From Holland with love – Tosti toasties warm hands and hearts

Julika and Cédrik are both Dutch by fate. Julika’s father is Hungarian, Cédrik has a Swiss mother. They both spent their childhood in the Netherlands, yet later met in Hungary, where they both came for work. Back then, sandwiches weren’t in the equation.

They had long had idea of doing something other than sitting behind a computer screen, as Julika loves to bake and Cédrik feels at home in the world of dips and sauces. Mulling over a mediocre film they’d just seen, they both decided to follow through on their idea of ​​opening an artisanal sandwich shop.


As they both confess, they love Budapest and they enjoy the challenge and the adventure of meeting different cultures, adapting to local conditions.

The location is not entirely coincidental. When Cédrik arrived in Budapest, his first trip was to the flower shop next door, so he was very happy when he saw years later that the small business was empty and he decided to open a sandwich shop there. The size was ideal for preparing simple but popular delicacies to take away.

While Hungarians pile food on their plate at lunchtime, the Dutch, with work the focus during the day, tend towards a warming family meal around 6-7pm. Lunch is therefore a modest dish, a salad, a soup and of course, crispy slices of bread, tosti, filled with gooey cheese and other natural produce.


At first, our Dutch friends were somewhat worried about who would consume their sandwiches and when, but locals seem to be there for the late hot sandwich breakfast and afternoon snack. There’s also, of course, the option of a delicious light lunch.

This involves special-sized sourdough bread made by nor/ma specifically for Tosti and excellent Gouda cheese. The classic option is The Dutch (HUF 980), on which the apple syrup, genuine appelstroop, forms an extra sticky layer. This element is the secret gastronomic weapon of the Dutch, apple juice boiled with sugar and reduced to infinity, denser than honey, which gives a delicious, fruity aftertaste and extra crunch to any toast made with it.

For something more traditional, The Classic (HUF 980) is stuffed with thick premium ham, cheese and Cédrik’s delicious homemade tomato sauce, which also comes in chicken (HUF 1,050), tuna (HUF 1,150) and vegan (HUF 1,150) varieties. Muhammara roast-pepper dip, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and vegan cheese can also be requested.

The sweet options are equally authentic, most notably, chocolate bread. One of the strange elements of a classic Dutch breakfast is hagelslag, literally ‘hail’, in practice candy sprinkles, on soft bread smeared with greasy butter. This has been adapted to Hungarian tastes by adding banana and calling it The Sweet (HUF 980). Stroopwafel should not be overlooked either, syrup waffles with a sticky caramel filling.

To accompany, affordable lemonade is served, evoking the Ranja brand seen throughout Holland, perfectly complementing the savoury flavour of the sandwiches. The coffee comes courtesy of Budapest Coffee Stand. Either drink forms part of the lunch menu, also featuring a three-deck sandwich and stroopwafel for 1,588 forints, the numbers forming the date when the independent Dutch Republic was formed.

Plans call for more Dutch delicacies to be listed and decent filter coffee to be quickly made on site, a traditional and typical tosti accompaniment.

The Dutch like their daytime feed to be fast, nutritious and of good quality, something that requires little trouble to eat. Tosti is the perfect example and also allows Hungarians to mingle with the expats who frequent and run the place.


As Cédrik says, “We may not know Hungarian too well, but food is a language that everyone understands”.