In 1948, Mr Hadics bought the premises for his lover, a former ballerina, and made a café. The name Balettcipő ("Ballet Shoes" in English) refers to this ballet history, as well as the two minute walk to the Hungarian State Opera building. Over the past 70 years it has been a downtown meeting place, a smoky piano bar, a bumpily operating "presszó" and even a police pub. Now, it seems the newest reincarnation aims to become a popular, high-quality bistro, while keeping the old name and focusing on positive catering traditions.
According to our experience, a lot depends on who runs certain catering facilities. Even a well-located place with a nice atmosphere and fine kitchen can go downhill in a short amount of time if neglected. Similarly, a mediocre place can be revived by a stable, knowledgeable team. Let’s be honest, although Balettcipő has long been a well-known spot in Budapest, in recent years the general public has kind of forgotten about its existence. Many people have really fond memories of the place, but the worn site has not been too inviting. Until now.
Balettcipő received a new team: a former business manager, the best and most passionate waiters, and new kitchen staff led by chef Dániel Jakab. Their plan is to make this former favourite one of the best once again, so that it's chic once more to say you're having dinner at Balettcipő.
The interior has been redesigned, and both the ground floor and the gallery are much cosier and better lit. It is the perfect rendezvous spot, while also being a good space for hanging out with bigger groups, whether to eat or drink. But how is the food now at Balettcipő?
They have a permanent menu, and every two weeks we can try the chef’s new choice, which is always made with seasonal ingredients. We tasted some of the staple dishes, the mushroom essence soup with cheese tortellini (980 HUF), which came in an elegant, wide-rimmed white plate. It might seem like a small difference, but it was much more enjoyable spooning the tasty soup out of a fancy plate than a chipped cup.
The appetisers all came out like tapas, meaning the dips and meats arrived on small trays. The hazelnut and lime feta cream (690 HUF) melted gently, the pork tenderloin with thyme and brown sauce (1250 HUF) was cooked just right, and the slices of duck breast with balsamic cream proved to be the loveliest dish.The selection has been assembled so that vegans, carnivores, and those who like softer and stronger flavours can all find the perfect dish on the menu. Naturally, there is a hamburger on the menu but we were more curious about Balettcipő’s special hot dog. The components of Balettcipő’s hot dog are a ciabatta-like bun, spicy sausage, mustard, onion and maple syrup. It is amazingly delicious! In addition to the meat and pasta dishes, we can also choose from Balkan dishes, like ćevapčići (990-2690 HUF) or pljeskavica with chutney and kaymak (1250 HUF). These are great additions to the menu because there are very few spots to get good Balkan food in the city. There is no lack of desserts either, the crème brulée (890 HUF) is large and well done, and the chocolate soufflé (890 HUF) would be a real favourite of those with a sweet tooth.
At the time we visited Balettcipő, the creative young people of the 011 Alkotócsoport were just having lunch on the ground floor. We learned that a lot of people come here from Thália and the nearby theatres and it seems that more and more artists visit Balettcipő for coffee, lunch or even just a beer or two. This seems about right, as we found that you can't really go wrong here.
