Gastronomy Unlike Any Other

Traditional flavours and an exquisite fine dining experience
Visitors can try the traditional cuisine in countless family-friendly diners. Authentic Hungarian dishes like fish soup spiced with paprika (‘halászlé’) or stuffed cabbage with sour cream (‘töltött káposzta’) are served in these places, but such distinctive specialties as the chimney cake (‘kürtoskalács’) are sold on the streets of Budapest too.

Fine dining enthusiasts have a wide range of premium places to choose from as well. Budapest has six Michelin star restaurants (Onyx**, Costes*, Costes Downtown*, Borkonyha*, Babel*, Stand*) that offer outstanding food presented in an artistic and spectacular way, with excellent service. In 2015 and 2016 Hungary has also put its name on the global map of gastronomy by winning the right to host the international Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Young Chef of the Year Competition and the European finals of Bocuse d’Or, respectively.

In addition, the country is home to a wide spectrum of outstanding wines. Hungary is famous for such specialties as the Tokaji Aszú. However, not many people know that the country has 22 wine-growing sub-regions with countless small cellars where visitors can taste the selection of locally produced delicacies and a few wineries where it is even possible to blend their own cuvée wines. These wineries are run by a new generation of wine growers who mix traditional viticulture and modern technology in their production process, which results in excellent quality wines from locations like Lake Balaton, Eger, Tokaj, Szekszárd or Villány for instance.

Festivals, courses and markets with the finest food
The number of various thematic gastronomy festivals is also on the rise. The capital city hosts the Gourmet Festival and the Budapest Wine Festival among many others, but there are numerous events held throughout the whole country, most of them dedicated to specialties such as the Mangalica, a Hungarian breed of pig with a two-hundred-year-old history. The country is full of traditional farmers’ markets as well, where producers sell the goods they usually grow in their own gardens. These places are worth a visit, not only for the great food but also for the cozy and vibrant atmosphere.

The Hungarian capital also offers a lot of opportunities for its visitors to discover how the different Hungarian dishes and drinks are made. Those who travel to Budapest can explore beer, champagne or chocolate factories. There is also a wide variety of cooking courses, where participants can learn how to make candy, macaroon or chimney cake.