Pita Pest and Pasta Bar features two different kitchens operating in tandem. However, there is a huge contrast between Pita Pest and Pasta Bar, both in themes, flavors, and quality. The interior is very inviting, but we would have concentrated our creativity on the dishes instead.
While a few years ago we were still enviously ogling the characters of American sitcoms eating pasta out of paper boxes, today this is not much of a novelty – it can even be rather depressing when our noodles constantly slide back to the bottom of the box. We have numerous pasta places all over the city, which is no accident – Hungarians love every kind of carbohydrate bomb, from cottage-cheese noodles to arrabbiata penne, because they are quick and easy to make, and can be spiced up with meat and dairy products as well. That is, if the flavors are combined well and the spices fit Hungarian tastes.
As we step into Pasta Bar, we are welcomed by the usual industrial, brick-decorated surfaces, completed with black-red-blue barstools. This is not anything new in downtown Budapest, so we definitely expected the products themselves to have something a little extra. The place is still very new and we usually are more tolerant, but unfortunately, Pasta Bar's dishes were flavorless and uncreative, especially if we look at the price of these paper-box meals.
A basic pasta with sauce (lucullus tomato - quattro formaggi - pesto - aglio olio - satay) is 790 HUF, and like many street-food places, the toppings cost extra. We tasted a tomato-based pasta with beef, capers, olives, and basil (1,730 HUF) and had a more Eastern version with glass noodles: satay sauce, duck meat, and Chinese cabbage (1,530 HUF). We were waiting for a tornado of flavors, but were blown away by nothing.
However, the other side of the place convinced us to spread the news about this binary street-food eatery. We ordered a roast-beef pita and another one nicknamed "hortobágyi". Both were ready rather quickly, but while we were waiting, we admired the interior, which was way more creativeand cool than that of the other side. There are turquoise Moroccan patterns here and there on the tiles, and an old fence turned horizontally gives the counter real atmosphere to – it is simply pleasing to look at.
The pitas are little pockets made on the spot, using their own recipe, and are just thick-skinned enough to hold everything in and still stay kind of light. What we found in these pockets under the salad and cucumber really impressed us. The beef version (990 Ft) included a spicy, slightly oriental-inspired stew, which might sound weird initially, but it surely hit the spot. However, they could drop the "decorative" salad, because it really does not fit the more traditional stew. The hortobágyi (890 HUF) was filled with paprika chicken and pickled cucumberslices, both of which worked surprisingly well together – the whole dish surprised us and finally put a genuine smile on our faces. It was a great idea to put more juicy meat into the pita instead of the usual dried-out version. Plus, they get points for the wide lemonade selection and the artisanal wines.Pasta Bar and Pita PestPasta Bar Facebook, Pita Pest
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Address:
1061 Budapest, Király Street 8.
Opening hours:
Monday-Wednesday, 11:00-00:00; Thursday, 11:00-02:00; Friday-Saturday, 11:00-03:00; Sunday, 11:00-20:00
