A taste of Uruguay in Budapest – La Casita serves classic empanadas and more

As you walk into La Casita near Bakáts tér in Ferencváros, soft, rhythmic Latin music plays and a homely atmosphere is accompanied by a '¡Hola!' from Fabio behind the counter. With his partner Saci at home looking after their baby, it's the Uruguayan who is running the shop.

The place is tiny – hopefully they can open a terrace soon – but every little detail has been thought about, and everything has its place. The antique table at the entrance, the food descriptions on the armrests, the large bouquet of lavender at the door, and the little saintly figure watching over the empanadas.

When we arrive, Fabio immediately brings hot water for the de rigueur maté tea and serves us with two glasses of wonderful watermelon gazpacho. This being a particularly hot day, it hit the spot, sweet, spicy and chillingly sour at the same time.

Then came the empanadas, beginning with an authentic Uruguayan example made according to Fabio’s grandmother’s recipe, filled with minced beef, onions, garlic, carrots, boiled egg, peppers, tomato sauce and light spices. There’s also a spicier version, one with wok vegetables, chicken and Hungarian one with sausage, chickpeas, beans, onions and garlic.

While gazpacho is 600 forints, all empanades are currently priced at 350 forints across the board.

Baguette sandwiches are delivered frozen by a French bakery to be baked here every day. On offer are Brie cheese and apple, matured ham, smoked Scamorza cheese from southern Italy and chicken liver, at 850 to 950 forints.

Toasted sandwiches include beef with salsa criolla (peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley, sunflower oil, pepper), salad and mustard, and Uruguayan choripán (chorizo ​​with salsa criolla, mustard, chimichurri). This involves fresh Uruguayan sausage of 50/50 beef and pork, and a complex chimichurri created with an adobo spice blend, vinegar, sunflower oil, parsley, garlic and pepper), another recipe from this corner of South America. 

The sandwiches are rich and invigorating, priced at 950-1,200 forints. In addition, the melon with Spanish ham (HUF 1,000) is a huge hit among the regularly changing daily offers.

To follow, there’s Martín Fierro (quince cheese and dulce de leche, HUF 450), a traditional dessert named after a legendary gaucho. Here at La Casita, it comes within a toasted croissant and cheddar replaces the quince cheese out of season. The dulce de leche is also home-made, long-cooked, caramelised milk cream and, even though sugar is an essential ingredient, it’s not sickly, but full-bodied and silky.

The other traditional sweet, alfajor (HUF 400), filled cookies made from corn flour, comes with the same milk cream.

With its varied offer and captivating atmosphere, La Casita is a super little spot, not specifically Uruguayan but a little bit Spanish, Catalan and even Hungarian. Its quality comes from the heart and its sense of good taste from the soul.