When thinking about the delicious dishes of Italy, the only street food that usually comes to mind is pizza, but there are actually quite a few diverse meals typically served to-go on the country's southern isle of Sicily. Now these are also available in Budapest, as Ragùstami recently opened at Ferenciek Square to introduce the Sicilian street-food selection – and while everything here can easily be carried away on a nearby bus or metro, cozy seats are available inside for sipping espresso while snacking in slow-food style.
Ragùstami is the first restaurant in Budapest to ever offer Italian courses in a fast-food form. Of course we don’t mean a saucy pasta dish, as the kitchen is Sicilian-styled, and the mouthwatering meals are perfect to be devoured either on the spot, or on your way. The Siciliancuisine is highly interesting, as it has been affected by countless external effects from its long history: Roman, Arabic, and Byzantine touches can still be sensed in the scents of Sicilian specialties.
The essential dish of the eatery is the saffron-and-cheese rice ball, aka the arancini, which fuels a of life in Southern Italy. Meaty, pistachio, spaghetti, and salmon versions of this treat are offered here, and this dish is very practical, as it can be easily wrapped in a napkin, so we can take it on the nearby metro, or if we have more time on our hands it is served in-house as a proper meal supplemented with some tomato slices and mozzarella.
Another exciting dish is the cipolline, which is a pastry hiding ham and cheese inside, making this a filling snack to munch on. The treats we loved the most were the mini margarita pizzas named pizette, the bruschettas, and the Sicilian coffees. The courses can also be ordered in a menu that costs between 1,390-1,690 forints, while the breakfast menu is 690 forints.
To the best of our knowledge Ragùstami strictly works with Italian ingredients only, and the Sicilian chef and management guarantee high quality, as it is generally known that foodsmiths of that region put great emphasis on details.
As the Mediterraneandolce vita dictates, their sweets selection is also spectacular; among the assortment we find the 7 veli pistacchio, which is a cake enhanced with seven layers of pistachio cream, as well as the classic cannolo ricotta, which – as we found out here – has to be crispy rather than soft.
The place's unconcealed aim is to grow into a franchise, and open new units around town, but their plan for the nearer future is to open a terrace here overlooking the ever-bustling Ferenciek Square.
Ragùstami
Address:
Budapest 1053, Ferenciek Square 2
Facebook
