It is amazing that so many cafés, street-food places, and boutiques can all fit on Király Street these days. Found along this lively lane near Deák Square, the Central Passage arcade is not all that well known yet, but there are a few settlers occupying space there by now, including Panificio il Basilico – bringing the taste of real rustic Italian bakeries to the Magyar metropolis. Moreover, the value for money of their daily menu is simply great.
We already got to know the coolest and most dedicated baker of the city at his location on Városmajor Street; his name is Szabi, and he sometimes sleeps only one or two hours a day – and even then he dreams of yeast. When we met Szabi last year, he mentioned that he was planning something new, and then he opened a smaller store in Downtown Market (which is expanded since then), then began touching up a shop in the Király Street section of Central Passage. We visited this new bakery before the opening, and saw the community dining table, the welcoming guest area, and the kneading machine with as many buttons on it as the control panel of the Millennium Falcon. However, we waited a bit for the overall picture to mature. Now we visited the third Il Basilico, which offers far more than what we would expect from a bakery.
In front of the Panificio il Basilico we find a large terrace, and upon entering we are welcomed by a quite spacious interior. The bakehouse is right behind the counters, so we can see everything, much like at an open kitchen. This is where all the homemade pastas, bakery goods, and breads are made. Their work starts at dawn, and the store is already open at 7am, so that the area’s early birds can start their day with a warm croissant or a breakfast plate (890 HUF). They have all kinds of classic baked goods that we can eat on the spot or take away with us – but that’s not all.
Using a modern expression, the place has a “community” nature: there is a long wooden table with chairs and a long bench, so that even strangers can eat together. This used to be a common practice; no one frowned when they had to share their table with strangers, since this way, new friendships could even be born. Can’t eat the whole pizza? Just give the last few slices to the guest next to you.
Speaking of pizza, as we mentioned earlier, Il Basilico is no ordinary bakery, as they prepare not only baked goods but also lunch and dinner. This mostly includes Italian dishes: they try to bring together the domestic market’s goods with Italian food. At the farmers’ market held in Central Passage, Szabi also became acquainted with local producers proffering excellent cold cuts and cheeses. Many ingredients come from Italy as well, and more and more people looked them up to offer their own products: recently, a 87-year-old man traveled here from Szombathely to show Szabi his goat cheese and cottage cheese. Those who were in the bakery at the time were exceptionally lucky, since they could have a taste of the dairy products. After all, the personal connection is present here in every way; they always welcome feedback from customers.
Their pizza (from 1,490 HUF) is almost paper-thin, with a crispy crust and plenty of toppings. For example, they have traditional capricciosa (1,890 HUF) with large artichokes and fine black olives. They make the pasta dishes’ base material locally, as well: the menu lists tagliatelle, various stuffed pasta pockets, penne, spaghetti, and gnocchi. The selection is not extensive, but we already know that a restaurant’s worth should not be measured by the number of items on its menu. For the appetizers and certain dishes, we also get some homemade baked goods, thus intertwining the characteristics of a bakery and a restaurant.
We would also like to highlight the lunch menu: for 1,490 forints, we can eat a nice bowl of soup, a main dish, and drink a glass of homemade fruit-syrup soda. The lunch menu is always announced in the morning, but nevertheless, we can trust the taste of Szabi and the chefs. There are even combos where the main dish is a whole pizza, which is quite competitive compared to the recent trick of many District VII restaurants as they offer smaller and smaller portions at higher and higher prices. For dessert, we can munch on a double-chocolate roll or something tempting from the bakery counter – although we should note that by 1pm, we would not have many options. It is better to pop in for a quick breakfast before work and return at noon for seconds. There is no need to fear a decline in quality because of Il Basilico having three stores now, either: everything remains delicious, and for now, they do not plan on expanding further so that they can concentrate on the existing bakeries.
