An astonishing number of food festivals are held in Budapest nowadays – there seems to be a different one happening every weekend. At first glance, the street-food show of Okospanda seems to be just like the rest of them, apart from the tiny fact that the whole event is online. Say what?
No need to be afraid, we will not have to lick a computer monitor to taste the desired flavors, but will be able to munch on much tastier delicacies, and not in any regular way. The basis of the event is a playful competition in which the organizers hunt for the most popular street-food dishes of Budapest, and introduce the hosts through them. To determine the best and most delicious edibles, they also receive some help in the form of discounts and coupons. Customers can purchase a maximum of three coupons from every competitor, which we will discuss soon. After eating, all we have to do is to visit the Okospanda Facebook page, vote for the restaurant of our choice through the application Fald Fel A Várost!, and then lean back and wait to see what we will win among the prizes.
Now that we discussed the details, let’s check out the categories of foods that we can stuff ourselves with until the end of October. This list is not a complete overview of the selections – you can find further competitors on the Okospanda website.Burgers + gyros + hot dogsWhen talking about burgers, we definitely cannot ignore Sza-Sa Burger, which opened its third location just recently. They prepare for the event with their special giant cheeseburger menu, challenging the brave test subjects with a great meat patty, two types of cheese, bacon, and a fried egg. The menu also includes a drink and a choice of side dish, among which the most exciting option might be the carrot salad with smoked cheese.
Price: 1,110/1,380/1,485 forints
However, if the topic changes to hot dogs, we can think of no other place than the newly opened Hot Dog Cold Beer. They await us with a real American fair food, the corn dog, which is a hot dog impaled lengthwise on a stick, dipped in beer batter, and fried in hot oil.
Price: 550 forints
MexicanLovers of Gringos Amigos can now get their money’s worth in Pest and Buda as well, given that they yearn after authentic Tex-Mex food. Their offer is rather simple: it includes a soup, burrito, or quesadilla, refillable homemade lemonade, and a heavenly brownie.
Price: 1,350 forints
El Rapido is impossible to avoid if we examine the Mexican-food selection of Budapest, especially now that they started selling churritos as well, which belong to the big family of churros.
Price: 1,490 forints
Exotic ediblesWe have good news for lovers of Vietnamese cuisine, including pho: Okospanda encourages us to visit one of Pest's pho hotshots as well, namely Dang Muoi, where they await us with discounted chicken or beef versions of the soup.
Price: 790 forints
For Cajun or Creole food, we can go to Kazinczy Street’s Soul Food, where we can eat pumpkin cream soup with sweet potatoes or meaty Caribbean stew.
Price: 710-1,190 forints
Breakfast + soupSzendzsó is known for paying extreme attention to quality, which is great news for those who choose to have breakfast there. A Mediterranean omelet, chicken wrap, drinks – what else would we need for a great start to a day?
Price: 1,490 forints
Naturally, we cannot forget about lunch. If we crave a steamy soup and a nice skewer with pickled vegetables, there is nowhere better to go than Soupway.
Price: 1,100 - 1,190 forints
PizzaRecently, we wrote about the city's best pizza slices, where Pizza Me (formerly called Pizza di Mamma Sofia) won by far. We can taste their Margarita pies during October.
Price: 480 forints
The name of
A Presto means “see you soon”, and this is a good mantra to have when considering the pizzas this place offers, whether they're topped with salami, ham, or fresh veggies.
Price: 1,990 forints
SeafoodBubba’s Water Grill is the best choice if we are in Buda and crave some fishy goods. Their current offer is right on the spot, since we can eat fish and chips, baby octopus, fish burger, and even small fried fish, with excellent homemade syrups.
Price: 1,320/1,410/1,560 forints
Ice creamWe probably all have a separate stomach for desserts, and with Okospanda we are happy to fill it with two scoops of delicious ice cream from Levendula, with a little hot chocolate and handmade bonbon.
Price: 1,150 forints
If the cheaper food does not seem as enough of a deal, we can also participate in a competition with awesome prizes:Food selfie!
Each participating place has an Okospanda - Fald Fel A Várost!
sticker. We have to take the most creative selfies of ourselves with this and our food included.
Once we are done with that, we have to add the hashtags #Okospanda and #WeLoveBudapest to the pictures, and write where and what we ate. The winner will receive an extra gastronomical tour for two, including places like Bors Gasztrobár, Kerkyra Gyros, Magic Burger, Kolbice, and TGIFriday's, so it is definitely worth entering with our best food selfies.
So this is the Online Street Food Show, which lasts until October 31. Buy (coupons), eat (delicious food), then vote and see which food and place wins at the end, and which voters win the prizes!
