Dunking a must! SZAFT gastropub opens in Buda

What makes a Russian translator and a psychologist sell steaks, quarterpounders and chunky stews in the cellar of the former Champs Buda Sport Pub, an eight-tap booze haunt? The Hungarian love of dunking their bread into soups, stews and juices, that’s what. And this delicious part of the experience is also what gives the new gastropub SZAFT its name and its attraction.

The story of Ákos Balla and Zsófi Czerődi, known in town from the friendly Burger Bár-hol, began at postgraduate studies in university, when psychologist Ákos met Russian translator Zsófi.

Photo: Hirling Bálint - We Love Budapest

After a sudden and sharp change of profession, their big yellow school-bus food truck started to go to festivals all year round from 2015, and a few years later the Cheese Nirvana burger outlet (Ákos is a huge cheese fan) was opened in the Corvin Quarter – the truck is currently parked at the Dürer kert bar in south Buda.

Sitting down and actually dunking, however, has been off the menu...

Recently opened SZAFT tunes into those childhood experiences of dunking your bread into the soup, gravy or meat juices, so we could hardly wait to visit. The beer-and-mangalica-pork stew (HUF 2,990) garnished with rye bread and pickles arrived in a traditional red saucepan and was lapped up in five minutes, the last drops scooped out from the pan with our bread, as should be the way.

Then came the really hearty cheddar-cream soup (HUF 1,690) covered with baked-cheese noodles, and we almost asked for another but duly gave it the same treatment as the mangalica.

This is not vegan country, that’s for sure. The towering, Lou Reed-inspired Walk on the Wild Side burger arrives (Charolais beef patty, spicy tomato-basil passata, fried pizza on a plate, fried mozzarella, cheddar, chili strings, aioli-roasted seeded bun, tomatoes) to provide a surreal experience. This is one to devour and lick all ten fingers afterwards. If SZAFT burgers break with the Holy Trinity of the bun-meat patty-home-made sauce found elsewhere around town, they can be considered truly Unitarian. And, of course, top-quality.

The steaks are too and, considering the type of meat you’re getting, fair value for money. The quarter-kilo steaks ranged from grass-fed Brazilian (HUF 7,990) to grain-fed USDA Prime (HUF 16,990), with excellent homemade coleslaw to accompany. The medium-rare meat melted in our mouths, finished off by the smoked salt in addition to the pepper. This one’s not cheap but you get what you pay for.

As it’s only just opened, the interior and exterior design are still evolving, but the atmosphere and food speak for themselves. The SZAFT kitchen with its burgers and steaks is obviously based on the American model, but the cook has Hungarian tastes in mind, and those memories of grandmother’s kitchen. In this same spirit, be prepared to dunk at SZAFT!