Grey Goose is found a just a short walk away from Kossuth Square, and seems to be extremely popular among visitors and locals alike - which is surprising, since the place opened less than a year ago, and looks kind of average from the outside. The restaurant's dishes and lunch menu attracts more and more people every day, so we had to find out their secret. Spoiler: the food, the huge portions, and the good vibes.
Although it is located along a really busy street, Grey Goose lacks any kind of tourist-attracting exterior design – it's easy to pass it by without even noticing the place, or to mistake it for a bar. At first we thought that it's only the cheap lunch menu (990 HUF) that attracts tourists. But when a restaurant gets its name from a famous French vodka brand, there must be something else too – and we have to admit that the dishes here and the popular alcoholic beverage are both on the same level as far as quality and taste is concerned.
The interior design isn't jaw-dropping, but it's nice: minimalistic with wooden tables, a small balcony, and a bar where you can ask for nearly every kind of liquid refresher, be it alcoholic or non-alcoholic. The upper level – the so-called VIP gallery – is more tempting; this part is of Grey Goose can be rented, making it ideal for birthday parties or bigger meetings. They can host 120 or 220 people, depending on whether the guests want to sit down or not.
When it comes to guests, the management claims that the place is open for everybody. Because of the good location, there are plenty of tourists every day, but people who work near the restaurant also tend to have lunch here: don't be surprised if you stumble into workers from the American Embassy or Museum of Ethnography during your visit.
Looking at the dishes, we would sum up the menu as "international" – you will surely find something to your liking, and the chef is always considerate of special needs. The aim of the kitchen is to offer huge portions of good food for a reasonable price, so you won't get hungry an hour after lunch.
We tried the vegan risotto with grilled vegetables (2,490 HUF), the Grey Goose burger with tomato, bacon, Hungarian grey cattle, and colesaw (2,390 HUF), and the poppy-seed noodles with floating island (690 HUF). What we were told about the portions was true – we had a hard time finishing our meals. All of the dishes were really tasty treats; the only thing we would complain about is that the burger's patty could have been a bit juicier, but we've accepted that most guests like it cooked well-done.
If you aren't into the aforementioned dishes, you can ask for gnocchi with tuna (1,990 HUF), calf stew with buttered noodles (2,890 HUF) or tenderloin steak with mushroom sauce (4,290 HUF). But let's not forget about the nicest surprise: a long list of optional breakfasts, such as the bagel with olives, French toast, and scrambled eggs. When it comes to lunch menus, vegetarian dishes are also an option.
The menu is ever-changing; don't be surprised if you find different dishes every month, as the chef is always into seasonal dishes and tries to offer something new as frequently as possible. But don't worry – the most popular parts of the menu stay the same.
Since the place is still a youngster compared to other restaurants, the main goal is staying alive, but they've already made plans to build a sunny terrace that can host 60 people on Garibaldi Street.
Grey Goose Bar & Restaurant1051 Budapest, Nádor Street 36.
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