Breading literally everything – meat, vegetables, mushrooms, even cheese – is a very Hungarian habit. So if you fancy being authentic, add 'trying the Hungarian cousin of a Wiener schnitzel' to your Budapest bucket list. Along with the cure-all chicken soup, it is one of the most essential dishes of locals, often featured on the Sunday menu at home. Restaurants serve it all around town in different sizes and shapes, and we have rounded up our favourite ones.
Before discussing which are the best restaurants in Budapest to try this speciality, let’s clarify something: the traditional Wiener schnitzel is made of veal, is almost paper thin, and is perfect when drizzled with a few drops of lemon juice. Here in Hungary, there is a close cousin of this dish called 'rántott hús', which is also a savoury feast of breaded deep-fried meat – usually a thick slice of pork or chicken – served with parsley potatoes as the main star of Hungarian Sunday family lunches. We are now taking the liberty to use this commonly used term when showing you around the best restaurants serving it.
1/11
buja
Buja Disznó(k) boasts top quality and huge-sized breaded meat in several locations in the city (Fény utca Market, Hello Buda, and City Park). Their pork-based Wiener schnitzel is the main attraction of the spot, selling huge quantities every day, and the quality is always flawless. The Bavarian potato salad is a great complement, and we always get a small ring of hot peppers to go with it. For something a little extra, rub it on the coating! We had it this way recently, and it was a whole new experience. If there's a way, we prefer to go to Buja Disznó(k) Liget (in the City Park) because of the peaceful location and prime meat really fit!
2/11
Remma’s Bistro
We can’t get enough of Remma’s ever since we discovered it in the heart of Budapest's Jewish district last year. It evokes the excellence of French bistros, with the goal of treating their guests to old, almost-forgotten dishes with a modern twist. They prove from time to time how great their cuisine is with crowd favourites. The breaded meat is made from pure Mangalica (the best quality of Hungarian pork), a marbled variety, so you can bite into a heavenly, fatty, clean-tasting meal. Made with panko breadcrumbs, the meat is slow-cooked and served after a short rest with salt flakes. And the potato salad with pumpkin seeds is the perfect side dish. (x)
3/11
menza
There is only one Menza! The 20-year-old legend celebrated its anniversary this year, and their Wiener schnitzel is one of their staples. It would probably start a revolution if the regulars couldn’t find it on the menu one day. Soft meat, just the right thickness, huge in size, this dish can be varied seasonally with the garnish. Our favourite is the potatoes with parsley, but the meat is steady and always close to the heart!
4/11
Marischka
Crispy, crumbly, reminiscent of traditional Hungarian Sunday lunches. Served with sour cream cucumber salad and mashed potatoes, just the way we like it. What is more, you can also order a gluten-free version! Marischka on Attila út (behind the Buda Castle Hill) has been open for exactly two years, and veal schnitzels have been on the menu since the beginning. Since its opening, the restaurant has delivered what it promised: beautifully served, familiar flavours in a charming yet extravagant setting on the ground floor of Attila99loft.
5/11
Bobo Restaurant
Bobo Restaurant, located in the beautiful gardens of Haris Park, is a place to spend quality time. As long as the weather allows, dining in the garden, embraced by the manicured emerald lawns, is most enjoyable. Our favourite is the breaded meat. They serve Wiener schnitzel with classic Austrian potato salad. We had two large slices of meat, thin but not the dry version, with fresh crispy breadcrumbs, served separately with potato salad, for which we were grateful, as it didn’t get soggy.
6/11
Rosenstein
Despite the generous menu featuring a wide variety of dishes, Rosenstein also sells a lot of Wiener schnitzel. This place is really all about the family atmosphere, old Tibi bácsi is a legend and with the help of his son Robi, he creates friendly vibes. It is no coincidence that celebrities, famous actors, and Hungarian artists also like to come here for the Wiener schnitzel, for example, which is not tricky, but made in a very honest way, with absolute respect for tradition.
7/11
Paletta
In lively Tompa utca, it is always a pleasure to have a schnitzel on the terrace at Paletta. The restaurant evokes the Hungarian sea Lake Balaton in many ways, and there are a few sure and unshakable points such as the breaded meat, the breaded cheese, and the great cakes of Mama Bezerics. Now let’s examine our first cornerstone: unusually, it’s made from the so-called ‘bat cut pork’, or Fledermaus (the upper part of the pig’s thigh), which is the juiciest, most enjoyable cut of pork you’ve ever tasted. This part is rarely used, which is why we want to draw attention to Paletta’s meat. It’s rolled in crispy panko crumbs and comes with a suitably oniony-sour potato salad. A real speciality, no wonder so many people come to them in the first place.
8/11
21 Restaurant
21 Restaurant makes textbook Wiener schnitzel up in the Buda Castle, with silky, almost melt-in-your-mouth mashed potatoes. The traditional dishes at 21 are usually very tasty, but the Sunday favourite stands out even among them. The meat is soft and has that fatness that makes it a real comfort food. It is fortunate that if you are strolling around the Castle District, you don’t have to go far for a delicious lunch.
9/11
Kréta Bistro
The coating is crunchy and the Fledermaus meat is almost shaking, so juicy. We recently visited Kréta, and their breaded meat was an almost nostalgic experience. It’s often said that the best taste experiences are made when we’re transported back in time: a grandmother’s or mother’s heavenly cooking is the standard, so it was a real relief to see the Bartók Béla út bring back a past genre that we could never get enough of.
10/11
Vokál Rock Bistro
Vokál Rock Bistro on Lágymányosi utca has outstanding
cuisine. The chef has been experimenting with the breaded meat for decades:
long before Buja Disznó(k) was opened. He is a master with red meat and its fatty
parts, so it is surprising that he decided to go for a leaner cut, pork chop.
But this chop is nothing like the others: he rests the meat in a spicy marinade
for a day, then breads it in a mixture of panko and homemade breadcrumbs. Even
the mashed potatoes are something else: he makes the mash with sour cream, so
not only do the homemade marinated and fermented vegetables add an exciting
extra to the sizeable meats, but the creamy mashed potatoes get a twist,
as well.
(The restaurant is
currently only open on weekends.)
11/11
A KERT Bistro
The A KERT Bistro offers everything you need for a family meal: the relaxed pace of Zugló instead of the hustle and bustle of the city centre, the more human scale of the family business, heritage, and the fabulous garden we love to sit in. Although they boast global cuisine, they definitely serve some classics, including the Sunday Wiener schnitzel. When the team isn’t planning another Asian special, they’re preparing a super high-quality schnitzel. They wrap it in panko crumbs, and you get to choose your own side dish.
