budaveg – vegetarian Hungary your vegetarian home in Hungary

I have some very pleasant news, 3 new vegetarian restaurants have recently opened in Budapest. I haven’t had the good fortune to check them out yet, but I hope I can post some reviews soon!

Ganges

The Ganga Vega Cafe has a big brother now, a restaurant close to Octogon. They offer delicious vegetarian food, Indian menus, and healthy options. They offer home delivery too.
1064 Budapest Vörösmarty utca 31.
gangesetterem@gmail.com
+36.30.5306368; +36.70.6338981
www.ganges.hu
Open M-Saturday 12- 8 pm

Bharata

Bharata Cultural Centre is the new home of Indian culture and cuisine: it offers yoga, ayurvedic medicine, meditation, dance and music courses,  and soon cooking classes! The cafe has special offers at the moment with really friendly prices. All food is lacto vegetarian. There are set menus, special offers for students, lassis and sweets. Can’t wait to try!
Budapest 1074. Almássy tér – Tivadar u. 3.
Open: Monday-Friday:  12:00-8.pm; Saturday 6pm-9pm, Sunday closed

Hummus Bar

There is a new vegetarian hummus bar just a few minutes from the budaveg vegetarian B&B, at  Hollán Ernő utca 6. James had a Falafel plate and was very pleased with it.
Open: Monday-Friday 10-10pm Saturday Sunday: 12-10 pm
Tel: 06 70 932 8284

Mannatural 

This lovely vegan raw food restaurant has moved! Just a few minutes from the previous location to 1054 Budapest, Garibaldi u. 5. They also offer an “all you can eat buffet” lunch for 3000 HUF and dinner for 5000 HUF on weekdays. Please call or email to reserve for dinner: 06-20-776-9843, info@mannatural.hu, just pop in for lunch.

This means we have now 22 vegetarian restaurants and cafes in Budapest, pretty amazing! I have just updated the restaurants page and our ebook accordingly, which you can get by subscribing to our mailing list. We hardly ever send out any emails, and you can safely unsubscribe any time.

I love muffins, they are so lovely and no hassle of cutting, just grab one and yum! I found the original recipe at this brilliant Hungarian site, great for cakes and vegetarian food. In fact the recipe was passed around on a babywearing forum as an ideal birthday cake for a 1 year old baby. I just loved the ease and simplicity of the recipe, no exotic ingredients, just simple stuff you normally have at home. I tried the original than tweeked it to suit our taste and needs: so I use wholemeal flour instead of white, and birch sugar instead of white sugar, and I  add frozen cherries too- chocolate and cherries- what a brilliant combination! We love it so do our guests at the budaveg B&B!


ingredients:

• 200 grams flour
• 100 grams brown sugar (I use birch sugar)
• 5 tbs of sunflower seed oil
• 3 tbs cocoa powder
• 1 cup water/ rice milk/ soy milk (I use vanilla soy milk)
• 1tbs apple cider vinegar
• a few drops of vanilla extract or satchel of vanilla sugar (I omit this, there is already vanilla in the soy milk)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 200 grams frozen, pitted sour cherries

I simply mix everything together for a short time (but it is better to sieve the flour and the other dry ingredients together if you have time!) , then add the cherries and mix them in with a spoon- and then spoon the batter into silicone muffin trays- this batch makes 12 muffins. I bake them at 160 C with the fan on for about 30 minutes.

At the moment two lovely Italian girls are staying at the budaveg apartment, one of them, Chiara translated our website to Italian and we are very happy to give her and her friend a week’s stay in return! The are very busy during the day exploring Budapest, the museums and the christmas market, but last night we all went out to Napfényes Étterem, probably the nicest vegan restaurant in town.
The restaurant belong to a Rudolf Steiner inspired movement, and they promote healthy vegan food and lifestyle. They also have a vegan patisserie, organize cooking and lifestyle courses issue beautifully illustrated cook books and have a small health food store at the restaurant.


You’ll find there a fantastic selection of vegan dishes: soup, pizzas, pasta dishes, traditional Hungarian dishes, puddings and cream cakes from their patisserie, salads, and an impressive range of organic juices and teas.

We would have had a lovely time if our children hadn’t run amok in the restaurant; they were running up and down in and out of the kitchen screaming with delight. So much for lethargic veggie kids! Luckily the staff not only put up with it but even gave them some coloured pencils and paper and played with them to give us a breather and a chance to eat our delicious meals. Taking pictures is not my forte especially when I have to run after my kids. This is the only moment they actually sat on their bums.

