VakVarjú is a trustworthy Hungarian chain with four restaurants, a bistro and a pub around Budapest. In December, they opened a new restaurant within the beautiful, historic Pesti Vigadó, shaking up its elegant atmosphere with a little contemporary bohemian buzz. Any given VakVarjú menu features a number of delicious dishes – which may be familiar if you have ever been to any of their restaurants – but here head chef Zsolt Szomodi also has a few special surprises up his sleeve.
The Vakvarjú family is always full of pleasant surprises. We have long known that their restaurants in Pest and Buda have an alluring bohemian atmosphere, and we have also tried their delicacies at their riverside restaurant at Kopaszi Dam. Now we have the opportunity to venture into the stunningly exquisite Pesti Vigadó for more delicious cuisine.
The venue is intriguing: this century-old building created by Frigyes Feszl has been housing elegant events since 1865, and culture still enlivens the place. Sometimes secret concerts are held here, while at other times grand performances fill the grandiose halls. A new Varjú restaurant moved into this heritage building in the beginning of December, carrying the same positive mentality, familiarly revered in their other hangouts.
VígVarjú is elegant and bohemian, spacious and homely and perfectly sneaked its own characteristic style into this monumental and sophisticated building. Underneath the high ceiling you find playful tapestry, a gallery, bird cages, plants and velvet chairs organized around smaller and larger tables.
The menu features old favorites such as goulash soup, chicken filled with cheese and roasted in bread or sweet Hungarian cottage cheese dumplings (túrógombóc) but head chef Zsolt Szomodi frequently prepares numerous novelties, too, as seen with the daily-changing lunch specials and monthly chef’s offers. The lunch specials are perfect examples of how to preserve original values in a completely different environment: just as at the other outlets, the two- or three course menus (1290-1590 HUF) are filling, versatile and affordable.
For our visit, when our starter, deer rillettes arrived, we loved the bread's enticing freshly-baked aroma – something we still remember from other Varjú restaurants. Goats’ cheese with beetroot cream and beetroot salad (1,980 HUF) is a lighter dish, while goulash soup (1,390 HUF) is more hearty. These were followed by big portions of beautifully presented main courses.
We tried melt-in-the-mouth pork medallion, rosé duck breast with cabbage pasta (3,290 HUF), zander with cauliflower risotto and fish crackling, but our favorite was the juicy salmon (3,990 HUF), served with sweet potato purée and vegetable couscous.
Desserts are homely: the Kaiserschmarrn with peach marmalade is palatable (1,150 HUF) and here, you can devour it by spooning it out from a glazed pan. The simple and soft sweet Hungarian cottage-cheese dumplings (1,090 HUF) evoke happy childhood memories.
Fortunately, VígVarjú has not been forced to change into something it isn’t because of the new elegant surroundings, but rather quickly adapt itself to the ornate ambience. They have created such a pretty and playful atmosphere that it feels welcoming and comfortable whether you are suited up or dressed casually. VígVarjú is perfect for family gatherings as there is a kids’ corner, while in the evenings live music entertains diners. We love the old/new Varjú!
