Dreary autumn days arrived suddenly this year, as it seems that transitions between seasons are slowly fading away nowadays, making us abruptly swap our favorite summertime foods – such as fruit-based dishes and salads – for steaming cream soups and ragouts. We didn’t strictly visit soup eateries during our research, but also restaurants that have legendary bowlfuls in their repertoire, or where Asian liquid meals laden with lots of noodles serve as a main course. The selection of handheld soups is seasonal; at the moment pumpkin, fennel, and different cabbage soups are the real deal.
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Biwako
A restaurant enhanced with a small store, Biwako is considered to be the haven of Japanese ramen. Their ramens are truly authentic – even according to experts – but do not expect light flavors here, as everything is made according to Japanese expectations. Countless students and expats living in Budapest are regulars at this ramen house, where our favorite is the roasted pork ramen. The only drawback is that (even though the soups are very rich) the prices are a bit too high, as the dense “healing soup” – that Japanese people devour more for the fillings than for the soup itself – costs 3,160 forints.
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Crust (Closed)
Kolosy Square’s Crust is a new kid on the block, building on the always-winning combination of sandwiches and soups, painting a saucy smile on the face of all visitors. The soup selection at Crust changes regularly; generally there are three types of soups offered daily that are served in a cup. They place special attention on people with food allergies, and always display who can devour their delicious soups. Lamb ciorbă, minestrone, honey-ginger pear, leek, dumpling and peas, and Brussels sprouts with mince and roasted bacon – these are just a few of the latest creamy concoctions. The prices fall between 490-790 forints.
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Hanoi Xua
Venturing out of downtown, we find Hanoi Xua near Nagyvárad Square, operating with the flavors and gastronomy of a stunning city, Hanoi, particularly with the tastes of Vietnamese cuisine. Their soups are huge portions, and are truly clear in taste: they offer both pho and bún, and because the normal portion is one liter, you might want to come here really hungry. It is good news that the meat does not float around in overboiled bits and pieces, but is sophisticatedly served, and it is just as tasty as the crispy green spices. A normal soup costs between 1,390-1,490 forints, while the large size (which we cannot even imagine how big it would be) is between 1,890-2,190 forints.
Address: Budapest 1096, Ernő u. 30-34
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4/7
Menza
Menza is always a good choice, as it is an old-timer and still a reliable restaurant in downtown Budapest. We are not so keen on the retro atmosphere as 2017 approaches, but for a great lunch we would always come back. Try the garlic cream soup served with sour cream-cheese lángos fried-dough – we could never get bored of this mouthwatering meal. It is an unusual combination, but very filling, and it warms you up from the inside out immediately, especially if while devouring the lángos you visualize yourself somewhere on the shore of Lake Balaton. The soups on cost 1,090 forints.
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MoszkvaTér (Closed)
s little brother is found on the street-food balcony of the , where both the pelmeni and the kijev chicken are delicious, but it is also worthwhile to try a solyanka, or a borscht soup. These Russian specialties are really rich, and they quickly fill up the belly, but we realized that due to the various flavors, it is recommended to devour them slightly less warm in order to enjoy the taste of all ingredients. For murky days, they make tea in a samovar. The soups all cost 1,200 forints.
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Rapaz
Suitable soup eateries do not abound around .. however, there are still a few high-quality restaurants in the neighborhood, such as Rapaz, which became one of the area’s favorites with its savory sandwiches and scrumptious soups. The selection changes daily, there are normally multiple types to choose from, and it is highly likely that we will always find a sweet variation on the menu, but for these misty days we probably recommend the savory options. As a teaser, we highlight a few delicious meals the boys make here, such as thyme-wild mushroom-hen broth, chili-savoy cabbage soup with sausage rings, and peanut celery cream soup with cheese tortellini. The prices fall between 450-490 forints.
7/7
Tüköry Restaurant
We couldn't finish this list without including a Hungarian countryside classic, a sausage soup from Csókakő, which comes served on the checkered tablecloths of Tüköry Restaurant on Hold Street. All locals know about this tasty treat and love having it for lunch or for dinner during the weekend, and rumor has it that there are even people who travel all the way to the capital from the countryside especially for a traditional Magyar soup enriched with sausage and eggs here. It costs 630 forints in a cup, and 980 forints in a bowl.
Address: Budapest 1054, Hold u. 15
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