Christmas will be different this year for sure, but we can all still enjoy seasonal treats together. Here we suggest seven great places for delicious tapas, meze and snacks to share around the household, to make this year’s Yule just that little bit tastier whatever the circumstances.
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Babka Deli
The younger
version of popular Babka restaurant in District XIII, Babka Deli opened its doors this summer with the
intention of providing delivery meals in these challenging times. Its prominent
sister restaurant is now complemented by its own separate pantry, which can
provide us with complete meals, multi-person meze, sassy drinks, unique desserts
and other gems. They came up with a sharing concept comprising a selection of three, five and seven meze, the latter enough to feed a small
army. In addition, their winter picnic box is perfect for those wanting to enjoy
an eggnog and a few bites in the great outdoors over the holidays.
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Byblos
We’ve
always treasured the Lebanese and Levantine treats at Byblos, and although we
can’t share the dips with each other at the moment, ordering from the
restaurant is a great, safe option to keep enjoying these hearty Middle-Eastern
dishes despite the crisis. Their selection is mainly comprised of hot and cold
meze, chargrilled meat, salads, desserts and lunch offers. For Christmas, the
Byblos team have prepared a special holiday menu for eight for 29,000 forints.
They’re available on all of the major home delivery services, including Wolt and NetPincér.
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Gastronomia Pomo D'oro
Gastronomia Pomo d'oro is actually a
deli with great sandwiches as well as lots of excellent Italian products to
choose from, perfect to share with the whole family. They offer carefully prepared
salads and pre-assembled cold platters, but true Italian deli enthusiasts should
especially enjoy the option to create their own version from 20 different
smoked products and cheeses. You shouldn’t miss out on their delicious olives
and Italian pasta products, either.
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Leila’s Authentic
Leila’s Authentic is another Middle-Eastern
eatery serving up great meze. They have created a new menu for home delivery, with
some overlap with their best-known dishes. You can easily assemble a full
holiday feast thanks to their wide selection of hot and cold meze, but they
also offer grilled dishes and a range of salads.
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Padrón
Padrón was one of the first restaurants in Budapest to offer authentic
tapas. They always beyond the cheese-ham-tortilla triangle to factor in
exciting Spanish specialities. Eschewing standard deliveries in the spring
shutdown, they started experimenting with a menu in which, with the exception
of the desserts, the food was 95% ready, and the rest finished off at home.
This method may be familiar to fine restaurants, but only a few in the bistro
category have used it so far. For this second wave of the pandemic, they have created
a menu designed for direct home delivery. The food is vacuum-packed and you are
given precise instructions on how to finish it. Of course, you don’t need any
special expertise or utensils for – but the experience is really like sitting down
to dinner at Padrón. They arrange deliveries three times a week – details and
the full menu on offer can be found on their website.
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Pata Negra Tapas Bar – Pest
As a long-established
tapas bar, Pata Negra delights customers with simple Spanish croquettes, tomato
meatballs, Galician-style octopus and coquilles Saint Jacques, among others. They
also have a particularly wide selection of Spanish hams and cheeses – sometimes
the simple things are the best things in life – so the whole family can find
something to savour. The Spanish red and white wines on offer should enhance
the festive atmosphere.
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Pingrumba
This larger edition of Dobrumba opened
towards the end of this summer, and became an instant hit in Buda. Offering traditional
cuisines from Cairo to Calcutta, Pingrumba provides shareable meze and
individual dishes, a unique combination of Indian and Middle-Eastern flavours.
If you share your order with friends or family, keep in mind that a slight kerfuffle
might ensue over the goat labneh and
the pomegranate chicken liver – all in keeping with the Christmas spirit,
of curse.
