Almost every Budapest bistro has already hopped aboard the burger train, and there are no young people in Budapest who haven’t eaten this handheld American street-food specialty. Over the past few years, high-quality hamburgers not only became available throughout Hungary’s capital, but also gained status as a gourmet dish at some places, with many restaurants (and even fine-dining destinations) striving to come up with something beyond the classic burger varieties. The results: pink and black burgers, Asian flavors, and other delicious oddities – here are our favorites.
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Stika – the healthy
Stika is known not only for its excellent coffee: ever since they put hamburgers on the menu, they made it onto Budapest’s burger map. The guys decided that since a healthy and conscious lifestyle is important for them, and they have many guests with food sensitivities and who follow special diets, they would create their own gluten-free burger. However, it’s important to note that Stika’s kitchen doesn’t have a separated gluten-free zone, and so they don’t recommend the dish to guests with actual coeliac disease. So even though the buns are completely gluten-free, the kitchen isn’t, and food-sensitive guests should only eat the dish at their own risk. By the way, we can request any burger in Stika to be made gluten-free. Our favorite was the Dirty Love (2,190 HF) with its piquant sauce and harmony of flavors – one of the best around, even without gluten!
2/6
Pista bá – the saucy
Pista bá, best known for its pastrami, was the only place in the country to come up with the steamburger (1,480/1,980 HUF). The specialty of this unique burger is that its 160-gram beef patty is prepared without any fat, but instead by softening it in a steamer, and serving it in a ciabatta. This way, the meat becomes particularly tender and juicy, which is exactly why they use ciabatta instead of regular hamburger buns. The experience is complete with homemade mayonnaise, fried onions, and high-quality cheese, and pickled cucumber on the side. Big eaters can also request the burger with double patties – just make sure to roll up your sleeves.
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3/6
Tuning Bar & Burger – the experiential
It’s always interesting to see the difference in the quality of service when we drop by a place “incognito” rather than when we visit them as journalists with an appointment. Well, we can recall no such difference at Tuning – professionalism, thoughtful service, and incredibly good burgers are guaranteed here. The flavor combinations are very imaginative and the ingredients belong in the premium category, whether we’re talking about cheese or sauce. The 2015 award-winning Shiitake Burger (3,900 HUF) is a must-try for any mushroom aficionado and Asian-food fans: in addition to the Angus beef patty, basic sauces, and vegetables, we can also find Black Forest ham, fiber-toasted polenta with thyme, and a pile of shiitake with teriyaki sauce between the light buns.
4/6
ZONA
We’d think that hamburgers are not a big hit in ZONA, but chef Gábor Krausz told us that burgers are surprisingly popular in the restaurant. In addition to the classic version, the salmon-cod burger (3,450 HUF) is rather popular, arriving with Gothic-style black buns, colored with squid ink to add a further touch of seafood to the dish. The thick, excellent patty, made from salmon and cod and covered in crispy breadcrumbs, is accompanied by green-pea puree and sauce gribiche, while the burger itself is served with pickles on the side.
5/6
Gombro’c – the unconventional
We simply had to include one of the city’s funniest “burgers” in this selection: the potato-dumpling version of Gombro’c. Since this street-food unit on Erkel Street sells dumplings only, they had to create a burger variation, as well. The potato dough hides medium-cooked beef and cheddar, and is served with salad, tomatoes, and some remoulade sauce. We recommend ordering two of the hybrid called gomburger (650 HUF), and having a pair of classic plum dumplings for dessert.
Address: Budapest 1092, Erkel Street 3
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6/6
Mészár Steak – the retro
While it’s less of a burger and more of a sandwich with fasírt in-between the Kaiser rolls, this delicacy was love at first bite for us. Mészár Steak didn’t want to wholly join the burger revolution – Józsi Gál and his team decided to offer fasírt sandwiches (950 HUF) instead, served with steak potatoes and pickles, which is more tailored for Hungarian stomachs. After or instead of the sophisticated burgers, this retro sensation can be just as satisfying as an Angus beef patty between bready buns.
