As a travel destination, Budapest is known the world over for its breathtaking vistas, its incredible architecture, and its unbeatable nightlife. In addition, however, Central Europe’s most scenic city is also the perfect place to get acquainted with the wonders of Hungarian cuisine.
Bold, flavorful, and often featuring paprika, the ‘national spice,’ Hungarian cuisine is a wonderful mix of comfort foods and refined, mouthwatering, delicacies.
Naturally, a full listing of all the Hungarian dishes worth trying would take up the length of a book, not an article. For that reason, these are just a few Hungarian foods that you absolutely must try during your time in Budapest. From internationally famous dishes to delicious treats rarely served outside the country, these foods are sure to spice up your trip to Hungary’s capital!
Chicken Paprikás
Without a doubt, Chicken Paprikás is the most famous Hungarian dish worldwide. But while it may sometimes seem to almost be a cliché, don’t make the mistake of skipping this classic. A robust, saucy chicken stew with onions, paprika, a bit of tomato, and sour cream, paprikás is traditionally served over nokedli, Hungary’s answer to German spätzle dumplings. The combination of tender chicken, flavorful sauce, and fluffy dumplings is a truly mouthwatering one, and one that you should be sure not to miss.
Chicken Paprikás, a classic Hungarian dish, and one of the Hungarian foods you absolutely must try in Budapest! (credit:tastehungary.com)
Lecsó
Do you like Ratatouille? How about salsa? If you said yes to either of these, Lecsó is something you absolutely must try during your stay in Budapest. A delectable stew of freshly-picked tomatoes, peppers, and onions, this dish is the perfect choice for a light break from all of the delish, yet sometimes heavy, traditional Hungarian dishes that you will be trying while in the city.
But if you are in the mood for some meat, there’s no reason to worry, as many versions of lecsó include kolbász (sausage) as well.
Gulyás
Without question, Goulash (Gulyás in Hungarian) is another of Hungary’s most celebrated dishes. While it is often served as a stew elsewhere in the world, traditional Hungarian Gulyás is a soup made with beef, onion, potatoes, other vegetables, spices, and of course, paprika, cooked slowly over a low flame until these flavors all meld into a breathtaking whole. As an added bonus, some Budapest restaurants will serve this soup in a bread bowl!
Charcuterie: Sausages, Salamis, and So Much More!
Another must-taste aspect of Hungarian cuisine would undoubtedly be the world of preserved meats. This category of smoked or cured foods includes the famed winter salami, garlicky smoked kolbász, and decadent, thinly-sliced ribbons of szalonna (Hungarian bacon, traditionally eaten raw, like pancetta, or slowly roasted over a campfire). These meats show off Hungarian cuisine at both its most traditional, and its most delicious, and in fact many of Budapest’s most innovative, creative restaurants feature charcuterie boards of local cured meats that they have prepared in-house.
Quick Hint: if you’re looking to buy some sausages, salami, or szalonna in order to make a delicious Hungarian charcuterie board for yourself, head over to either the Great Market Hall in Pest, the Fehérvári Market in Buda, or to any of Budapest’s other, out-of-this-world markets, and take a look at all the wonderful smoked and cured meats that the city’s butchers have to offer.
Delicacies on display: sausages, salamis, and szalonna (Hungarian bacon), hanging in a market in Budapest (credit:lokal.hu)
And while planning your culinary conquest of the Hungarian capital, make sure to look for lodgings that provide luxury and comfort; in terms of easy-to-reach location and amenities, ESCALA Hotel is an ideal choice.
Conveniently located in the heart of Pest, ESCALA Hotel features 50 luxury serviced apartments ranging in size from studios to penthouses, meaning that its rooms can accommodate families both large and small.
Likewise, the Hungarian capital’s robust public transportation system means that, from ESCALA Hotel’s location at the Corvin Quarter, you can make your way to both incredibly restaurants as well as iconic landmarks such as St. Stephen’s Basilica, Gellert Hill, the Central Market Hall, or the Parliament Building in next to no time at all. From food stands to thermal baths, from ruin pubs to monumental bridges, the beauties of Budapest are all just a quick ride away from ESCALA Residence.
Check out our available apartments and book your premium Budapest accommodation now!
Legendary Cakes and Pastries
As the home of one of Europe’s most famous and long-lived coffeehouse scenes, it is only natural to sample some of the wonderful deserts that Budapest has to offer.
A delicious slice of Dobos cake from the Gerbaud, one of Budapest’s most famous, and opulent, coffeehouses, and one of the many incredible places to try Hungarian desserts (credit:wikimedia.org)
In many ways, Hungarian pastries and cakes combine the very best of Parisian and Viennese confectionary traditions; this can be seen in dishes such as the Krémes, a delicate layering of custard and Chantilly cream between two slices of heavenly puff pastry. Likewise, sitting down in one of Budapest’s famous cafes for a Dobos Torta cake, with delicious layers of chocolate buttercream crowned with a caramel topping, is a rare treat indeed.