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Nagy Fal
This cheap and cheerful Chinese place has a seemingly endless menu of dishes to eat in or take away. It's all pretty samey stuff but it's a budget Asian option in the heart of town.
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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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Napfényes Ízek
'Sunny Tastes' is a bit out of the way (unless you're staying near Andrássy út, but the wholesome foods and the speciality cakes are worth the trip out here. There is an organic shop where you can stock up on both packaged and baked goods, including excellent cakes. Set lunches are a bargain.
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Nefrit
This Chinese restaurant housed in a small villa on the way to the Buda Hills is popular with diplomats who like what purports to be authentic Cantonese and Szechuan cuisines. The dim sum, hard to find in Budapest, is acceptable and some of the seafood dishes quite good. Service is particularly prompt.
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Óceán Bár & Grill
We'd like to say this place has made quite a splash in Budapest but we're afraid we'd be arrested by the pun police. Still, it's making waves with its fresher-than-fresh seafood flown in daily from Scandinavia, congenial décor and wonderful fishmonger's/delicatessen (enter from Régiposta utca). We'll come back for the curried crabmeat soufflé and the boiled lobster but we do wish they'd remove that aquarium. There's a three-course set lunch.
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Okay Italia
Okay is a perennially popular place run by Italians with a full range of dishes with a nearby branch (V Nyugati tér 6) that serves just pasta and pizza, which is what most people come for in any case. Both restaurants have terraces.
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Pata Negra
The 'Black Foot' - it's a special kind of Spanish cured ham - is a new cellar-like Spanish tapas bar and restaurant at the (almost) top of trendy Ráday utca. There are good cheese and excellent wine selections, and it's very vegetarian-friendly.
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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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Pink Cadillac
More of an upbeat 1950s diner than a pizzeria, the Pink Cadillac still reigns supreme on IX Ráday utca after all this time. If you don't like the surrounds, have it delivered to Paris Texas (that's a pub next door and not some one-horse town in the Lone Star State).
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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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Rákóczi tér market
A central (though not the most colourful or well-stocked) market is Rákóczi tér market.
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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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Rivalda
Rivalda is an international cafe-restaurant in an old convent next to the National Dance Theatre. With some modern Hungarian favourites, a thespian theme and a garden courtyard, it is the place to choose if you are going to splash out in the touristy, expensive Castle district. The menu changes frequently and the wine list is among the best.
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Robinson
Inside leafy City Park, Robinson is the place to secure a table on the lakeside terrace on a warm summer's evening. There are excellent starters like sliced goose liver and homemade venison pâté. Mains include fogas (Balaton pike-perch), grilled tuna and smoked duck breast cooked on lava stones.
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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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Seoul House
This place serves excellent Korean food, from barbecue grills to kimchi (pickled spicy cabbage) dishes. Not the most atmospheric place in town and service is rather grim but, well, that makes it all very authentic.
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Shalimar
Shalimar is a rather tired-looking place serving tandoori, tikka and kebab dishes that taste like they've come via southern Hungary (there's got to be paprika in there somewhere) rather than India, but at least it's a fix when you need it. We're told the chef's from Nepal, which may explain the hybrid tastes. Still the mutton biryani is a force to be reckoned with and vegetarian dishesa are plentiful.
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Shiraz
A 'Persian' restaurant with carpets and hookahs loaded with apple, peach and strawberry tobacco to lure in the punters. The food is tasty but not particularly substantial and most are stew-like in form and taste.
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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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Soul Café
One of the better choices along a street heaving with so-so restaurants and iffy cafés, the Soul has inventive Continental food and décor, and you can order anything from a sandwich or a pizza to a full meal, including many vegetarian dishes. It has a great terrace.
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Spinoza Café
This very attractive café-restaurant in the Jewish district has become a personal favourite both for meals and as a chill-out zone. The venue includes both an art gallery and theatre, where events take place from May to September, along with a restaurant and coffee house. The food is an unusual (but successful) hybrid of Hungarian, Dutch and Jewish; try the signature chicken with honey and garlic or the roast goose leg with apple and red cabbage. There's live music on Thursday nights.
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Spoon
If you like the idea of dining on the high waters but remaining tethered to the bank (just in case) Spoon's for you. It serves international cuisine amid bright and breezy surrounds and the choices for vegetarians are great. You can't beat the views of the castle and Chain Bridge. It also does sushi, hand rolls and sashimi.
