Highly influenced by the culture from the neighbouring countries, Hungarian gastronomy is mainly known for the intensity of the dishes and spicy flavours. From meat (chicken, pork, beef, goose), vegetables (potatoes, celery, beans, peas, cabbage) and paprika as main ingredients, we can find a wide variety of typical dishes you should know and some of the restaurants where you can try them.

TYPICAL DISHES

Gulash: Spiced soup with beef cattle tacos, potatoes and, sometimes, dumplings. This is, no doubt, one of the most famous dishes in the Hungarian gastronomy.

Dobostorta: Hungarian cake invented by local baker Jozsef C. Dobos, in 1884. It is made of five fluffy layers collated by chocolate cream with a caramel topping.

Újházi tyúkhúsleves: One of the most popular soups from traditional cuisine in Budapest. It is made of pasta, carrot, chicken and peas or mushrooms.

Mákos rétes: A typical cake, very typical and popular among estrudel (it can be made of cottage cheese, cherry, sour cherry or apple). This is the star cake at the bakeries in Budapest.

Pörkölt: Cooked meat with onion, chilli and tomato, sometimes it is considered a variant of gulash.

Dumplings: Balls of flour, potatoes and bread, filled with meat or fish and completed with the “cispetke”, a pastry made of flour and egg to accompany the soup and the meat.

Paprikas csirke: Main course made of fried chicken with onion sauce and paprika pepper with a little bit of tomato and bathed with a creamy herb sauce right before it’s served.

Borjúkotlett magyaróvári módra: Veal cutlet marinated with tomato sauce and herbs that is put in the oven among a layer of mushrooms and cheese.

Halaszle: Fish soup highly spiced up with Hungarian paprika, very spicy pepper.

RESTAURANTS

Menza: One of the most fashionable restaurants in Budapest. Decoration from the ‘70s, young public and a menu that mixes classic and vanguard food, at an affordable price.

RemizRemiz: This place is known for serving huge portions of Hungarian food. The place is frequented by both, locals and tourists, and has a big dinning room and a terrace outside, great if you want to have a long meal you're your family on a Sunday or to have a business lunch.

Kőleves: Located at the centre of the Jewish neighbourhood in Budapest, here you can find affordable prices anytime on the day. Monday to Friday there are two menus, one with meat and one for veggies. You should also try one of the desserts.

Vadarspark Étterem: a modern restaurant, with a terrace and a folk band entertaining the diners. Here you can also enjoy a typical Hungarian folk dance show while eating some of the most typical dishes in the city.

Gundel: Legendary restaurant in Budapest that is open since the 19th century, serving great food following traditional Hungarian recipes. The dress code is formal, men should wear a nice coat.

Image from Sarah Stierch

Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!

By Ferran Imedio from Gastronomistas

And in case your appetite was not satiated with our last post The trendiest restaurants in the city I, we suggest you some more places that are equally trendy even though are low cost.

CURRY 36

 Its name makes it quite clear what to expect here. Curry is king. But, only applied to sausages of all kinds and chicken. Nothing else. They put it on the sausages, on the chips that go with them, in the ketchup… It’s a simple take away (you can also eat at high tables in the street, sheltered by an awning) but it’s always full of Berliners hooked on its way of preparing the hot dog and its variants, and on its prices that start from €1.20. Open every day from 9 am to 5 pm. If you don’t fancy this idea, right next to it there are similar places offering pizza and Chinese food.

Mehringdamm, 36

MUSTAFA

 Berliners love this little Turkish place. They travel kilometres to get to this street kiosk next to the entrance to Mehringdamm underground station and to try its shawarma. It’s famous for its queues. We went at 11:30 am an it took us 30 minutes, but friends in the city tell us that at busy times you can wait for up to two hours. 

The portions are huuuuuge, tasty and spicy hot (just enough). They have golden brown chicken with vegetables, sauces and spices Prices are between €2.80 and €4.30.
Open week days from 10 am to 2 am, and weekends from 11 am to 5 pm.
Mehringdamm, 34

STREET STALL

And if your budget runs low you can always grab a hot dog for €1.50 at a street stall like the one in the photo. You can see why it’s so cheap, when to sell a sandwich all you need is an umbrella and a hotplate, some sausages, mustard and ketchup. The one you see in the photo was in front of the cathedral, but they sell them for €1.35 in Alexanderplatz. You can’t beat that!

