A weekend in Budapest

ellenday2002
Apr 7
6 min read

We woke up to glorious sunshine on our first morning in Budapest, illuminating the Danube, which we had a great view of from our hotel room. We wandered around Buda and went for coffee and pastries at Nor/ma Grand (if you go back and read my Spain/Portugal blogs you’ll be reminded that selecting coffee shops was my main role and I’m happy to say that it must have went well as that was also my job on this trip!) . It was a bakery and coffee shop with a beautiful array of pastries and loaves and even with every intention of trying a new pastry, I went straight for my favourite pistachio croissant. It was filled with sweet, nutty pistachio cream and paired perfectly with a flat white.

But as you know on a city break, there’s no time to sit around. We headed over to Fisherman’s bastion, walking through cute, quiet streets full of houses of different, vibrant colours. Think Balamory but the Hungarian version. As we strolled we each decided colour house we would pick. (To the person who lives in the orange one, if you’re reading this, please can I buy your house?) There were beautiful, panoramic views across Budapest from the Bastion and lots of photo opportunities (my favourite…not), with lots of people taking group photos, candid shots or capturing the view of the city. I decided to venture away from the norm and instead try to work the angle so it looked like I was licking the statue (specifically the horses arse). I think I half achieved it (see photo at the end!).

The cathedral, despite not going in, was grand and had vibrant, eye-catching roof tiles, something apparently common in Budapest as we saw a lot of this over the weekend. After a quick venture up to the castle, we walked over to Pest, navigating through the Jewish quarter to get to Karavan- a lively little venue with an array of food and drink stalls. We went for a traditional Hungarian langous, a type of fried bread, with sour cream, bacon, cheese and caramelised red onions. I was glad to have tried it and the first few bites were super tasty (especially as I was pretty starving) but it was a pretty heavy lunch and the mixture of fatty components meant I didn’t feel the best after eating it! If I tried it again I’d probably opt for different toppings that counteracted the fried bread. We soaked up the sun and played a few games of Briscola (a pretty addictive Italian card game- thanks Chiara for introducing it to us!) and then tried another traditional Hungarian food- chimney cake. We had it smeared with Nutella and it was delicious. It was crispy on the outside, the cinnamon sugar provided a satisfying crunch and, let’s be honest, Nutella is always a good idea!

After a quick trip back to the hotel to get ready for the evening, we headed out to the boat tour on the Danube. We got the one at 5:30 (which we arrived to at 5:29 so my heart rate and anxiety were through the roof!) so we could see the sunset, which I would recommend. The castle and parliament buildings as well as the bridges were lit up in vibrant gold which was breathtaking! As the sun had set it turned a bit chillier than when we had left- thank god for the blankets on board!

We had some time to kill before dinner so we checked out a speakeasy called Black Swan. We had to ring the doorbell and we were then welcomed in for a quick drink by the lovely staff. The cocktail list was extravagant- each one characterised by three key flavours and a quirky description. The bartenders were super talented and the flavour combinations were so unique. I went for a PB&J one which was garnished which a torched peanut so you could smell the smokiness paired with the sweetness of the drink. Certainly very different to any other cocktail I’ve tried before but in the best way!

Our first dinner was at Mazel Tov, a restaurant which had been recommended a lot on social media and when I was researching the food scene in Budapest. I was responsible for this one and, luckily for me, I ended up booking for the correct time and date! Mezze and Lebanese style food. We ate so much and every dish was impressive, from the roasted cauliflower sprinkled with sweet pomegranate seeds to soft flatbreads dipped into the classic silky houmous . My personal favourite has to be the tender pulled lamb which was served with creamy polenta. It was smooth, rich and had the umami flavour from the lamb was incredible. And how could I forget about the labneh- honestly just give me a whole bowl of it with a spoon and I’d be happy.

A good sleep was definitely needed after a pretty hectic first day, but the amazing weather, food and overall vibes of this city made me excited to explore more on day two!

The next day started pretty similarly to Friday but this time with brunch at Double Shot Coffee. I went for the Turkish eggs- thick, creamy labneh (even though I’d only eaten it the night before, I was already missing it), perfect poached eggs, fresh mint, crispy, smoky chilli oil with a generous portion of sourdough. This may be my favourite meal of the entire trip and I’ve since re-created it back at home, stealing a bit of Gigi’s crispy chilli oil to drizzle on top!

Then a walk over to Espresso Embassy, which was my one absolute must-visit in terms of coffee shops after seeing such good things. The baristas were lovely and turned coffee into art with the intricate patterns they made with the textured milk. It was definitely the best coffee of the trip and I think it even enters my top five of coffees ever! If you’re a coffee fan, it’s a necessity to visit!

The girls went to the spa whilst I went and visited the Puskas Arena, home of the Hungarian national football team and named after the famous former player- Ferenc Puskas. I spent some time admiring it’s grandeur and wandering around the surrounding green space.

In search of more traditional Hungarian dishes, our last dinner took us to ‘Tati’, where the ingredients come from their own farm and the classic Hungarian dishes we all know and love are celebrated and refined. The ghoulash was a must have for all of us and was a great start, with tender chunks of beef, root veg and a rich, flavoursome broth. Onto mains and sharing half and half of the chicken paprikash and ‘potato stew’. The chicken paprikash, another well-known Hungarian dish, was crispy chicken and noodles served on a creamy, paprika sauce. The noodles weren’t the usual shape of long, thin strips but instead randomly shaped nuggets and were cooked perfectly! The name ‘potato stew’ meant I was unsure what to expect but when the dish arrived it surpassed all my expectations. It was made up of different forms of potatoes, starting with a rich, smooth potato mash spread across the plate, a crispy layered potato across the middle and arancini-like potato croquettes with shredded beef inside that were perfectly crunchy on the outside. It was probably the most indulgent meal of the trip, and up there with one of the best!

What an incredible weekend full of trying amazing food, visiting even more coffee shops and spending time with my best friends- what more could you want?! Budapest was a beautiful city and had a vibrant charm. It’s a city I would definitely recommend and, if you do go, check out some of my favourite places that I’ve listed below! Until next time! :)

Restaurants/bars:

· Karavan

· Mazel Tov

· Tati

· Black Swan

Cafes/Coffee shops

· Nor/ma Grand

· Double Shot Coffee

· Espresso Embassy

· Kern Collective Coffee

· Freyja- The Croissant Story

Attractions/Places to visit