Fat Mama has long been a popular downtown hangout in Budapest, but this summer, they’re inviting visitors on a culinary journey to Asia with BBQ sushi, Japanese grilled meats and fish and colourful poké bowls. The vibe here is divine with live music and dancers entertaining on weekends and light painting after dark. If you’d like to try tasty BBQ sushi on a spacious and cool terrace in downtown Budapest, don't skip a visit to Fat Mama this summer.
Find Fat Mama in the heart of the party quarter’s gastro street, Kazinczy utca! The restaurant opened in 2015 and has gained many foreign and local fans over the years thanks to their tasty BBQ dishes cooked in smokers, great breakfast and brunch selection and fun and laid-back atmosphere. Now, Fat Mama has new chefs who breathe fresh life into the restaurant and bring a bit of Asia to downtown Budapest.
This summer, the limelight will be on the spacious terrace, where BBQ sushi, Japanese grilled meats and fish and coloUrful and healthy poké bowls await everyone.
What is BBQ sushi?
Simply put, it is divine, but more descriptively, it means BBQ meat and fish hugged by rice, veggies and other beloved sushi ingredients. Fat Mama offers three types.
Our favourite is the pulled pork sushi with hoisin and sweet soy sauce, avocado, rice, cucumber, rolled in sesame seed and topped with a slice of jalapeno.
The two other equally delicious types are brisket maki roll with salad, avocado and chives, inspired by California maki, but instead of tobiko, the yellowish colour here comes from spicy mayo, and the sweet tare sauce-flavoured rib sushi with daikon, chives and salad.
All three are fantastic, so if you’d like to try them all, order the Fat Mama selection, which gives you three from each type, so you can share and swap them around.
Kushiyaki and yakitori
In Japanese society, kushiyaki and yakitori are used interchangeably to refer to skewered and grilled meat collectively, but when referring to a specific item, yakitori is only used when the primary meat is chicken, or perhaps pork flavoured with the same sauce.
When wandering the streets of Japan, both can be frequently spotted at bars and restaurants. But thanks to Fat Mama, you don’t have to go all the way to Asia to try them, as grilled chicken breast, wings and legs, shrimp, octopus, salmon and bacon all feature on the new summer menu.
You can order sushi rice, grilled zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms or cucumber salad on the side. For starters, we recommend the refreshingly cold cucumber soup with avocado salsa or roasted shrimp.
Colourful poké bowls and creative cocktails
The menu also features hearty, healthy and colourful poké bowls with various toppings from salmon to bacon. We tried the delicious shrimp and tuna bowls with sushi rice, wasabi, soy sauce, mango, soybeans, cucumber, daikon, salad and ginger.
When it comes to cocktails, you can order various concoctions honouring super heroes, for instance Not the Hogan made with Midori liqueur, vodka, green apple, lime and mint or Black Widow with Italicus liqueur, vanilla and passion syrup, lime and prosecco.
The coolest cocktail however is You’re the One we need, whose super hero will be yourself. when you order this one, they’ll take a mini Instax photo of you, which will be attached to your cocktail made with Unicum, rum, strawberry and lime within minutes. This both looks and tastes fantastic.
Fat Mama is led by a passionate team consisting of Attila Ámon Executive Chef, Géza Szűcs Head Chef, Vanessa Horváth Manager and Ádám Márton CEO.
The atmosphere at Fat Mama is always fun, live music and dancers entertain crowds on Fridays and Saturdays, and light paintings await after dark. If you'd like to enjoy Asian flavours alfresco in downtown Budapest, don't skip a visit to Fat Mama this summer.
(Cover photo: István Bielik - We Love Budapest)
