Before discussing what the restaurants of Budapest have to offer, let’s clarify something: the traditional Wiener schnitzel is made of veal, it is almost paper thin, and it’s perfect when drizzled with a few drops of lemon juice. Here in Hungary, there is a close cousin of this dish called “rántott hús“ that is also a savory feast of breaded deep-fried meat – usually a thick slice of chicken – but Wiener schnitzel is not the same as this main course of traditional Hungarian Sunday family lunches.
Checking the breaded-meat encyclopedia, we see that the veal cut called Kalbsschnitzel was first described in a cookbook from 1884, while a German cookbook published by Katharina Prato in 1907 mentions this fried favorite as “breadcrumbed veal cut“. Some believe that the dish can be traced back to the Italian cotoletta alla Milanese, made of bone-in cutlets, with its recipe estimated to have reached Vienna during the 15th century.
Although we haven’t conducted a representative survey, we’d bet everything we own that Hungary ranks in the top category of breaded-meat consumption per capita, so it was an easy task (or difficult, depending on your point of view) for us to browse the Wiener schnitzel selection of Budapest’s restaurants.
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ÉS Bisztró – deluxe fried delight
Let’s get started with the cream of the crop: perfect platefuls of the classic Wiener schnitzel are cooked to order at the bistro of Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, found along Fashion Street. Guests who dine here during all-you-can-eat Sunday Family Table brunch-time feasts can expect huge portions of varied regional cuisine for 9,500 forints (+12% service fee), including Wiener schnitzel prepared with the highest standards by Austrian Executive Chef Roland Holzer. If you order it à la carte, you will get this flavorful fillet with the fresh and revolutionary side dish of rocket potato salad for 5,260 forints – and it’s well worth the price.
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Liebling – modestly priced meatiness
The recently opened Liebling restaurant is in a more reasonable price category: here, you can get the breadcrumb-covered miracle with a mayonnaise-rice side dish at the price of 1,250 forints. Although the side might sound somewhat surprising at first, it is great if you’ve had enough of potatoes and yearn for something lighter. The price-to-value ratio is perfect, and many vow that there’s nothing better to cure a hangover than a Liebling schnitzel.
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Kürtös Ételbár – low-cost crispiness
When we cover Budapest’s casual cafés, we usually include cheap prices among their advantages, and behold: at Kürtös Ételbár on Mosonyi Street, Wiener schnitzel costs only 1,000 forints with a side dish included – even though the roasts and one-course meals of this place are cooked by Budapest’s gourmet Rosenstein Restaurant! We recommend ordering the classical parsley potatoes on the side.
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