6Fausto’s Ristorante
Fausto’s Ristorante, which opened in 1994, is a classic fine dining restaurant in Budapest with a hat-tip to northern Italian fare. Forget pizza and Caprese salad; here scallops, foie gras, flatfish, and venison loin are the gastronomic currency. A couple of egg pasta and risotto are also available, made with deliciously rich sauces. The decor is traditional fine dining: soft background music drifts from the background of the dim dining room, which has only a dozen tables, all set with heavy linen tablecloths. Under the vigilant eyes of owner Fausto Di Vora, always dressed in a chef's coat, an army of waiters quietly scurry around the tables that tend to fill up on Friday and Saturday evenings with well-heeled tourists and local businesspeople.
Be sure to bring a full wallet as you can easily rack up a bill for the equivalent of €65 per person for a three-course a la carte meal, even without wine. This makes Fausto's particularly pricey compared with other tasting menu restaurants in Budapest. Osteria, on the other side of the dining room, is a cheaper, more laid-back alternative, serving a €15 three-course lunch prix fixe.
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