By Ferran Imedio from Gastronomistas

Why not take a trip to Berlín? Have a look at our flights here!

Formentera is known to be pricey. But, while the bill may be steep in some restaurants, it can also be really affordable in others which are well worth the visit. Following is our varied selection after a visit to the island – sea-facing, in the island’s hinterland, in a hotel… Which one would you pick?

Casbah
I stayed at the Casbah, a quaint three-star hotel of small huts scattered about a pine forest just five minutes from Migjorn Beach. The restaurant serves traditional cuisine using cutting-edge techniques. It is inexpensive and there are some outstanding dishes, like the octopus croquettes, served with black-olive mayonnaise, the very tender grilled octopus and fish of the day. The meat dishes are tasty, while soupy lobster rice is one of the standouts. The average price is 40 euros per head, while there is also a tasting menu of six dishes and dessert for 60 euros, without drinks, and 80 with a pairing. They open from March to December.

Caminito
A benchmark on the island for its seniority (36 years) and the quality of its Argentine, American and Australian meat. Hence, this Argentinian venue is a catwalk of stars (Medem, Ramazzotti, Mariscal, Custo, Iniesta, Messi, Buenafuente, Dalma, Guardiola…) yearning for South American and Mediterranean dishes, like the delicate prawn cannelloni and simmered egg with potato, codfish and spring garlic sauce. The indoor swimming pool is an eye-opener, with several dinner tables set around it. Open from May to October. The average price is 50 euros.

Fonda Platé
In Sant Francesc Xavier, an inland village, you will find Fonda Platé, a popular watering hole where you can just as well go for a barrido –an assortment of breakfast, lunch, simple burger-type dinner dishes and salads – or a fregao (cocktails, music…). The terrace with its grapevine pergola is enchanting and the interior gives off a well-worn air reminiscent of the period when the tavern first opened. In the nineteen eighties, the current owners swapped their yacht for this establishment. Average price: 20–25 euros.

Sol Post
As its name suggest, Sol Post, in the Hotel Cala Saona, is one of the most picturesque spots to watch the sun setting. Lunch ushers in traditional Balearic cuisine – take note of the steamed mussels and their rices, like the unbeatable fish and seafood Paella del Senyoret, both reasonably priced. At dinner they serve up more modern, Mediterranean cuisine. Open from May to October, the average price is 30-35 euros for lunch, and 45 euros for dinner (with two tasting menus without drinks for 32 and 58).

Es Jardí des Marès
All in fine taste, sober and elegant, at the Hotel Marès (Sant Francesc Xavier), replete with art exhibits which lead into the restaurant, featuring elaborate, innovative dishes based on quality produce all sourced locally in Formentera. The terrace, once the garden of the neighbouring convent, is the setting for tasting playful, entertaining and modern dishes like colt carpaccio, the revamped country salad, sea bass with wild asparagus and kalamata olives and sweet potato crisps… Average price from 35 to 40 euros, while the tasting menu of five dishes and dessert, without drinks, costs 50.

Es Caló
Another Formentera benchmark. Traditional island cuisine (country salad, fish stew, rices, fried lobster with egg…). The excellent produce is served on several terraces – one of them a chill-out – with marvellous views of the turquoise blue sea and the green La Mola mountain. The lobster is fried with potatoes and green peppers; when the customer has finished ladling the food, the remaining pan oil is used to fry up some eggs. Open from Holy Week to the end of October; average price from 35 to 40 euros.

Sa Sequi
Ideal for enjoying a sunset with views of neighbouring Ibiza. At Sa Sequi, you can have a drink and small, cold or hot dishes in the chill-out, or full dishes on the restaurant terrace. There, the staple is fresh fish at more restrained prices than in the adjacent area of Ses Illetes. Open from May to November. Average price, 50 euros.

Text and photos by Ferran Imedio of Gastronomistas.com

Yet another year has passed and Galician cuisine is still on the ascendancy, having earned recognition in the Michelin Guide, one of the most prestigious and demanding in the world. Twelve restaurants in Galicia have earned that distinction, a tribute to their culinary talent. But, we’re going to focus on three of them, which happen to be in A Coruña. We’ll talk about the rest another time. Some overlook the sea; others, the green countryside. Some are inspired by cutting-edge trends; others, by tradition. All of them however, have a unique flavour – a markedly genuine, Galician flavour.

