Tradition, quality and fine Hungarian bistro cuisine – PICK Bistro & Deli opens by Parliament - English

For decades, the former PICK butcher’s shop was a local favourite was at Kossuth tér metro station. Now it’s back, but in a completely different guise. The team from the renowned Pasarét Bisztró in Buda, Bence Gál, chef Dániel Horváth and manager Zoltán Szeibert, have conceived of an atmospheric, top-quality and specifically Hungarian bistro kitchen by Parliament that keeps the deli concept and, moreover, breaks with the nature of tourist traps in tourist-central places.

Even if you’ve been living in Budapest for years, you can never get tired of the amazing sight that unfolds before you as you emerge from Kossuth tér metro. No doubt about it, this is simply one of the most impressive buildings in the world.

Photo: Hirling Bálint - We Love Budapest

Similar locations, often frequented by passing tourists and not regulars, tend to attract restaurateurs who not only embed the sight and surroundings into the pricing of their establishment, but often also skimp on the raw ingredients. Fortunately, PICK Bistro & Deli is one of the exceptions.

Plus, it’s both value-saving and value-creating. Even though the PICK brand is tourist-friendly, there isn’t a single Hungarian who doesn’t enjoy it, too – and here, at this bistro kitchen, we have an absolute Hungarian spot and yet good value for money.

As we have already noticed, perhaps due to the pandemic, Hungarian bistro kitchens, hardly sought-after before, are appearing more and more strongly on the Hungarian gastronomic scene. And their quality is growing.

This is because instead of reinventing traditional dishes, some people have finally started to cook them properly, using grandmother’s flavours and not specifically vegetarian ones, with quality ingredients, know-how and invested time.

You cannot compare PICK to the Pasarét Bisztró because the style of the two places is significantly different, but it’s clear that they’re both cut from the same cloth, which is precisely what Bence and crew would like to show.

This kind of gastronomy is what is missing from every village nowadays, and with perhaps a little exaggeration, there should be one on every corner of Budapest, too. It brings with it the fine flavours, and the easily understood, varied and confident character of the Hungarian kitchen in its heyday.

Restaurants claiming to offer foreigners real Hungarian food tend to be untrustworthy. If you go abroad, you also look for a restaurant popular with locals. And that could be a big advantage for the PICK Bistro & Deli, as it may soon attract a regular local crowd.

Here, varied, affordable daily menus include such standard dishes as homemade noodles with chicken paprikash (HUF 3,490) and grated veal liver with mashed potatoes (3490 Ft).

Hungarians don’t have to fool foreign guests, this is what Magyars eat at home. And now they can do so overlooking their very own Parliament building.