10Gettó Gulyás is a cozy Hungarian restaurant inside Budapest's fashionable Jewish Quarter. The short menu features the heart of Hungarian cuisine, with many dishes imparting the sweet-sharp flavor of fresh paprika: goulash soup; Hortobágyi palacsinta; chicken, veal, catfish and mushroom paprikash; pörkölt with tarhonya. Pickled veggies (savanyúság) on the side, please.
During a recent meal with my parents, we also enjoyed the bone marrow with toast – the bread is sourced from the excellent arán bakery down the street on Wesselényi utca. The specialty of the house is the túrógombóc: pillowy cottage cheese dumplings buried in sour cream and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Hungarian wines are available for pairing.
"Gettó" refers to the Jewish ghetto which this neighborhood became during the winter of 1944; hence the Jewish-Hungarian dishes such as the “Jewish egg” spread which was traditionally an appetizer during Shabbat meals. Advance reservation is an absolute must; forget about scoring a same-day booking. After your meal, you could grab a drink at Szimpla Kert, the mother of all ruin bars just steps away in Kazinczy utca.
To remain unbiased, I visit all places incognito and pay for my own meals and drinks. I rely in large part on readers to support my work. I'm grateful if you make a one-time payment (PayPal, Venmo, Revolut) or subscribe to my weekly newsletter in which I write about Budapest and Vienna.