Tasty tapas, great wines and modern bistro dishes based on domestic classics – the recently opened Andrássy Food and Wine illustrates how affordable Hungarian cuisine can be found at one of the most prestigious locations in Budapest, Andrássy út.
Filling the former premises of the Klassz Bistro, this new establishment is a refreshing example of a restaurant offering Hungarian cuisine on the otherwise global fashion and gastronomic showcase Andrássy út. It has an air of laid-back elegance, where you can still feel comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. The long, tunnel-like interior is dominated by wooden elements, with plenty of turquoise accessories and a portrait of Count Andrássy himself. The most defining feature of the restaurant design are the wine crates that cover the walls and create that cosy feeling.
The owner, Miklós Forrai, once enriched the local culinary scene with the Alessio Restaurant. He says that dining and drinking hold equally importance at Andrássy Food and Wine, and the visitor can decide which are its main strengths. While the champagnes and sparkling wines are international, the reds and whites are all from local producers, categorised according to Hungarian and foreign grape varieties, with a few rare gems on the list.
To go with the wines, there are tapas selections with a Hungarian twist, using local ingredients wherever possible. Hungarian cold cuts (1,890 HUF) and the Hungarian cheese platter (1,490 HUF) are purely domestic. These ingredients can also be found in the breakfast dishes, offering a variety of delights such as granola, scrambled eggs, pastries and sandwiches (790-2,700 HUF).
They don’t stop at the essential tapas selection however, and offer some unique, traditional versions such as homemade derelye (sweet, Hungarian pastries usually filled with jam) (1,090 HUF) and breaded mushrooms (1,690 HUF).
Although the menu isn’t long, a daring attitude extends to the main courses as well. Next to the duck breast and the venison stew, there are some typical canteen foods such as the potato casserole and split-pea pottage. This offers affordable comfort foods to anyone looking for a simple, hearty meal.
Mushrooms not only feature in the tapas menu, but are great in the mushroom velouté (890 HUF), too. The creamy, hot soup is contrasted by small mushroom and pork pieces.
We were curious about the split-pea pottage with pork belly (2,690 HUF), as this typical canteen dish is often dismissed even by those who like this kind of stuff. Here, it comes with three different textures and fried, sautéed onions which, combined with the pork, offer a perfect set of flavours.
The potato casserole (2,190 HUF) comes in a small cast-iron bowl, topped with plenty of sour cream and a little cottage cheese, to make it extra tasty.
The chef must have been inspired by the French classic boeuf bourguignon when creating the venison stew with gnocchi (4,290 HUF), which is also a hit. The meat is covered with a thick layer of red-wine infused juice, and served with fresh carrots, shallots and mushrooms, as well as soft, homemade potato noodles.
The dessert list features two items: cottage-cheese dumplings (990 HUF) covered in sour cream, and that emblematic snack from the Socialist era, winter ice cream (990 HUF), raised to new heights here and filled with chocolate ganache and berries.
Andrássy Food and Wine is the perfect venue for a date, a friendly get-together or a business meal, with a rich selection of wines and unique dishes to satisfy all cravings.
District VI. Andrássy út 41
Open: Daily 8am-10pm
