Best Jewish restaurant in Budapest
Fulemule Etterem is a true institution in Budapest when it comes to traditional Jewish cooking. The restaurant has been opened for years (as you'll note in the charmingly frumpy and old-school decor) and everyone from the New York Times to celebrity chef Andrew Zimmerman has raved about it, so we had to pay a visit during our trip to Budapest. And it didn't disappoint!
The restaurant is almost always fully-booked during weekends so your best bet is to make a reservation ahead of time or head there right when it opens as 12:00 for an early lunch (which is what we did). The menu is a blend of Hungarian and Jewish classics like matzo ball soup, chicken paprikash, goose liver in all its possible preparations, pastrami, and the restaurant's star dish, cholent, an Ashkenazi Jewish stew of beans and slow-cooked brisket. As this was our first time in Budapest, we went for the classics: a chicken paprikash and a cholent with roasted goose leg.
The cholent was hearty and smoky, perfect for a cold day, and the goose leg was incredibly rich. The skin was both perfectly crisp and unctuously fatty and the meat fell right off the bone. The paprika sauce on the chicken was addictivey good and we were grateful for the generous portion of buttered gnocchi to soak it all up! After having tried to make the dish several times at home, it was nice to actually find out how the genuine article is supposed to taste!
The price was more than reasonable and neither dish topped 8-10 euros. All in all, it was one of the best meals we had in the city. Humble, authentic, filling, and satisfying. If you're looking for an introduction to Hungarian-Jewish cuisine, Fulemule is your place!
