Hungary - Eastern Europe - page 304

Moderate
Café Kör HUNGARIAN CONTEMPORARY This centrally located restaurant
began as a coffeehouse in 1995, and in subsequent years it developed both in terms of
its space and in cuisine to the comfortable and reliable restaurant that it is today. Just
a stone's throw away from the Basilica, the owners developed Café Kör based on mod-
els of simple decor and attentive cuisine seen in other international capitals. The
restaurant has become increasingly popular due to its proximity to four- and five-star
hotels, notably the Hotel Four Seasons Gresham Palace. We recommend this restau-
rant because you will always be satisfied, although not necessarily overly impressed.
V. Sas u. 17. & 1/311-0053. Reservations recommended. Soup 490 Ft-680 Ft ($2.50-$3.50/£1.30-£1.75); starters
730 Ft-2,300 Ft ($4.95-$9.95/£1.90-£5.90); main courses 1,600 Ft-3,580 Ft ($8.45-$25/£4.10-£9.20). No credit
cards. Mon-Sat 10am-11pm. Metro: Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út (Yellow line).
Firkász HUNGARIAN CONTEMPORARY A reminder that traditions
can live on and become reborn in the form of new and lively places like Firkász. “Tra-
dition is our future” is their motto of sorts, one that the immaculately dressed manager
Gergely Sallai takes very seriously. There is a turn-of-the-20th-century feeling to the
restaurant, and yet it remains contemporary. This place has the roots of a magical place
that keeps old-style traditions alive. The eatery is decorated with a wealth of wine bot-
tles, and the walls are pasted with early-20th-century newspapers, old pictures, tele-
phones, or clocks. It is the favorite eatery of the finest young Hungarian film-director,
the 30-year-old Kornél Mundruczó, who is an almost daily regular here, in the old-
world style. Some regulars venture in for a drink or meal at the bar, while others are
seated and watch the lively accordion player, or a tad tipsy or more gathering of tourists.
The restaurant serves a wide selection—60 to 80 strong—of Hungarian wines. We had
a tender and rich deer ragout with mashed potatoes, but choose from a vast selection
of Hungarian specialties like Szeged Goulash, gooseliver, or wild game.
XIII. Tátra u. 18. & 1/450-1118. Reservations recommended. Soup 590 Ft-1,390 Ft ($2.95-$6.95/£1.50-£3.60);
starters 990 Ft-2,390 Ft ($4.95-$12/£2.55-£6.15); main courses 1,999 Ft-4,690 Ft ($10-$23/£5.15-£12). MC, V.
Daily noon-midnight. Tram: 4 or 6 to Jászai Mari tér.
Iguana Bar & Grill MEXICAN Colorfully decorated and always buzzing
with activity, you might have trouble finding a seat at this buzzing restaurant. This is a
real hangout for Budapest expatriates, but also draws younger crowds and families. The
decor includes a fare of old Mexican posters, reproductions from Diego Rivera oddities,
and strangely, even a reproduction of an old master painting of the Last Supper. Iguana
is known for home-style service and reliable, good-ol' Mexican food: quesadillas, chiles,
fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, plus vegetarian options. For those who are adventuresome,
try the enticing fajitas made of marinated strips of tenderloin, chicken, and shrimp. The
fajitas are grilled on a sizzling hot steamy iron platter with onions and peppers. Jenö's
Quesadilla (formerly Gino's) is my special treat, which includes a red pepper next to it
on the menu and is purportedly named after a Budapest expatriate. You might also try
the Iguana Beer, made especially for the restaurant by a small Csepel Island brewery.
Zóltán u. 16. & 1/331-4352. www.iguana.hu. Reservations recommended. Appetizers 600 Ft-1,200 Ft
($3-$6/£1.55-£3.10); main courses 1,800 Ft-3,300 Ft ($9-$17/£4.65-£8.50). AE, DISC, MC, V. Daily
11:30am-12:30am (Fri-Sat until 1:30am). Metro: Kossuth tér (Red line).
M HUNGARIAN CONTEMPORARY French cuisine and atmosphere are
blended with Hungarian flavors in this restaurant that serves its water in Communist-
era jugs—and what it saves on the furnishings, it invests in good, simple, and fresh

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