Skip the overpriced tourist restaurant on the Danube for one meal. Go find a büfé with a flickering neon sign and a grill that hasn't been cleaned since the fall of communism. Order the sausage. You won't regret it.
When travelers think of Budapest cuisine, their minds usually drift to grand thermal baths followed by heavy plates of goulash, chicken paprikash, or a decadent Dobos torte in a lavish café. But step off the tram at Oktogon, wander a side street near the Great Market Hall, or explore the bustling party district of Erzsébetváros, and you will find the true pulse of the city: the Budapest snack bar .
This is the king of Hungarian street food. Imagine a deep-fried pizza dough, puffed and crispy on the outside, soft and airy on the inside. The classic way to eat it is simply smeared with tejföl (Hungarian sour cream) and sprinkled with reszelt sajt (grated cheese). For the adventurous, snack bars offer garlic butter, sausage chunks, or even Nutella for a sweet version. Don't plan a formal dinner after eating one—this is a meal in itself.
The best snack bars have been around for decades, with yellowed tiles and handwritten menus in Hungarian (though most have pictures or English translations near the river). They operate on a simple premise: hot, filling, cheap food served fast. You cannot write about Budapest snack bars without mentioning the "Big Three" that keep the city moving.
