaj Wine Bar — Restaurant in Budapest

For want of a better phrase, our brief time in Tokaj Wine Bar was ... an experience. This is a very family-run place with a focus on local clientele and not tourist interlopers like us.

If you order wine from the barrel - which you will once you've converted forints to your local currency and realised it's about $1 a glass - you will be presented with a surprisingly large tumbler, at room temperature (whether white or red), and filled to the brim like a pint. Your options - other than colour - are medium, medium-dry or dry. They're all Hungarian wines to the best of my knowledge - and are served through a machine like those you get in cinemas which dispense Coca Cola.

It was all incredibly confusing and unexpected - but in a good 'this isn't homogenous global culture' way. Personally I couldn't stand mine, but I opted for the dry white which was a mistake. My partner enjoyed here medium-dry white.

And once I'd given up and sheepishly gone back to the bar for a bottled wine (and after a fair bit of confusion about this; somewhat refreshingly the staff will not attempt English in here) I happily gulped down my beverage.

All the while, we were enjoying the clearly local clientele who all knew what they were doing. One patron, for instance, walked to the bar and was just handed an overflowing tumbler of white wine. He necked the whole thing and walked out (I believe he paid, or perhaps has a tab?). It made us very aware this was not a place designed for gringos like us; and all the more happy to have...

WARNING - The place is kind of cool, as it has local vibes, good wine and fair prices. BUT the women who is on the bar/waitress is super rude. Is that rude that is even funny sometimes; I have the impression that for that type of behavior, she must be the owner ... Is a big shame, as the place is cool, but we were even scare to approach to order more things, ask for the toilet, pay with card etc... which is super lame. It was so obvios that she was so annoyed with e-ve-ry thing we asked.. OWNER: What you did to her? :( And in case she is the owner....well.... first and last...

Super lucky I found this place when I was traveling to Budapest! The ambience was lovely, very cozy and classic. To my surprise, it wasn't touristy at all! Full of local people, zero tourist. It was my first time trying Tokaji wine and I loved it!! I ended up buying 3 bottles for me to take home. Great wine at a very affordable price, and very friendly server. Even though he couldn't speak english, he still enthusiastically tried to communicate with me, showing and explaining the tavern's collection. What an experience! I consider it as the highlight of my holiday...