Doughnuts come in a dazzling variety: Viennese, Berliner, angel wings, churros, traditional Hungarian fánk, American, and many more. In Hungary, we traditionally use yeast for our fánk, baking them at home perhaps once or twice a year. Shops, however, often lean towards the American style, where a good doughnut is expected to be colourful, substantial, filled, glazed, and preferably sprinkled with glitter. There's certainly nothing wrong with that.
But the Pampushka team had a different idea. Three friends, Tamás Nagy, Gabriella Alszászi, and Ádám Mészáros, from diverse professional backgrounds, had been toying with the idea of opening a small business for some time, but couldn't quite agree on when. Tamás was on the verge of giving up and simply baking doughnuts at home when, after a tasting session, Ádám declared the doughnuts so delicious that their joint venture could indeed become a doughnut shop. They persevered, and in just under a year, Pampushka opened its doors.
The Pampushka team are responsible for everything in their cosy little shop, except for the image. They created the recipes, décor, interior design, and some of the furniture. The large shop window plays a crucial role, with the counter positioned to showcase the tempting doughnuts to passers-by. Their logo, a hand/bird, hints at the handmade nature of their treats, and the generous use of eggs in the baking process. This pencil sketch motif appears throughout the shop, including on the large mirror that doubles as a selfie wall. And a selfie is almost obligatory, as doughnuts are a firm favourite with social media fans.
Pampuskas with a twist
Pampushka's doughnuts offer a couple of delightful twists. Firstly, there's the dough itself, and secondly, the toppings. Their central shop doesn't serve the traditional carnival fánk, but a close relative: the bun, a style particularly popular in the English-speaking world, especially in Britain. To be precise, bun refers to a sweet, yeasted bread, enriched with butter, eggs, or milk, sweetened with sugar or honey, and often shaped into swirls. The dough isn't overly sweet, making it wonderfully versatile for both sweet and savoury creations. Despite the generous amount of butter, these doughnuts are surprisingly light, soft, and never greasy, even after being fried in oil. Quite how they achieve this feat remains a bit of a mystery, but we'd happily devour a standard-sized bun any day of the week.
The fillings at Pampushka are also a bit special. While it's true that building a thriving business solely on plain jam or cream doughnuts is a challenge these days, Tamás and his team have worked hard to craft a simple, light, modern, yet still homemade selection within the doughnut world. And we think they've absolutely nailed it.
Gorgeous, handmade delicacies
Pampushka's counter displays six types of doughnuts at any one time – one savoury and five sweet. They have many more recipes in their repertoire, so doughnuts are rotated in and out of the selection. These gorgeous, handmade delicacies, which change with the seasons and the bakers' whims, aren't produced on a massive scale. You can see the care that goes into each one, from the dough to the filling, as they're assembled individually. The recipes have been carefully crafted to ensure that, where there's cream inside and glaze outside, the two elements complement each other perfectly, so the doughnuts are never overly rich or sweet. A light, subtle vanilla custard forms the base for many of their creams, and works beautifully with flavours like pistachio or hazelnut praline, to name just a couple.
Just like the dough, the creams are made on the premises, using their own recipes. The sweet fillings cater to those who enjoy both a more intense flavour and those who prefer something lighter and purer. The praline and fudge, for instance, offers a bolder taste, but it's not trying to replicate a Kinder chocolate bar. Meanwhile, the apple pie doughnut, with its stewed apples and light, creamy mascarpone, will be a welcome treat for anyone who avoids all things unicorn-related. Our personal favourite, by the way, was the raspberry, featuring a perfectly balanced jam made by Gabi.
The savoury doughnut was a delightful ham and horseradish cream with corn salad – reminiscent of a perfect, traditional Hungarian sandwich from bygone days. We also spotted an intriguing cinnamon roll with dulce de leche, a bit of an outlier on the counter. The team clearly enjoys adding a treat or two to the selection now and then, whether it's brownies, homemade marshmallows, or that incredibly sweet and satisfying caramelised condensed milk cinnamon bun.
While seating is available, space in the shop is limited. Alongside the doughnuts, they also serve coffee, including specialty brews from Racer Beans.
Even if you're not a particular fan of doughnuts, Pampushka is well worth a visit. These light and delicious treats are a refreshing departure from the usual, and not only do they avoid the dreaded sugar rush, but they're surprisingly guilt-free too. And, of course, they taste fantastic.
CONTACT
Pampushka
(Cover photo: Zsuzsi Forgács – We Love Budapest)
