42 Restaurant — Restaurant in Esztergomi járás

My boyfriend surprised me for our 7th anniversary with one of the 42 restaurant experiences, which included a stay in one of their rooms, dinner, and breakfast. We were thrilled and had high expectations, but unfortunately, the experience fell short in several ways.

Upon check-in, we found a lovely bouquet of flowers, which my boyfriend had arranged. However, the champagne he had also paid for was missing. We waited an hour, assuming it might be brought to us cold after check-in, but no one came. We had to call and remind them, which was disappointing.

Later, as we were getting ready for dinner, my boyfriend requested an iron. They initially said they would send one shortly but called back to inform us that 1 week ago a previous guest had taken the iron home and they hadn’t replaced it yet. This left my boyfriend unable to iron his shirt. Thankfully, he had packed another option that worked, but this oversight was another letdown.

We looked forward to dinner, hoping it would make up for these earlier issues. I chose the classic menu and since my boyfriend doesn’t enjoy fish and the menu was heavily fish-based, they suggested the vegetarian menu for him. When booking, my boyfriend had provided a detailed list of my allergies (I have quite a few) and specifically requested no eggplants in his dishes.

Two of my boyfriend’s plates contained eggplant, and one of mine included hazelnuts, a major allergen for me. Thankfully, I caught this during the waitress’s explanation and immediately alerted her. While she apologized and adjusted accordingly, it was disappointing that these details were overlooked after we had taken the time to notify them in advance.

The wine pairing was exceptional, and the sommelier was knowledgeable and very friendly, this was undoubtedly the highlight of our dinner. However, while the food was beautifully plated and good, it wasn’t particularly memorable or worthy of the experience we had anticipated.

Breakfast the next morning continued the trend of overlooked details. I was served fresh apple juice, another allergen for me, and no alternative juice was offered. During one course, a Japanese omelette with Wagyu beef, I was served both items (plated separately), while my boyfriend only received the omelette despite the beef being on the waiter’s tray. This left us confused until the waiter returned, explaining that the Wagyu sauce contained nuts and was being remade. However, they had mixed up who had the nut allergy, it was mine, not my boyfriend’s. While they apologized, these recurring allergy mistakes were deeply concerning.

Overall, we found breakfast tastier than dinner, with beautifully plated dishes, but the lack of attention to allergies was unacceptable. For a restaurant of this caliber, these errors should not occur once, let alone multiple times.

Overall, the combination of overlooked allergies, failure to honor my boyfriend’s preference for no eggplant, and food that, while good, wasn’t exceptional, led us to rate this experience 2 stars. One star is solely for the excellent wine pairing and the other for the atmosphere. If not for the allergy issues, we might have rated it 3 stars.

We hope the restaurant takes this feedback seriously, especially regarding allergies, as such oversights can have serious...

We had an absolutely outstanding experience at 42 Restaurant, and yes it was an experience, not just a meal.

Each element of the experience was executed flawlessly. The menu followed the story of international travel, and then returning home to one’s roots. Highlights for me were the curry with lobster (the curry was rich and warm but had brightness as well), the char (I could drink that sauce), and the pigeon (perfectly complimented with the excellent Bikaver wine pairing). The staff was a highlight, they exhibited exceptional polish while still being able to create a warm atmosphere to the point that we were able to joke around and have some laughs with them. Nicky was a standout, the next morning she even helped us work on our latte art at the bistro downstairs! The space and all the little touches were also very beautiful. Only recently they stopped serving their tasting menu downstairs. That area is now exclusively a bistro. Now the tasting menu is served one floor up in a dedicated space. It was small but intimate with a beautiful chandelier in the middle. The little touches like the exquisite glassware and silverware also contributed to the overall vibe.

The cherry on top was getting to meet Sandor (aka Alexander the Guest). We ran in to him on the street in the afternoon (he was sitting on the terrace of his bistro) and we told him we would be dining at his restaurant that night. He said he would come visit us there, and he did! We of course knew him from his YouTube fame so it was cool getting to talk to him about that, wine, and life in general. He was a very nice genuine person and is clearly passionate about what he does on YouTube and with his own restaurant.

All together we had an outstanding evening that won’t be forgotten. Sandor, Nicky, and the rest of the team at 42 Restaurant won us...

Douglas Adams just about sums it up in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy:

“The ultimate answer to Life, The Universe and Everything is…42!”

The moment I stepped into 42 Restaurant, I knew I was in for a voyage!

Chef Adam Barna has managed to bring Hungarian cuisine into the future, and he does so with a humble, yet elegant touch. The food comes in the form of a 9-course tasting menu, using locally sourced ingredients, that is prepared skillfully using both traditional and modern techniques. As a Swede, I love potatoes, so my personal favorite was definitely the potatoes with brown butter. The best dishes to me is when simple ingredients, like potatoes, can be turned into something truly special, and this dish truly did that!

The front of house gave me the best treatment throughout the whole night. I was always met with a smile and any questions I had were always answered with great passion, truly showing me the pride they had in their restaurant! After discussing the wines with sommelier, he even gave me some recommendations for my upcoming day in Budapest.

The wine pairing was super interesting, and showcased some great wines from classic producers in France, as well as many local producers from both Hungary and Slovakia. In my opinion, the wine pairing would be even better if it solely focused on the wines from the region. From a Swedes perspective, it’s a very underrated region for wine, that deserves more recognition!

I feel really bad for not remembering everyone’s names, but I do want to give a huge thank you to everyone in both the kitchen and front of house for making my visit to 42 Restaurant truly memorable, and also the highlight of my 4 day trip to Hungary!

I will absolutely be back again, but until then:

“So long, and Thanks for...