Review: Budapest food tour with Taste Hungary
On my trip to Budapest, I wanted to try some of the local food so I started looking for Budapest food tours.
I could have just checked TripAdvisor for the best restaurants. Sure. But I wanted to know about the hidden spots. Get the insider tips from a local.
So, that’s how I found Taste Hungary, a local food tour company in Budapest.
Read next: 10 best cheap eats in Budapest
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Budapest food tour with Taste Hungary
During my research for Budapest food tours, I kept hearing about Taste Hungary and how their tours introduce you to all of Budapest’s greatest culinary hits.
And that’s how I ended up on their Culinary Walk.
Taste Hungary is a local company with local guides. The company offers several tours, but the most popular is the Culinary Walk, which is led by a food-specialized guide. The tour includes:
8 tasting stops (including a trip to the central market)- Full lunch
- Cake tasting
- Wine tasting
8 tasting stops (including a trip to the central market)
Full lunch
Wine tastingThe tour takes 4 hours and starts at 9.30 from Monday to Saturday.
Food samples at the Central Market Hall
My Taste Hungary tour started in downtown Budapest at the Central Market Hall – a large, three-floor indoor market selling all kinds of foods.
I met with the rest of the group and our guide at the entrance, and we kicked off the tour with a shot of Unicum; the national drink of Hungary made from 40 herbs & spices.
It’s said to have medicinal qualities, but all I got was a throat burn.
Amazing strudel
With bellies full of Unicum, we moved on to a food stand with a huge crowd around it. To my surprise, I found a cheery guy in the stand making strudel from scratch, and gooood it looked!
To be honest, I’m not a fan of Austrian or German strudel, but this was different.
Our guide ordered a small selection so we could try the different flavors and I went straight for the cottage cheese strudel. It was SO delicious!
Meat from the butcher
Our next stop was the butcher where we tried a variety of salamis, like spicy salami, regular salami, a pork sausage made from the famous hairy pig, boar salami, horse salami, and beef tongue.
I’ve tasted some pretty interesting things in my life, but this is the first time I tried horse meat.
It’s not bad.
Lunch at Belvárosi Disznótoros
Leaving the bustling Food Market, we went to Belvárosi Disznótoros, also called “Downtown Pig Feast”, to have lunch.
Bear in mind that we had been eating for 2 hours already so I wasn’t exactly starving.
Our guide ordered a variety of small dishes, like sausages, suckling pigs, stuffed peppers, goulash, and side dishes including cabbage and bread.
And then the feast began.
When I think about Hungarian cuisine, goulash and paprika are the first things that come to mind. I’ve found different versions of goulash all over central and eastern Europe, but the Hungarian version is said to be the original.
My expectations honestly weren’t that high, but then *surprise* I loved it so inappropriately much that I was ready for seconds and thirds!
Dessert at Auguszt Cukrászda
After the huge lunch, we walked to Auguszt Cukrászda, a classic coffee house (patisserie) to have some of the elegant cakes that Hungarian bakers are known for.
Again, YUM.
Delicious chocolate at Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé
The next stop was an award-winning chocolatier at a boutique called Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé. We each got to pick two chocolates, and I chose a marzipan (my favorite) and a plum palinka.
Wine tasting at The Tasting Table
The tour ended at Taste Hungary’s head office: The Tasting Table.
After a little wine and cheese tasting, we learned that 90% of Hungarian wine is consumed within Hungary and that 70% is white wine.
As a wine connoisseur I was pretty darned amazed by their selection, especially the fruity and sweet white wine Tokaji aszú, which in my book now goes under the name: take me home!
Highlights of Taste Hungary’s Culinary Walk
I’m glad I joined the Taste Hungary food tour because I learned a lot about Hungarian food and the food in Budapest.
As a bonus, our guide shared a number of eating and drinking recommendations for the rest of my time in Budapest. It was a fun way to see the culinary side of the Hungarian capital.
These are some of the highlights of the Taste Hungary food tours Budapest:
- Selection of classic cakes and coffee
- Lángos (Hungary’s favorite street food)
- Artisanal chocolate tasting
- Traditional Hungarian lunch (incl. goulash soup)
- Shot of Unicum
- 3 classic Hungarian wines
- Pickled vegetables
- Artisanal cheese tasting
Many thanks to Taste Hungary for hosting me on this food trip in Budapest. As always, all opinions are my own.
That all looks so delicious! I love food tours – left to my own, I’m not very adventurous when it comes to ordering food, but on a tour where you just try a little of everything, I’m in heaven!
Ha, I know what you mean 😀 In a restaurant I always go for what I know, but at markets, street food stalls and food tours I’m all about trying new things. Lately I’ve started joining more food tours and cooking classes – they’re such a fun way to explore the local cuisine.
Oh wow, looks so great! I’m -on the other hand- love Austrian or German Strudel! (: But I’m dying to taste this Hungarian Strudel. I’m also very happy to hear that there’s also an international cuisine. I know you must taste the local food market, but every now and then a familiar plate isn’t that bad, is it?
Not at all 🙂 I like to spice things up food-wise when I travel. I always try the local food, but let’s face it, not all cuisines are created equal. Hungarian food is very rich in flavour and not bland like some of the other East European cuisines. I really liked it a lot.
My mouth may have been watering a little bit reading this post? So many really delicious-looking dishes. Any thoughts on how Budapest would be for a vegetarian traveler? I saw lots of meat in your photos! haha. Thanks for sharing your experience and your beautiful photographs 🙂
Hehe, yeah for a foodie it’s heaven. And for a vegetarian as well. I did see vegetarian dishes, and I’m pretty sure there was a veggie option at the food tour as well. They do like their meat in Hungary, but I’ve heard Budapest has a variety of vegetarian and vegan restaurants (I didn’t try any of them myself though).
Everything in this looks delicious! I had one of those cinammon-sugar cakes at one of the Vienna Christmas markets last week, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it!
Oh, yum! I wish we had them in Denmark, but I’ll have to make do with churros and burnt sugar almonds, which are a huge street food hit here 🙂
Burnt sugar almonds sound AMAZING.
They’re the best! So unhealthy, but oh-so good 😀
WOW! dishes are looking so delicious!
They were gorgeous! And there’s still so much streetfood in Budapest I need to try.
Chimney cake is the best things ever! 😀 Glad you liked Budapest!
I know 😀 I’m so going back for more!
The Chimney cakes are a favorire of mine. They are called Trdelnik in Slovakia and I usually try to find them once visiting any country in the region 🙂
I didn’t know they had them in Slovakia! I tried them in Romania, but preferred the Hungarian version, though 🙂
I love your blog! I am going to Budapest next week and your post has been super helpful. Thanks Miriam
So glad to hear that, Sally! Have an amazing trip to Budapest.
Headed to Budapest in a few days! Thanks for the food recommendations I can’t wait! Can you tell me the name of the Strudel place and your favorite Chimney Cake place? I want to make sure I stop by 🙂
Hi Lisa,
I don’t think the Strudel place has a name, but it has a blue facade and almost always a long line. You can ask someone when you get there, it shouldn’t be hard to find. As for the chimney cake, they’re all over town. The ones I got were all great so just pick a random corner stand that sells them. Just make sure they’re fresh out of the oven – very important!
Have fun in Budapest! It’s an amazing city 😀
You have explained everything so systematically about the cuisine options we have when we go to Hungary! Really nice article 🙂 It has given me a good idea on how to balance food on the trip.
So glad to hear that, Shree. I’m glad you found it helpful 🙂