Hungarian omnivores who were brought up on traditional flavors always look for fried meat when browsing through the menu at a restaurant. Thus a place that serves this dish will always be in demand in Budapest; people probably won’t get tired of it. With this in mind, Prézli (meaning “bread crumbs”) opened its gates at the Fény Street Market at the beginning of September – and, it’s probably not a surprise that they lure people in with fried meat.
Owner Tamás Wéber is not new to the hospitality business. His experiences from Balkán Bistro, his grill-style restaurant in Pécs, were applied in the establishment of Prézli in the capital city, which found an ideal place in the hall next to Mammut. Although it’s a bit hidden from the eyes of market customers, signs help us to find our way to the fried-meat place on the top floor.
According to the founder, good fried meat is prepared the way a grandmother would make it.
He said that he didn’t want to overcomplicate things: he wanted a place where the selection only consists of fried meat. Of course, this wouldn’t mean that there’s only one thing to get; the guests can choose from different options. Although they make fried meat at many restaurants, truly good ones are rarely served, so they decided to go full speed ahead in this direction.
Those who were ever spoiled by their grandmothers’ hearty fried meat will agree that the flavors at Prézli are reminiscent of those meals. As Tamás said, they tried to find the transitional state between the classic, not-so-thin Hungarian meat and the typically thin Austrian schnitzel, so that it has consistency and some juices, but it’s not too thick, so they can fry it without getting the bread crumbs burnt – it’s safe to say that his words reveal that he is a true fried-meat expert. His aim wasn’t to come up with something special; he “simply” wanted a place that fries tasty meats.
We can say that Tamás succeeded in his quest, and the opinion of the new regulars is the same, even though at first they were surprised to see fried chickenbreast on the menu, which got there as a “necessary evil”; it has a coating of cornflakes, and a juicy flavor that differs from the usual.
The portions at Prézli aren’t huge on purpose, because instead of serving meats so big that they can’t fit on the plate, they offer a guest-friendly menuwith soup and a side dish for the meat, all for 1,250 forints – but we have to say that the serving still counts as a pretty big one, so no one has to worry. Not to mention how light and tasty it is.
They have the traditional Wiener schnitzel from veal (2,950 HUF), chicken breast and pork loin (1,200 HUF); for sides we can choose from the potato salad, coleslaw, or green salad, and for those who are more adventurous, there’s their home-made potato chips, which are crispy enough and only slightly oily. Cheese lovers should try their fried goat cheese that arrives from Kaba Farm and costs 1,990 forints (the gouda version is 1,200 forints), and if there’s still some space left for dessert, the one to try is their specialty, the fried rice pudding. This is the sweet version of the otherwise salty Italian arancini: small balls with chocolate sauce. Those who wish to have a coffee at the end of their hearty meal should know that, unlike most places, they have a dark-roasted Sicilian blend.Prézli sets its opening hours according to the hours of Fény Street Market, so on weekdays they close at 6pm, and on Sundays and Mondays they are closed all dey, so there’s a chance that soon they will start to deliver as well.
Prézli
Address:
Budapest 1024 , Retek utca 11
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