Biwako Ramen House

Biwako fashions itself as a ramen house, but I find their non-ramen Japanese dishes to be their strongest suit: the donburi, the okonomiyaki, and the takoyaki. The restaurant is strategically located across the street from The Japan Foundation in Budapest's District 6, inside a modest below-ground space.

If you've come for the ramen, try it with the spicy miso base, which is flavorful and not too spicy at all. Biwako serves some of the best karaage in Budapest: juicy and tender chicken thighs coated in a crispy crust. I also enjoyed the seafood okonomiyaki, a savory pancake strewn with squid and octopus and paper-thin bonito flakes, and the katsudon, a rice bowl topped with breaded pork and a fried egg. The only letdown was the stale and spongy dorayaki, a Japanese dessert made from red-bean paste. Mains are €13-20.