A classic bakery with fine pastries and no additives – we visit Kisperec

Coming from a completely different professional background, Balázs Huczka had been planning on opening a bakery for years. When he first contemplated the idea five years ago, the range of bakeries in the city was much bleaker, while nowadays we can find everything from Irish sourdough breads to Danish croissants, as well as other Scandinavian pastries.


Balázs rightfully believed that Budapest can never have too many excellent baked-goods outlets, and he wanted to bring traditional sourdough breads and home-baked pastries into the picture. He imagined a place with strong Hungarian characteristics and, with this in mind, has duly opened Kisperec at Bakáts tér.

The concept is simple – you can find all the classic local bakery items, without losing the quality of ingredients or the baking process. The inside space is quite small and cosy, with six or seven people accommodated at the seating area facing the windows. The view of the square and the church is a great backdrop for a morning coffee. This minimalist yet rustic interior features wooden floors, a white-tiled counter, nicely arranged products and a visible price list. Clichéd bakery décor is otherwise missing.

This tasteful and laid-back style is also illustrated by the product selection. The breads – with six or seven permanent products and three to four special offers – are prepared locally, using wild yeast. As Kisperec currently operates with great focus on safety, the pastries are all prepared the night before. After the pandemic is over, visitors will have the chance to witness the baking process through a large glass window looking into the kitchen. Master baker Péter Szőke is accompanied by two colleagues, accounting for the excellence of the pastries.

There are quite a few wholemeal products among the selection – breads, croissants, rolls, and other pastries, made with whole-wheat flour and without added sugar. Around 80-100 items make it to the counter every day, from classic pastries to sweet and savoury snacks and pies. Additive-free methods are central to Kisperec, where the creams and fillings of the pastries, like the pesto sauce and the mushroom cream, are all prepared in the kitchen, just like the pastries themselves. The well-packed, good-sized sandwiches are assembled by Balázs, using top-quality ingredients mostly by small producers, as well as fresh produce from the market.

There were too many to sample when we visited but all seemed to have the feel of lovely, authentic homemade pastry. The cocoa swirl (380 HUF) is densely filled with cocoa cream without being overwhelming. We also tried the diet version of the pesto swirl (480 HUF), made with whole-wheat flour for a smaller carbohydrate content. It was soft and flaky, nothing like the often tasteless diet pastries found at other stores. Apart from the homemade pesto, feta cheese and dried tomatoes are also lined between the layers.

Our ultimate favourite here was the cheese roll (450 HUF), which would be hard to try to make at home and even harder to come across of similar quality. The creamy filling comprises three different types of cheese, but its winning quality is its buttery dough, created in the kitchen. The finish is a light roll with a satisfying crunch, a perfect consistency and a truly nostalgic vibe. 

The pies (480 HUF/slice) in the dessert counter are just like the ones your grandmother might have made. They don’t pretend to be anything extraordinary, just good-old traditional and heart-warming desserts with cherries, sweet cottage cheese or apples.

Whether you visit Kisperec for breakfast, for a midday snack or to buy bread to take home, you should be more than satisfied. Their terrace opens in late June, which means that those around Bakáts tér can soon nibble a fresh pastry while enjoying the summer air.

Kisperec Kézműves Sütöde
District IX. Bakats tér 2
Facebook
Open: Mon-Fri 6am-7pm, Sat 6am-1pm