After long months of gossiping, TOKIO has officially opened its door in place of Kyoto, injecting new life into Budapest’s Japanese gastronomy. Dishes and cocktails are too good to be true, the soundtrack to your meal has a pleasing attention-grabbing effect, and the ramen is delicious.From Japan to Széchenyi Square, with love. Konichiwa!
Exotic excitementWith more than a little help from a talented bunch of interior designer, the place just teleported to another city, and is now more provocative than minimalist. The soft colors and lights were replaced with bright neons and LEDs, and, to pay homage to kaiju flicks, a gigantic robot leg occupies the restaurant’s middle section.
On account of the impressive variety of cutting edge bars and restaurants in Budapest, expectations towards TOKIO were mile-high, and, luckily for all parties involved, the spot did not fail to meet them – both the interior and the selection are as cool as Dragonball Z cards were at the end of the 1990s.Kyoto-TOKIO: mixed-up lettersKyoto was still in operation when the seeds of TOKIO’s idea were planted and news began to spread all over town. About a month ago, old gave way to new, meaning Kyoto was shut down, and a complete makeover took place. Besides the interior, the selection was also rethought, resulting in a restaurant-bar hybrid offering classic Japanese cuisine sprinkled with a hint of humor (from ramen through tiger prawn tempura to wok- and sushi-compositions, all courtesy of Krisztián Luczy and Maki Stevenson), and Japanese beers, sakes, and curious concoctions such as the Wasabi Cocktail or the TOKIO Mojito.
FYI, the bar is spearheaded and orchestrated by Tom’s Workshop’s very own Tamás Dános. As for prices and discounts, a business lunch menu lightens your wallet by 3000 HUF maximum, moreover, all-you-can-eat Sundays are lurking on the horizon, and all meals are free under a certain age, so you’d better get either a fake ID or a shrinking ray. The Fountain of Youth will also do it.
Back to the original matter: TOKIO’s vibe is a perfect match for Széchenyi Square’s multicultural, modern atmosphere. The mind-twisting interior (designed by Viktor Csap and Eszter Laki, the visually adventurous walls were created by Nikon One and Mega One) is a hypnotizing spectacle, the authentic dishes are addictively delicious, thus, all in all, TOKIO is such a great spot that even Godzilla would have mercy on it.
