One block away from the Octogon on the famous Andrássy Utca you’ll find a pleasant promenade of restaurant and bars which in Summer spill out onto the walking street. Amongst these is Menza, a modern Hungarian restaurant (vendeglo) serving traditional fare with flare….

One of the best restaurants in Budapest for international cuisine and well located in the fifth district this is not the place to come for an authentic Hungarian dish. Primarily intended as a trap for tourists it does however trap them in a very pleasant way….

One of the most famous of coffee houses in, as the name suggests, a very central location just right to provide after-shopping refreshment being just east of the famous walking street Váci útca. Originally a meeting place for intellectuals, it has, in it’s checkered history, also been a place for paprika buyers, university students as the infamous Eotvos Klub, and even video gamers when it was briefly called ‘Wizzards’….

Recently awarded a coveted Michelin Bib Gaudard – the not so famous lesser cousin of the prized Michelin star – Arcade Bistro now ranks in the top 5 restaurants in Budapest at least according to the Michelin Guide….

The concept “Italian tradition in a continually reinterpreted international cuisine” is the main theme of this restaurant’s gastronomic philosophy, which for the last 14 years has been updated and transformed with the help of their chef Giorgio Cavicchiolo….

A restaurant whose decor hints at Asia but whose food is influenced by a much wider sphere. Our group of five managed to tick off 6 countries: Spanish, Italian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and a damn good Hungarian. All Goa’s dishes are authentically prepared, beautifully presented and the menu has an excellent smattering of vegetarian offerings enough to keep even the strictest of abstainers happy (we had three in our group this time round and all were pleased with their food)….

Pampas’ steaks come in two sizes: 200g & 320g and for my money I’d plump for the almost 2inch thick 320g serving any day. Cooked to perfection is no exaggeration. It might seem off target to recommend a steak house to people undergoing dental treatment but the quality of the meat (sourced almost entirely in Argentina as the name suggests) means it melts in the mouth without too much encouragement being required….