Alborada
(Paseo marítimo Alcalde Francisco Vázquez, 25. 15002 A Coruña)
Chef: Iván Domínguez

This restaurant is located on the seaside promenade skirting A Coruña, halfway between the Tower of Hercules and the Castle of San Antón. It is done out in modern, elegant fashion, with two dining-rooms overlooking the Atlantic, and a third, more secluded, private one. The decor is a blend of fine woods, cork and ironwork, as befits the luminosity of the spacious interior.

The fare on offer at Alborada is based on local Galician produce, particularly fish and seafood, prepared using current techniques. This is haute cuisine, which was awarded a Michelin star in 2010. The menu always features the day’s fish and seafood, accompanied by tasty vegetables in season. Lobster, crayfish, scallop, sea bass, hake, sole… the star is the sea. There are two menus of the day – the “classical” menu, featuring dishes that chart the restaurant’s evolution, and the “tasting menu” spotlighting the chef’s latest, most surprising creations. To round off the experience, Alborada also offers a wine list with over 600 items.

Árbore da Veira
(San Andrés, 109 bajo. 15003 A Coruña)
Chef: Luis Veira

Árbore da Veira is just a few paces from the water’s edge, so ideally you should let yourself be enveloped in the sea breeze. The ambience is warm, relaxing and spacious. There are few tables, light wood finish and furniture inspired by Nordic design. The tables are sans tablecloths and the crockery is stunning, with unique, handmade pieces. This is a happy world. Their chef, Luis Veira, takes you on an alluring culinary adventure. Drawing on the most innovative techniques, the gastronomic experience is designed for the pleasure of the senses. Veira’s motto is to forge ahead, and to integrate new techniques and produce, particularly if it comes from the sea. The result is an array of splendid, signature-cuisine dishes, albeit grounded in the Galician tradition.

A word of advice: here there is no à la carte, but a dynamic offering of two new and attractive menus of the day – “Raíces” (Roots), which includes 8 snacks, 10 main dishes and 8 desserts, and “Árbore”, made up of 8 snacks, 15 main dishes and 8 desserts. Quite a mouthful! In the end, you’re looking at some 30 culinary creations to be consumed in one session. And, the produce is in season, especially from the sea (6 of the dishes are based on seafood) and estuaries of Galicia – oysters, crayfish, scallop, periwinkles and codfish offal. As an alternative, the chef likes to offer the odd meat dish, with Galician beef and porco celta (Celtic pork ham) being his mainstays. The dishes – or “mouthfuls”, as Luis tends to call them – vary in terms of the market and his inspiration. When it comes to the wine list, Árbore adheres to the same approach – around 250 items which include 30 DOs (designation of origin), both Spanish and international, although Galician wines are dominant. The selection, renewed every three months, is impeccable and designed to combine with the chef’s stunning dishes. There are two matches proposed – in the mouth with 8 wines and on the palate with 12.

A Estación
(Estrada da Estación, 51. 15660 Cambre, A Coruña)
Chefs: Beatriz Sotelo and Xoán Crujeiras

This restaurant lies 15 km from the centre of A Coruña and is striking for its siting, as it occupies the canteen and storeroom of an erstwhile train station. We found the refurbished interior captivating, particularly for its lighting. During the day, the dining-room is bright and lively, with glazed fronting on both sides, as in the old train coaches. By night, the salon turns intimate and elegant, with small points of light evocative of the dinner atmosphere on the Orient Express.

The master-chef tandem base their approach on a combination of technique and creativity, passion and delicacy, sea and mountain. They also share a preference for sourcing local produce, but with a view to the future. The dishes at A Estación point to a harmony of culinary experience, knowledge and recollections. The menu features dishes for snacking and sharing, with starters, fish and meat in season, and tastings that may optionally match wines and are renewed each month. Produce here is always in season, traditional, organic, proximity produce sourced from local cooperatives or small producers.

A Coruña offers a host of incentives to captivate you and one of them is their cuisine. Come and taste the creations of their leading chefs. Check out our flights here.

Text by Turismo A Coruña

Images by Alborada, Árbore da Veira