The question "where to eat" recently changed its meaning for vegans in Budapest - it no longer asks if there are any restaurants at all that operate without using ingredients from animal origins, but ponders on which of the many places they should try next. A new representative of this gastronomic philosophy opened a few minutes away from Blaha Lujza Square, which is good because even meat lovers did not have many options for where to eat there beyond McDonald's or Burger King. We checked out Peas & Love.
More and more people decide to open vegan restaurants in Budapest, so now we can eat "animal-free" food on every other corner. Blaha Lujza Square and its surroundings were an exception until the opening of Peas & Love. We are thankful to Rebeca, a Romanian-born world traveler, who decided to open a nice, cozy restaurant at such a busy city hub.
Apart from the peas in its name, this restaurant next to Uránia Cinema is not ostentatiously vegan. Actually, the word "vegan" is not even written anywhere; only a dog bowl in front of the entrance reveals the management's love for animals. It became a place that even carnivores visit with pleasure, and here they maybe even realize that eating plant-based foods is indeed possible. When we were there, our meat-eating companions looked at us with surprised gazes, which is not surprising: lots of people still cannot process that we can get full and content without eating meat.
The ever-changing menu (on a board behind the counter) offers international flavors in the form of soups, pastas, salads, rice dishes, sweets, and sandwiches. Obviously, everything is natural, additive-free, and made from seasonal ingredients. All this is not really surprising, as every place aside from American fast-food restaurants strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
We were a bit shocked when we discovered some options labeled with sausage cream, cheese, and cold cuts behind the counter, but later we were told that they were absolutely veganversions made from grains and other plant-based ingredients.
We took part in a Spanish-themed all-you-can-eat dinner. They have similar events frequently; last time they held a Greek party. At these events, we learn about vegan variations of different countries' traditional dishes, which can be really inspiring for those who cook at home on a regular basis. The food has an absolutely homemade feel to it, and everything is prepared in advance (but still kept fresh) in relatively small portions, thus making the place more lunch-compatible. Moreover, they also have a 3-course lunch menu for 1,600 HUF, which can be, say, mushroom cream soup with rice and chili beans and a muffin, or sushi with vegetable rice and a smoothie; the combinations change every day.
Peas & Love (closed)
Address:
1088 Budapest, 3 Vas Street
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