Al Amir Arabic Restaurant

Unhurried groups of elderly Arab regulars tend to socialize at Al-Amir, surely a good sign for a Syrian restaurant in downtown Budapest. Al-Amir marries a counter-service with a sit-down restaurant; most upscale is the downstairs section, usually taken up by hookah-smokers during the cold months (hookahs aren't allowed in the summer).

The dishes are solid but far from memorable. You can find here fresh and fluffy pitas – most Levantine restaurants in Budapest serve bland discs of flatbread – and tasty mezzes such as hummus, baba ghanoush, and matbucha. Also good are the falafel and the shish taouk, but what's superior to them is Al-Amir's baklava: perfectly moist and flavorful. No alcohol is served, but a range of teas and coffee are available.