Address: Sas Utca 3, 1051, Budapest
Opening hours: 12.00 – 16.00; 18.00 – 00.00 (closed Sundays)
For more information, visit their website here.
Situated in the heart of Budapest, just around the corner from the majestic St Stephen’s Basilica, lies Borkonyha – its name means ‘Winekitchen’ in Hungarian and is a title that describes it perfectly. The Michelin-starred restaurant opened in 2010 and under the guidance of its executive chef Ákos Sárközi it has served a triumphant medley of traditional and modern dishes presented in an innovative way that is always captivating both in taste and appearance, while also expertly showcasing the range of Hungarian wines with over 200 types on offer.
Despite its Michelin Star and success with fine dining, it remains unpretentious and extremely reasonably priced with dishes from around 10 EUR and a laid-back environment where enthusiastic and knowledgeable waiters provide suggestions on both the food and wine. For around 70 EUR, diners can opt for a five-course tasting menu, which is exactly what we did.
We began with an amuse-bouche of (I believe) duck terrine topped with a paste with mustard seeds before being swiftly brought a starter of catfish, which tasted fragrant and delicate in a way I never thought possible. Next was the best soup of my life, pumpkin soup with beef cheek and pumpkin seeds – the tender beef melting in your mouth with the saltiness of pumpkin seeds and the slight umami of the soup itself, a superb gastronomic experience.
Then, the mains: pigeon with radish and beetroot, followed by a lamb, mushroom and apple dish. The medium-cooked pigeon looked like a work of art on the plate, with shades of pink swirling playfully with green, while the pigeon itself was expertly seasoned and cooked. The lamb was stunning too, with perfectly matched richness and saltiness that married well with the tenderness of the meat and the sweetness of the sauce. For dessert, a deconstructed ‘Túró Rudi’ (a popular Hungarian sweet, curd covered with chocolate), that kept in theme with the rest of the evening: reinvention.
Make sure to book ahead.
Hungry for more? Read our Budapest food guide here.
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