Rosenstein Restaurant

Rosenstein is a well-known Budapest restaurant serving traditional Hungarian and Hungarian-Jewish dishes. It was in 1996 that Tibor Rosenstein, over eighty now, started this family-run operation which is located a bit outside the city center and currently helmed by his son, Róbert (at lunchtime, he can be seen making the rounds through the tables).

Most of the long menu is a hat-tip to Hungarian fare: from goulash soup to beef stew (pörkölt) to paprikash to stuffed cabbage – traditional foods that have changed little over the generations. Not everything is a hit, but most dishes are reliably tasty. The catfish paprikash is a standout, arriving sprinkled with crispy bits of pork fat (Rosenstein isn’t kosher). The veal schnitzel is also delicious and could rival those in Vienna.

Of the Jewish-Hungarian dishes, Friday is dedicated to cholent, the signature sabbath dish of slow-cooked beans and pearl barley topped with brisket. Don't plan on doing much else the rest of the day after this hearty meal. Also here: Judit Vámos's flódni, a traditional Purim cake. With €15-25 mains, Rosenstein is rather pricey by local standards.