The food in eastern Europe is known to be very hearty, very heavy foods. Warms the body, warms the soul. Hungarian cuisine is lots of cream, vegetables, meat – all that good stuff. Paprika is the main spice, and you can buy it by the ton in the markets.
Goulash, a traditional Hungarian stew made with beef, tomatoes, onions, and paprika. There are tons of variations on the stew, depending on the area it’s made in or which kind of meat is used (if at all). You could go to two restaurants right next to each other in the same city, and their goulash could be completely different.
I tried Kürtőskalács (chimney cakes) for the first time in Prague, but it’s actually a product of Transylvania. The Hungarians make a pretty good chimney cake, and just like anywhere else there’s so many different flavors. We got a cinnamon-sugar one with almonds from Molnár’s Kürtőskalács
Pálinka was a drink I’d heard about constantly while looking up things to try during the trip, and got excited to try it. I did not expect it to be as strong as it was. I ordered a glass of cherry flavored Pálinka and after two sips I swear I was already inebriated. That stuff is powerful and I don’t think I got to finish it. I don’t know how anyone could. They’re usually about 40-70% alcohol and you’re supposed to drink it straight. Make sure you have someone to help you home if you want to try some.
Cherry beer is a great choice for someone like myself who doesn’t like the taste of regular beer, and wants an alternative for a cocktail.
If you’re looking for a place to grab a sweet treat after sightseeing all day, definitely hit up Gelarto Rosa. 3 flavors for only 800 HUF (~$2.85 USD) and absolutely beautiful.
Lángos is something that everyone must try while in Budapest. Thick fried dough smothered in sour cream and grated cheese. You can get it with other toppings as well but the garlic one is definitely my favorite. Pick one up from any small Lángos shop, the less fancy the better. I had really delicious ones at a window front on the corner of Garay and Bethlen Gábor in Budapest and at Álomlángos in Szentendre.
The burgers in Budapest are quite on the top of their game. We tried Lucky 7 Burgers and GoodBar GoodBurger and were very impressed.
Photo by Markus Lompa on Unsplash
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International Itinerary 
