Hungary's capital – and Pest's District VII in particular – offers plenty of excellent eateries serving traditional and modern dishes of Judaic culture, including numerous kosher options. Bete'Avon!
1/11
Carmel glatt kosher restaurant
Carmel is in the middle of District VII's Kazinczy Street, right in the heart of Pest's Jewish Quarter. They define themselves as a glatt kosher restaurant, which means that they meet the strict requirements of the religion's kosher requirements entirely. Accordingly, we can find Hungarian and international meals on the menu, but also classical Jewish specialities. There is also a possibility to order a special four-course Sabbath menu (5,000-6,000 HUF), but you can also choose from many à la carte meals too. A good broth (1,400 HUF) with a classic matzo ball in it might be the perfect choice for a starter. Matzo is basically an unleavened bread, the 'bread of sadness”, and the dumpling made from it is a traditional ingredients of soups.
Website
2/11
Hanna Orthodox restaurant
Also in the heart of Pest's District VII, Hanna is a restaurant founded in the '60s on Dob Street. This eatery is also a strict Orthodox glatt kosher restaurant, with a menu that features classical meals that are not exactly traditional to Jewish culture, like the Ceasar salad (1,790 HUF), broiled hake (2,890 HUF) or roast a la barov (2,800 HUF ). We recommend the hummus with tahini made of chickpeas and sesame purée (1,680 HUF) and the Israeli salad.
Website
3/11
Carimama kosher pizzeria (now Tel Aviv cafe)
Right across the street from Carmel, you can also eat pizza (2000-2400 HUF) without crossing religious boundaries, if you are in the mood. During breakfast hours they offer a good braided challah bread with poppy seeds (245 HUF), but you don't have to worry about being hungry here during the rest of the day either. At Carimama the only meat you can eat is fish, so maybe this will not be the favorite of carnivores. Still, you can order a Tonno or Diavona pizza anytime.
Website
4/11
Fülemüle
Leaving the strictly kosher category behind, we move to nearby District VIII, where this restaurant has been operating for about 15 years. Fülemüle not only offers classical Jewish meals, but also customary courses of Central Europe. The selection includes roast beef with dumplings (3,200 HUF), special varieties of cholent (1,800-4,500 HUF), and crispy duck or goose (2,900-3,300 HUF). If you are in the mood for desserts, the restaurant has a lot to offer, such as fried matzo with nuts and chocolate sauce (900 HUF).
5/11
Rosenstein
No matter what their religion, most Budapest foodies are already familiar with this place. Rosenstein is a real family business. You can find 'all sorts of goodness” on the menu, to quote the proprietor (who is also the chef). They have Jewish meals, but meanwhile you can also have Gypsy-style pork roast (3,200 HUF). Still, if you want to hit the jackpot here, you should order their famous cholent (2,600 HUF).
6/11
Kőleves
Although it is located within a building that once housed a kosher meat-processing plant, Kőleves is a place that adheres to the spirit of Judaic cuisine more than the religious ordinances. This is apparent in the small things, such as the restaurant's refusal to use pork, additives, and aiming for getting and processing ingredients in the most natural ways possible. You can mostly order fish, chicken, vegetable meals, pasta, and desserts here.
7/11
Yiddishe Mamma Mia
If you think that the name means that Jewish cuisine meets Italian cooking here, you are not far from the truth. Those who visit the restaurant discover that the two cuisines form a perfect unison, like they always belonged together on your plate. Mamma is not joking – from osso bucco (2,800 HUF) to spaghetti (1,950 HUF), you can find almost any Italian dish here, often served with Jewish spirit. The most interesting meal is probably the risotto of Yentl (2,400 HUF), which contains goose pilaf – now that is something unique.
Website
8/11
Mazel Tov
Seems like we can't leave District VII – we are now back in the area of Fogasház, where we can have the city's coolest meals from the Middle East. Don't look for Orthodox kosher food here; those can be found at the places listed above. This restaurant invites you to enjoy a playful journey in the world of flavors. As a recent example, in celebration of the Jewish New Year they prepared a special menu for the occasion, including pumpkin-cream soup, chraime (a fish plate), apple pie, and a glass of wine. Of course, don't panic if you want to choose something à la carte, because they also have hummus, tahini, freshly made pitas, beef skewers, and a Jerusalem mix (890-1,390 HUF).
9/11
Macesz Bistro (Closed)
Macesz Huszár is almost two years old now, and it shows us that it is possible to do something modern with the utmost respect for traditions. The restaurant is based on Jewish gastronomic customs, but it is not kosher. Who would think that they would come across a hamburger (2,990 HUF) in the menu, and made with goose? They also have Jewish eggs (1,290 HUF), stuffed goose neck (1,590 HUF),and, of course, cholent. Naturally, the “flódni” cannot be left out from the dessert selection.
10/11
Dafke Deli (Closed)
The meaning of the word dafke is 'I will do it regardless the circumstances', and although opinions differ on why the restaurant took this name, one thing is for sure – it opened this spring, at the time of Budapest's “pastrami revolution”, and had a head start in the world of gastronomy. Pastrami is a classical deli sandwich, made with beef brisket, rye bread, pickles, and mustard (1,290 HUF) – this is a must to try when you visit Dafke Deli. Another meal that we recommend is the bagel with salmon, made with the original recipe: with cream cheese, tartare, and capers (990 HUF). Dafke Deli has been ceased.
11/11
Torta.hu
Ráchel Raj's name is now always associated with her famous flódni, and she could never get rid of it, even if she wanted to; we suspect that she does not want to. But what is flódni? It is a classic Hungarian Jewish cake, and it's like it has several types of cakes mixed together: many layers of dough, with walnuts, poppy seeds, plum jam, and apple in between them – hedonism in a few bites. Of course, this is not the only thing that you can get in the patisserie. They also make wedding cakes, traditional cakes, diabetic cakes, and cakes that are free of gluten and lactose, so everybody can find their personal favorite. But only after having a flódni (HUF 690).
