The legendary Szépilona restaurant was welcoming guests under its old sycamore trees even a century ago, but its last owner, Imre Luzsi suddenly decided to retire in 2019. Fortunately, neither the family nor their gastronomically savvy friends were able to accept the prospect of the restaurant shutting down, so instead they’ve modernised and pulled the restaurant into the 21st century with a few minor changes to this popular eatery, now called Szépilona Bistro.
To our delight, there’s no drastic shift in the locale’s atmosphere. The interior’s Art Deco features have been preserved, but enhanced with a slightly bolder, Parisian-bistro ambience. The dishes still reflect the culinary wonders of the best Buda restaurants, with excellent tafelspitz, Wiener schnitzel and kaiserschmarrn pancakes. Renovation has brought the restaurant closer to the expectations of modern diners, while the motto of the new Szépilona is a very simple and heartfelt idea borrowed from a famous resident of Buda, writer Sándor Márai, ‘You have to love life’.
