BigFish now offers top seafood at new downtown outlet

Towards the end of quarantine, passers-by may have noticed that the popular Traktor restaurant had closed. The not-so-cheerful news has nothing to do with the crisis – Traktor chef, Attila Bicsár, decided to take a different route. The group of owners, which also takes care of Bigfish on Andrássy út, decided that since Traktor was intertwined with Bicsár, they would not experiment with another chef, but keep the new operation in-house.

Like the Andrássy út eatery opened in 2013, Bigfish Lánchíd (‘Chain Bridge’) takes in a fresh catch from Budaörs fish market every day of the week. The offerings are similar to the original outlet, with a couple of signature dishes – but the real difference is in mood. While Andrássy út is a bustling bistro, sitting comfortably in Zrínyi utca, you can enjoy your choice of fish and scallops on the cosy terrace or in the spacious interior, which will be completed in a few weeks. The owner’s undisguised aim was to create a more informal, laid-back venue.

Another change is that although you can gaze over the eye-catching fish counter familiar from Andrássy út, this need not guide your choice, but table service. In this spirit, you can ask for larger bowls with different fish and scallops or you’re with friends or a family gathering. The menu is more extensive than at Andrássy anyway and there’s also a separate children's menu to encourage familial custom.

Also not available at Andrássy are the champagnes: to organise a real celebration, you can go for a champagne-and-oyster pairing. And if it’s a blow-out, there’s the big hit from ’80s’ America, surf & turf, not always done decently in its homeland, but available here in three versions. It’s not the cheapest item on the menu, but it is comprised of excellent ingredients, black Angus sirloin and black tiger prawns, so if you want to see what the big hype is around surf & turf is, you might want to give it a try here.

Another highlight is the Bigfish bowl – actually a kind of poke that is Hawaii’s national dish, with a choice of raw fish, rice and vegetables. We sampled the tuna version (5,500 forints) with sushi rice, sweet mango, edamame beans, creamy avocado and nori, with sesame soy sauce and of course, cubes of fresh, raw tuna. A healthier lunch would probably be hard to find, and we were pleased to find that the dish with the most premium ingredients, raw tuna, wasn’t just served, it was a decent helping.


We also tasted the other unique item on the menu, the fish soup (2,500 forints) – a rich, tasty broth made from Akasztó carp, which is the only traditional Hungarian dish currently on offer. In an admittedly narrow field, this is a worthy addition to restaurants in town serving decent versions of this Magyar favourite.

Despite the extensive menu, you shouldn’t miss browsing the fish counter: from the display evoking the Mediterranean markets, we asked for a perfectly prepared fried octopus, a giant scampi with plenty of white flesh and long claws, and a soft-fleshed, soft-fried sunfish, the catch of the day. The side dishes still give you a sense the previous ownership, the classic potato or lettuce a hangover from the Traktor days, but can also request something more adventurous such as roast cauliflower with romesco sauce or a colourful tomato salad with couscous (both 1,700 HUF). Each is such a hit that it would slip down nicely on its own.

Among the desserts, we asked for the more traditional floating island (1,800 HUF) and, as proof of the use of the right raw ingredients, it was literally swimming in vanilla pods. The lemon tart (1,800 HUF) is light, not very sweet, and even its dough is crumbly, there is no trace of the sadly characteristic straight-from-the-fridge pastry difficult to slice with bolt cutters.

Not only does this new outlet offer fresh and professionally prepared fish, but it also has a convivial atmosphere – and deserves to be at least as popular as its predecessor, Traktor.


Bigfish Lánchíd

District V. Zrínyi utca 2

Daily noon-10pm