This month Hollywood is buzzing with Oscar-season excitement, and while we won’t learn which world-famous movie actors will earn those cherished golden statuettes until the Academy Awards ceremony on February 22, we already know where the A-list celebrities like to dine when visiting Hungary’s capital. From one of the planet’s most famous sushi houses to a super-popular party place of downtown Pest, these are some eateries where you just might end up having dinner alongside a cinema superstar.
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Arany Kaviár
Hidden away within an unpretentious building on the side of Castle Hill, the sumptuously appointed interior of Hungary’s premier Russian restaurant is a dimly lit romantic haven of velvet drapes and silver caviar servers – and here none other than Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie shared a special date night in 2011 while staying in Budapest during the filming of World War Z, even taking an after-dinner stroll along Ostrom Street while holding hands.
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Gerlóczy Café
This charming city-center bistro is something of a movie star itself – when Steven Spielberg was shooting Munich in Budapest during the summer of 2005, a memorable scene was filmed here (although it was portrayed as taking place in Paris). What’s more, when the Oscar-winning British actor Jeremy Irons was living in the Magyar metropolis during production of “The Borgias” television series, the café was reported to be his preferred spot for lunch.
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kolor
While working in Budapest last year on the soon-to-be-released Paul Feig comedy Spy, two-time Oscar nominee Jude Law stopped by this nightlife nexus in for a few drinks with his pals. We don’t know if he ordered any food here, but he was definitely checking out a hot dish – Hungarian Playboy Playmate Linda Zimány, who was cast for a cameo appearance in the movie. Unfortunately for Law, their flirtatious conversation was
secretly recorded.
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Nobu
Budapest’s branch of this deluxe Asian-fusion restaurant chain is partially owned by two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro and Hungarian film producer Andy Vajna, and both of them appeared on the red carpet for the eatery’s grand-opening party in 2010 along with Jeremy Irons and the eatery’s namesake celebrity chef, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. Since then, famous guests here include Adrien Brody, John Cusack, and Angelina Jolie with Brad Pitt and their kids.
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Pierrot
For more than three decades, this Castle Hill fine-dining destination continually attracts major stars of the silver screen, as evidenced by the eatery’s ever-growing collection of celebrity-guest photographs proudly displayed on the wall. The VIP visitors include Anthony Hopkins, Donald Sutherland, Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, and Kate Hudson – and this is the favorite Budapest restaurant of Sir Roger Moore.
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Pomo D’oro
When Hollywood’s living legends are in Hungary’s capital and feel like having some Italian food, they either jet over to Rome or simply stop by this friendly downtown trattoria. Steven Spielberg is a repeat customer, while Ed Harris and Angelina Jolie also savored the eatery’s high-caliber cuisine; even David Prowse – the British champion bodybuilder who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy – left the dark side behind to dine here.
