Zazie Bistro

Zazie is a slick restaurant in the ground floor of the new MOL Tower, designed by Norman Foster and Hungary’s tallest building currently (accessible within 15-minutes from the city center by bus #107). Zazie’s head-chef, Dániel Bíró, is the son of Lajos Bíró, a legendary restaurateur who made a name for himself by rejuvenating Hungarian classics after their Communist-era stupor.

Dániel’s culinary direction mirrors his father’s, with welcome quirks and digressions. Such quirks would be the zippy mackerel pieces sitting in a bed of sour cream, and the pair of boneless chicken thighs, smashed and crunchy and slickened with a soy and peanut-based sauce. The goulash soup is the dialed-up version, arriving in a gleaming, flavor-rich paprika broth. So is the tender catfish with a side of silky cabbage noodles. I recommend you end with the Instagram-friendly plate of floating island (madártej): creamy and cool.

Mains are €9-15 and there’s a weekday €14 three-course lunch prix fixe – be sure to book ahead. Once here, you could visit the striking observation deck atop the building (accessible for an admission fee). A more upscale restaurant on the 28th floor, Virtu, is run by the same owners.