Hungarian food is known for being hearty and comforting, shaped by Central European traditions. While Budapest is filled to the brim with delicious, hearty, and warm meals, you can also find many explosive fine dining spots all over the city. Budapest’s culinary scene is thriving, with a growing number of top restaurants that blend modern technique with Hungarian tradition. 

While we had many amazing meals at local restaurants serving up traditional Hungarian food, we also had the opportunity to dine at three really great new and innovative restaurants. 

Szaletly 
A neighborhood restaurant in the Zugló district (Stefánia út), just outside the busiest tourist areas. The restaurant focuses on seasonal Hungarian food made with fresh, quality ingredients. We opted for their 5-course tasting menu, which features an appetizer, soup, 2 entrees, and a dessert. My favorites were the 2 entrees – Gourmet Chicken Goulash and Lamb Steak. The goulash, a subtle nod to the classic chicken paprikash dish that is typical in Hungarian cuisine, came with confit gizzards and buttery parsley dumplings and really gave a homey feel while offering super rich flavors. The lamb steak was served with a smoked and crispy potato stew and tarragon emulsion. The steak was cooked perfectly and the silky tarragon emulsion was a subtle nod to Hungarian flavors. The dessert, Curd Dumplings, features ingredients from Hungarian small producers. The sea buckthorn gel was tart and sweet, which contrasted so well with the otherwise mild cottage cheese dumplings. 

Stand 25 
Stand25 is a bistro located on the Buda side of Budapest. Created by chefs Szabina Szulló and Tamás Széll, it is helmed by the same team behind the two-Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant, Stand. While Stand25 is not a full Michelin-star restaurant, it is featured in the Michelin Guide as a Bib Gourmand for its excellent quality at moderate prices. The focus at Stand25 is traditional Hungarian classics with modern techniques in a relaxed, welcoming bistro setting rather than formal fine dining. I opted for their three-course menu for 19.500 HUF. You might think this is a basic appetizer, but their Caesar salad with seared St. James scallops, breadcrumbs, and parmesan was so flavorful and fresh. For my main, I picked the Young Deer Steak (180 g) with gratin potatoes, pak-choi, and jus. This was very well cooked and the gratin potatoes were so savory and decadent. My mom had the Salmon Fillet with risotto and green pea and this was the absolute best dish we had at the table. 

Salt
Salt is one of Budapest’s most acclaimed fine‑dining restaurants, earning both a Michelin star and a Michelin Green Star for its sustainability‑minded gastronomy. Salt is a tasting‑menu restaurant where traditional Hungarian ingredients and the chef’s culinary heritage are reimagined through innovative, seasonal, and sustainable techniques. Their menu is a fourteen-course tasting menu for 74.500 HUF per person. Some of our favorites dishes included a decadent rabbit liver mousse on miso cracker, aged pork belly, braised rabbit liver with three-grains soaked in jus, and a river trout with sashimi dish. We also opted to do their non-alcoholic drink pairing and that was fantastic. If you’re not into wine or aren’t a drinker, this is a solid option. Almost every dish was inspired by one of the chef’s childhood or heritage and I loved that the dishes were occasionally presented by the various chefs in the kitchen. It felt very intimate and it was nice to learn about their inspirations.