Two thousand calories, irresistible enjoyment and instant regret crammed into a deep-fried dough – this is lángos, a national dish and the superstar of street food in Hungary. If you meet a local, they’ll say that you have to try lángos at least once and even though the common phrase is, "I can’t eat a whole one”, actually everyone does, and they love it. Devoured all-year round, the lángos sees its popularity peak in summer when long queues stretch around the snack stands at lidos – and then it peaks once again at Christmas markets. But lángos is also the perfect solution after a drunken night out when you just need that perfectly heavy and hearty midnight fill-up. So what, then, is lángos – and where should you try it in Budapest?
Lángos is a deep-fried dough – ideally crispy on the outside and soft within – drenched in as much oil as the body can handle and slathered with a messy assembly of calorie-busting toppings. A classic lángos is topped with sour cream, garlic butter and lots of shredded cheese, but the evolution of this hearty fare has recently seen revolutionary toppings of chicken, Bolognese sauce, ratatouille, and even Nutella and whipped cream.
Lángos is a must-try in Hungary, but there are some basic rules you need to know: number one, don’t bother with a knife and fork, just tear off little bites from the side and dunk them in the sauce in the middle and keep going all around, then pick the whole thing up and take incredibly messy bites from the middle – yes, the sauce will reach even your ears, but that’s okay. Number two, the uninitiated should perhaps stick to the classic version as some cold sour cream on top can be quite refreshing, while some other more rich and hearty toppings might be a bit too much even for a tough Hungarian stomach. And number three: lángos is a sacred cow in Hungary, so be careful what you say about it. Now that you are all set, head out and get a saucy smile on your face.
In general, almost every Hungarian market hall, festival and holiday destination has at least one constantly crowded lángos stand, where a few hundred forints buys a tasty treat. This street-food snack always stars at Budapest’s Christmas markets, where it is perfect to warm you up. In summer, you can try these three reliable places below:
Perhaps the city’s best lángos is served at the Retró Lángos kiosk right by Arany János utca metro station. Adorned with charming patterns of Hungarian folk art, this speciality outlet serves classic and new-wave variations of this national street food. Local crowds continually feast at Retró Lángos day and night, evidenced by the multiple picnic tables kept outside the booth come rain or shine.
In the party vortex, Lángosh offers classic and more imaginative variations of the deep-fried dough to sate the appetite of the drinking crowd, right by the Király utca entrance of Gozsdu Udvar. Lángos comes with a thin base here, just moderately oily, but still authentic and tasty.
Another reliable lángos destination is on the second floor of the Great Market Hall. There are generally long queues here, but an authentic and traditional lángos is always worth the wait. There’s not a whole lot of nutritional value in this venerable treat, so if you are after something more healthy afterwards, head down and browse the fruit stalls.
