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Múzeum
The place to come if you want to dine in style. It's a café-restaurant that is still going strong after more than a century at the same location near the National Museum. The food is excellent and reliable if not particularly inventive and there is a good-value, three-course set menu available noon to .
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Nagyi Palacsintázója
This place, with branches in Buda (I Batthyány tér 5), Óbuda (III Záhony utca 2) and still another across the river in Pest (V Petőfi Sándor tér 17-19) with Internet access serves Hungarian pancakes - both the savoury and sweet variety - round the clock. It's always packed.
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Náncsi Néni
Auntie Náncsi, any loopy old lady in Hungarian, is a perennial favourite with Hungarians and expats alike and very much of a sound mind. Housed in a wood-panelled cabin in Hűvösvölgy, the restaurant specialises in game in autumn and winter. In summer it's the lighter fare and garden seating that attract.
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Pesti Vendéglő
Here is a great choice for someone trying traditional Hungarian specialities for the first time. This very popular family-run and clean eatery close to Deák tér offers a lighter take on standard Hungarian favourites, and the staff is very welcoming and helpful.
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Pick Ház
Next to the M2 Kossuth Lajos tér metro station, this is self-service eatery above the famous salami manufacturer's central showroom, just opposite the Parliament building.
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Pozsonyi Kisvendéglő
Visit this neighbourhood restaurant on the corner of Pozsonyi út offering the ultimate local experience: gargantuan portions of standard Hungarian favourites, rock-bottom prices and a cast of local characters. There's a bank of tables on the pavement in summer and simple, set weekday menus for next to nothing.
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Premier
In the hallowed Art Nouveau-influenced halls of the Hungarian Journalists' Association and just far enough from the House of Terror for our comfort, the Premier attracts a motley crew of media types and diplomats from nearby embassies and consulates with its Hungarian comfort food and international dishes. Check out the stained glass.
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Remíz
Next to an old remíz (tram depot) in the Buda Hills, this local institution fitted out with retro decor is still an excellent choice for its grilled dishes (especially the ribs), competitive prices and verdant garden terrace. The portions are huge and the service is seamless.
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Rozmaring
You probably wouldn't come all the way up here for the food - it's uninspired Hungarian at best - but the flower-bedecked covered terraces at 'Rosemary' (as in the herb) that look onto the Danube and the western side of Margaret Island (the water tower just visible above the trees) are a delight in summer.
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Soho Palacsintabár
The Soho can provide you with a fix of palacsinta (Hungarian-style pancakes) till the wee hours. Try the more unusual pancake varieties like Mexican. Open non-stop from Thursday to Monday morning.
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Stex Alfred
A big, noisy place that's open almost 24 hours, the Stex is just north of the Applied Arts Museum. The extensive menu includes soups, sandwiches, pasta, fish and meat dishes as well as vegetarian selections, eand it transforms into a lively bar late at night. Best of all there's breakfast.
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Szent Jupát
Szent Jupát is the classic late-night choice for solid Hungarian fare - consider splitting a dish with a friend. It's just north of Moszkva tér and opposite the Fény utca market so within easy striking distance of both Buda and Pest.
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Tabáni Terasz
This charming terrace restaurant at the foot of Castle Hill is a modern take on the same on traditional fare, with less calorific Hungarian dishes and an excellent wine selection. The candle-lit cellar is a delight in winter.
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Toldi Étkezde
This little eatery just west of Fő utca is the place to come if you're in search of Hungarian comfort food at lunchtime (weekdays only). Unusually for this kind of place, there are at least a half-dozen real vegetarian dishes to choose from.
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Új Sípos Halászker
This lovely, very traditional restaurant in Óbuda faces (and, in the warmer weather, has outside seating in) the district's most beautiful square, which is worth the trip in itself. Try the halászlé (fish soup). Service is very good here.
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Vogue
This fine old vessel moored off XIII Szent István Park in Újlipótváros and opposite the eastern side of Margaret Island has stunning views south towards Margaret and Chain Bridges and - unusually - you can also take in both sides of the river. The food is Serbian and other South Slav - čevapčiči (spicy meatballs), pljeskavica (spicy meat patties) and ražnjiči (shish kebab) - always grilled and always in large portions.
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Vörös és Fehér
The 'Red and White' is all about wine - Hungarian to be precise - and here you can order from the top of the shelf by the 0.1L to sip and compare. The menu is brief but has come into its own in recent years. It hasn't eclipsed the wine but it certainly plays a greater role than it did. The pork dishes are superb.
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Vörös Postakocsi
What was for over three decades a more than forgettable eatery serving Hungarian stodge and overlooked by all but the bravest or most desperate of diners in Ferencváros has remerged Phoenix-like as a trendy retro Hungarian restaurant. If you want a take on how modern Hungarians think they used to eat when times were tougher (and less health-conscious), visit the 'Red Postal Coach'.
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