It is not hard to recognize good pizza: the crust is always fresh – occasionally even crunchy while somehow having a light texture – no matter if it is thick or thin. It does not hurt if the sauce goes beyond basic supermarket ketchup, and the toppings should also be fresh, not canned. If on top of all this a slice offers something else, either in size or ingredients, that's a bonus... but if the basics are handled correctly, nothing can really go wrong. Now that we know what to look for, let's take a look at Budapest's best slices of street-food life - if we've missed one of your favorites, please let us know!
1/7
Pizza Me
Without question, these sister eateries serve some of the best pizza in the city. The original location on the busiest stretch of Király Street, La pizza di mamma Sofia, met so much success that it soon expanded to the second outlet on Erzsébet Boulevard. The selection is very rich at both locations: gourmet salami, gorgonzola, mushrooms, olives, tuna, ham, are all provided at the highest quality. If you want to do it professionally, ask for some rocket on the top, spill some spicy olive oil on the slice, and sprinkle some seasoning on it. Before the servers hand you the slice, it spends a few seconds in the oven again, so that the thin crust is warm and the taste is heavenly. The price is in the range of 300-450 forints, but it's worth it. You can also take an entire pie home; it is better than almost everything provided by pizza-delivery places, and it doesn't get that cold on the way. By the way, they have pizza with Nutella topping.
2/7
Pizzic
Theatergoers and revelers alike can enjoy the so-called Lazio-style pizza with a thicker crust here on Nagymező Street – the 'Broadway of Budapest' – and fans of square-shaped pizza slices will also find this is a place for them. They have everything: ham, mushroom (even truffles), and diverse vegetables for toppings, while the interior of the restaurant is stylishly and eclectically Italian, and prices vary from 290 to 490 forints. If we had to recommend only one place, this would be our pick, because this is really high-quality stuff.
3/7
Szelet
This simple but stylish pizza stand is open for three years now, defying expectations for a place that originally seemed to bank on a captive audience of drunken teens departing the Morrison's 2 club across the street. Here we can get good pizza slices for a ridiculously small amount of money, compared with average prices for comparable quality. We tried the quattro formaggi, which was a little stale in the late afternoon. The size is medium (eight-to-ten bites), but the modest price of 200 forints offers consolation. There were also slices with sour cream and ham, salami, and ham and mushrooms; you can get a combo with two slices and a drink for 550 forints, and a 42-centimeter-diameter pizza costs only 1,500 forints.
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4/7
La Trattoria
This small Italian restaurant hides on Október 6. Street, with an interesting array of inviting pizza slices displayed in the window. The server girl seemed a little bored while she was telling us what toppings they have, and we were surprised to see that half of the slices looked as if Mexican vegetable mix was accidentally spilled on them; we couldn't find any other explanation for the peas or carrot cubes. In the end we chose a slice with a sour-cream-based sauce and dill-ham-corn-pea toppings, and despite how it sounds, it was a good decision. The dill is a very good twist for the whole thing, and the crust is crunchy and thin, so the 390-forint price is a reasonable deal.
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5/7
Il Treno
Whether found in a shopping center or a shop on the street, 'The Train' reliably keeps delivering the high standards that this restaurant chain set for itself, and now we will see if this is also true about their pizza slices. The crust is a thin and crunchy type, and the toppings are abundant and tasty – this is the kind of slice that we would like to see served everywhere. The Hungarian-style pizza is especially notable – it is served in a decent size, but the price to match the quality is 450 forints.
6/7
Pizzanet
Walking past this hole-in-the-wall shop on Király Street, we are struck with nostalgia – this was the city's original cheap-slice vendor open late into the night, and we have many blurry memories of crowding into the mobbed doorway for a doughy slice of alcohol absorption. We never claimed that the pizza here is particularly noteworthy, but they offer a wide range of toppings and the crust is thick, so a single slice can suffice as a mediocre meal... but we don't really understand why we have to stand in line for so long to get it. Nonetheless, 200 forints is not much money, and the slices do calm a stomach worn thin by booze, so naturally we don't expect a memorable gastronomic experience for this price.
7/7
Honorable mention: Szimpla Kert
For awhile now, Budapest's most popular ruin pub offered pieces of pizza to sate the drunken hunger of its clientele, but after a recent change of format, they now offer a more local version of this, Hungarian pizza ('kenyérlángos”). This is not served all the time, but if you arrive at the right hour and the food counter is open, these bread-based specialties are indeed a savory treat topped with local meats and cheese. Some slices are generously topped with garlic, so be careful when ordering if you plan to chat up fellow party people later on in the evening.
