With Lent upon us and today being Friday, we've put together our selection of favourite fish places in and around Budapest, from urban bistros to markets with eateries. Bon appétit!
1/8
Aranyhal restaurant
Since Aranyhal (‘Goldfish’) used to be a fish restaurant and the name has also survived, they always have a few dishes with fish on the menu, but the traditional fish soup is a must. The famous Baja-style soup is not condensed – due to the high collagen content of the fish – but has a dense, strong taste, slightly fiery, an excellent choice, containing catfish, carp and offal. Long-time favourites are the salmon steak with vegetable purée and the catfish-paprikash with cottage-cheese noodles. This is a classic small restaurant with traditional dishes, reasonable prices, kind service and modern technology in the kitchen.
2/8
Bigfish
Bigfish is Budapest's No.1 sea-fish bistro. It's located on busy main boulevard, Andrássy út, which makes it a good reason to choose their terrace for lunch or dinner. Fish and sea food are sourced from The Fishmonger at Budaörs fish market (see below), so freshness is guaranteed. The system at Bigfish works by selecting the seafood you like at the counter and they start to prepare it in front of you, salmon burger, paella, shrimps, smoked mackerel or fish and chips. Another unit, The Bigfish Lánchíd Chain Bridge outlet also opened two years ago, where in addition to a couple of regular dishes, the real difference is in the atmospheric mood. While the outlet on Andrássy út is a busy bistro, you can sit in and relax at Zrínyi utca by the Pest foot of Chain Bridge and enjoy your choice of sea fare.
3/8
Budaörs Halpiac - The Fishmonger
A unique fish selection can be found at The Fishmonger at Budaörs Fish Market, where only fresh sea fare is delivered, five days a week from Norway, Spain, New Zealand, Greece and Sri Lanka, among others. In addition to fresh and frozen fish, shrimps and mussels, you have everything you need for a great fish meal. There are spices, sushi ingredients, extra oils, wines for fish and all sorts of equipment to prepare your banquet. What’s more, at the Dokk Büfé eatery within, the Italian chef will even prepare you fishy snack. Since June 2021, another outlet also operates at the gastro hub of the Hello Buda bar in District II.
4/8
Halkakas halbisztró (Closed)
Fish bistro Halkakas opened in 2012 on central Veres Pálné utca. From there, they moved to a more spacious venue in Dohány utca in the party district in 2017. They source the ingredients – mainly fish - exclusively from Hungary, and they have no frozen products. Apart from the traditional Hungarian dishes (fish soup, catfish paprikash), an innovative approach is also present in Halkakas: popular street-food dishes from fish instead of meat. Recently, they branched out with a new outlet in Buda's Margit Quarter, opposite the Franciscan church. In this smaller fish bar, you can sample fish burgers, quesadillas made from catfish or catfish kebab tortillas.
5/8
Nemo Fish & Chips & Salad Bar
Looking like a cosy, French-like fish bistro, Nemo Fish & Chips opened almost ten years ago. It’s usually a busy outlet, located on the site of a former carpentry workshop in Buda, at the corner of Lövőház and Fény utca. As part of their variable offer, they have recently introduced Asian flavours, such as grilled salmon steaks served with hazelnuts, fried vegetables in soy sauce and roast pasta with Thai vegetables and tom yum soup.
6/8
Shrimpy
Located on the busy main road of Üllői út in District XVIII, Shrimpy Food Bar specialises in fish, shrimps and seafood. The founders first set out with a food truck, then they switched to a standard restaurant, creating a more sophisticated menu but keeping the street-food dishes as well. They host octopus dinners and oyster evenings, and their delicious surf ‘n’ turf burger comes in a light, squid-ink bun, and it’s also worth trying their soups and anything they make with shrimps.
7/8
Spicy
You don’t have to go to suburban Kőbánya if you want authentic Asian food. Spicy Fish, known from the Monori Centre mall, has opened a joint outlet with Sakura Ramen on Corvin sétány in bustling Pest. The restaurant places the greatest emphasis on Chinese cuisine, but you can also taste Korean and Japanese food here, too. They offer everything from century eggs marinated in soy sauce to vegetable wok dishes and steamed dim sum to jellyfish salads. For beginners and advanced Asian diners alike.
8/8
Vörös Hom
Vörös Homár (‘Red Lobster’), located in Buda's Hegyvidék Shopping Centre, also combines the two main priorities of fish lovers as it's a fish shop and a gastro bar at the same time. Fresh goods arrive several times a week, from Spain and Italy, filling the counter with flounder, monkfish, swordfish fillets, black mussels, octopus and other seafood. Some of these are cooked right away in the bistro kitchen, which – along with daily changing menus – can then be tasted beneath a ceiling decorated with fishing nets. So, you can tuck into tuna steak, salmon burgers or even black tiger prawn skewers amid the atmospheric sea vibes of the interior.
