Located in Gozsdu Courtyard, Spíler Originalhas gone back to its roots with its concept. It's a relaxed and approachable yet quality-driven gastropub, bringing together comfort food, street food and bistro-style dishes. The menu ranges from Hungarian classics to burgers and lángos, all served with Spíler's own twist - including plenty of sharing plates made for groups of friends.
This time, it's more than just a seasonal menu update. The new kitchen concept was created by executive chef Tamás Gubán and executive sous chef György Zgut, with a focus on quality seasonal ingredients, familiar flavours and home-style dishes, while giving popular street food favourites a slightly more refined twist. Small changes can appear on the menu from day to day, as the vegetables available also determine which side dishes are on offer. Staples such as stews, burgers, lángos, as well as meat and vegetarian dishes, remain regular fixtures, so there should be something for everyone around the table.
Hungarian classics, Spíler style
The Hungarian side of the menu features classics such as chicken paprikash, slow-cooked, tender beef cheek stew, bean goulash and tripe stew. The dishes are given plenty of time to develop their flavours, while there are no compromises when it comes to the quality of the ingredients, from the meat and vegetables to the spices. Sides can be ordered separately with the meat dishes, with options including fresh sourdough bread, pickles, cucumber salad with sour cream or pickled apple peppers. And from there, it's only natural to find yourself dipping into someone else's plate.
This relaxed approach is at the heart of both the new menu and Spíler's original concept: quality ingredients, well-made food and an easy-going approach.
Burgers and lángos: all-time favourites
Lángos might not be the first thing you think of ordering at Spíler, but skipping it would be a mistake - it's easily one of the tastiest we've tried in the city centre. According to chef György Zgut, there's no big secret behind it. It has been part of the kitchen since the very beginning, made using a tried-and-tested recipe and fried quickly at a high temperature. The thinner parts are crisp, the slightly thicker parts stay soft, and it doesn't feel greasy at all. You can keep things classic with garlic oil, sour cream and smoked cheese, but our favourite was topped with sheep's curd, Mangalica ham and pickled red onion - especially good with a craft beer on the side. Lángos also occasionally appears as a side dish, and surprisingly, it works particularly well with a hearty stew.
There's a reason the Spíler burger has been a favourite since the very beginning. From the start, the team wanted to bring quality, house-made burgers to the busy city centre. The buns are filled with 100% free-range Hungarian Grey cattle beef patties, sourced from Szomor Eco Farm in Apajpuszta. The farm has been supplying Spíler for 14 years, preparing the patties according to the restaurant's own recipe. The Dirty Steakhouse Burger is one of the new additions to the autumn menu and has quickly become one of the most popular orders. The same juicy, flavour-packed beef patty is topped with crispy bacon and tomato, then served with a cheese sauce with fried onions. Dipping is once again part of the experience: the burger arrives cut in half, making it easy to share - and even easier to dip into the creamy multi-cheese sauce with fried onions and mustard seeds.
Made for sharing, but you don’t have to
One of the best things about the new menu is that you don't necessarily have to stick to just one dish. The sharing plates fit perfectly with Spíler's laid-back, indulgent atmosphere, where lunch or dinner is just as much about the shared experience and long conversations as it is about the food. A portion of crispy BBQ chicken wings, a quesadilla or a huge plate of nachos in the middle of the table is an easy way to start, with everyone helping themselves. There are no strict rules about what to order or what goes with what - simply try a bit of everything, share it around and order another round if you feel like it.
A frissen sült lángosfalatoknak például meglepően jól áll a paradicsomos-uborkás mártogató, a grand sajtos nachostál óriási adag guacamole, sajtszósz, paradicsomsalsa társaságában. A ropogós elemeket remekül ellensúlyozza a krémes sült bab és a lágy tejföl is.
The pulled chicken tacos are packed with flavour, bringing together spicy jalapeño and tangy pickled red cabbage in every bite. The Korean BBQ chicken wings are coated in gochujang, a sticky fermented chilli paste, and once you start dipping them into the citrusy yoghurt, it's hard to stop.
We saved three of our favourites for last: side dishes that pair just as well with the chicken or tacos, but are also more than satisfying on their own as vegetarian options. The caramelised rainbow carrots come with avocado and feta cream, while the roasted pointed cabbage is served with honey sour cream, salted toasted almonds and a herb salsa. The roasted aubergine, meanwhile, is paired with tahini sour cream, fried capers and dill. Three autumn vegetables, plenty of colour on the plate and a combination of flavours we'd happily return to Spíler for.
If you’re just stopping by for dessert or a cocktail
The dessert menu sticks to Hungarian classics, with cottage cheese dumplings, pancakes and Somlói sponge cake all featuring on the autumn menu. Choosing between them isn't easy. If you have a serious sweet tooth, go for the pancakes, filled with Nutella - or apricot jam, if you prefer - and finished with a crisp layer of caramel on top. For something lighter and more citrusy, the cottage cheese dumplings come in a generous portion, served with sweetened sour cream and toasted breadcrumbs.
The Somlói gets the Spíler treatment too, and looks tempting before you've even taken the first bite, with cooked vanilla custard poured over it at the table. The familiar Somlói flavours are all there, with golden raisins and toasted walnuts, but the texture is lighter and closer to tiramisu. We especially liked this creamier, sauce-rich version. To go with it, you can order Casino Mocca coffee, available in a range of styles.
The drinks menu also covers all the essentials, with classic cocktails, more than ten beers on tap, bottled and craft beers, wines and homemade lemonade. House-made kombucha and water kefir will also be joining the drinks list soon.
After more than ten years, Spíler Original hasn't set out in a new direction, but rather returned to what it has always done best: simple, approachable, juicy and flavour-packed dishes made for sharing, paired with its distinctive atmosphere. Whether it's a get-together with friends, a date, after-work drinks, a quick lunch or a long dinner, there's a Spíler-style answer for every occasion: bold flavours, plates filling the middle of the table, plenty of dipping, draught beers, ice-cold cocktails and evenings that don't need to end too early.
(Cover photo: Szabó Gábor – We Love Budapest)
