If it’s a bit of history, a great wine list, decent food and unbeatable views of Lake Balaton you’re after, Kisfaludy-ház is the spot for you. Constructed in the 18th century and still rocking the classic thatched roof, this place once served as a kind of winery, where grapes were pressed after harvest. At this…

While the perfectly made and frothy-as-all-hell almond butter latte at Mantra on Veres Pálné utca will always be my first choice to sip during catch-up sessions with my sister-in-law during visits to Budapest, Fekete is a close second. This place is the perfect example of what this city is just so damn good at: converting…

As soon as I saw Belvárosi Disznótoros on Karolyi utca, on a breezy morning stroll through downtown Budapest with my parents this past May, I knew I’d be returning there to eat, that same day. This place, whose name translates literally to “Downtown Pig Feast,” is a kind of double-duty butcher shop and restaurants specializing…

A few weeks back, on a somewhat rainy May morning, my mother, my sister-in-law and I took the drive down from Budapest to the Balaton to figure some things out for my upcoming nuptuals, and (more importantly) remind ourselves why all the logistics are, after all, worth it. On our densely-packed schedule for the day…

Our upcoming nuptials pulled the beau and me this summer to the shores of Balaton Lake in Hungary. We rented a car in Budapest and drove first to Siófok, on the southern side, where we spent an afternoon relaxing poolside at our hotel and getting in the mood for a 10-day vacation ahead. After a…

I’m not quite sure whose birthday we were celebrating back in the August of 2014 at the restaurant terrace of the esteemed Savoy Caste in Ráckeve, Hungary. I remember my niece being there, my brother, his wife, my cousin? But while the memory of faces has long since faded, I remember the mood and food…

At around this time every year I get homesick for Hungary and nostalgic about the dishes I regularly enjoy there. I get to daydreaming about lángos by Lake Balaton, salted goose cracklins (libatepertő) on toast for breakfast, mixed Vecsési pickles on the side of all classic meat-and-paprika dishes, my grandma’s chilled sour cherry soup… And, although I don’t…

Sziget Festival blew my socks off this year. I was very impressed. It seems like this massive, weeklong, multicultural party gets bigger and bigger each year. If you’re a music lover (or, more generally, if you don’t hate a good time) and you haven’t been before, go. Take a train, plane, car to Budapest, then the boat or…

There is a rich tradition of after-hours kebabs in the city of Budapest. Between 3 and 7 a.m. you’ll find pockets of youth huddled around a gyros stand, clutching a steamy meat-filled pita in their palms as if it were the Baby Jesus, putting on pause all chatter about what went on that night –…

Lots of interesting things have happened in Budapest’s food scene as of late. Grandma-style classics and modest street food snacks have been reinvented and made trendy at new restaurants and gastropubs. “Locally sourced, sustainable and organic” is a thing. There’re food trucks, craft beer and foodie hashtags (like #mutimiteszel) to make sharing food finds easy. All that…