James chose vegan breaded cheese with rice and peas, and tartar sauce, Lita chose “Fried Pancakes Filled with Vegetable Cream served with Mashed Potatoes and Onions”, Chiara and I went for the vegan Brassói with Lecsó, which is called “Ratatouille Seitan Cutlets” on the menu, and the kids got half portions each of yesterday’s special: Mixed Vegetable Pakora with Mashed Potatoes. The vegan Brassói with Lecsó is my favourite dish: lots of chips and seitan in a great spicy sauce! Here is a close up of the table:

The prices are great, mains are between 1500-2000 Hufs. We had a lovely time, but probably won’t go there (or any other restaurant) till they are at least ten, or go without them. So please it is your turn to dine out in style at a lovely vegan restaurant!
I’d like to thank the staff again for being so super nice!

Address: Rózsa u 39, District VII Tram: 4/6 at Király utca and walk, or 76 trolley bus.
Open: every day 9am-10pm
Vegan, non smoking, no alcohol, sells health food too
English menu, English spoken.
http://www.napfenyesetterem.hu/

A few weeks ago on a sunny Saturday morning we were again driving up north to the “Biokert” organic farm where we get our vegetables from in a CSA scheme. We had enjoyed the harvest festival so much we were really looking forward to be back on the farm where our kids and dog can roam free and we can meet and greet the other members.

We were invited to help with the spice paprika harvest- which we did for 10 minutes before we realized that our kids and bouncy dog were more trouble than they were worth and retreated from the paprika field. We walked around to see how the vegetables were doing in the poly tunnels, and collected sunflower seeds from the drying flower heads for the bird feeder. Oliver was delighted when Dora, farmer Áron’s golden retriever mix, joined him and they happily romped around and made a mess.

Everybody bought cakes and snacks and it was hard to leave the picnic table with all those delights. A friendly couple made a delicious vegan curry on the open fire.

But the real treat -at least for the kids- came when we all piled on the trailer of the tractor and Áron drove us over to a neighbouring pony farm! The trip was the bumpiest ever which meant that all those little kids were screaming with delight. They all could go horse riding on the ponies  including our 1,5 year old girl who hasn’t been near a horse before. Since than she keeps saying “horsie horsie” non stop. There was a flock of sheep and a very friendly pussycat as well to entertain the kids while they were waiting for their ride. There was also a real double decker tram from a bygone era.

Then we jumped on the tractor and bumped back to the farm for lunch- but unfortunately our kids were absolutely knackered by then (they get up at 6 am), so we had to say goodbye and pile them into the car. We were heartbroken to miss the vegan curry but Renáta filled our Tupperware box to take away. Yum!

The CSA season is almost over and we are looking forward to next year. It was brilliant to get all those lovely organic veg, fruit, flour, paprika spice and sun-dried tomatoes from the farm. It definitely reformed our eating habits, as we had to use the veg we were given- and started eating beetroot, mangold, turnips -and learnt a handful of new recipes. Meeting like minded people from our quarters was an added bonus, and it seems many other families will join next year.
Do you live around Szentendre? You might want to join too!

This has been one of my favourite places since it opened, a real gem in the city. Napos Oldal is very conveniently located between Octogon and Nyugati tér easy to pop in when I am running errands or on the way to the cinema in the evening. The name means “sunny side” and it’s surprisingly sunny due to the corner location.

Half of the premises is a veggie cafe, the other half is a health food shop, selling everything from seitan to organic cosmetics. They have a wide selection of fresh salads, baked and fried vegetables, sandwiches and cakes. There is a different soup and main dish every day, you can see the daily offers on their website. There is also a wide selection of teas and other drinks. The menu  is almost always vegan, and the majority of the salads and sandwiches are too. My favourite is the seitan sandwich, and these are pre-packed so you can easily and quickly take them away.

They do a wide range of cakes from sugar free candida cakes to real patisserie beauties and none of the cakes (or dishes) contain eggs, yeast or white sugar. Obviously a real heaven for the health conscious or candida sufferers. Also the ingredients are  roughly 30% organic.

I chose two types of salads, bulghur and potato, a vegetable pie, a vegetable pancake, a carrot and walnut cake and a cup of green tea  for my lunch. Firstly the cups are BIG, which I just love, I love tea and I find small cups annoying, why go stingy on water?! The food was delicious and filling, the cake was a “healthy” cake, so not too sweet, but I like it that way.

You order at the counter, all the signs are in English, and you pay at the health food counter on the way out, I think it is great that you don’t need to queue twice if you want to buy anything. There is a nice and very light seating are with 5 tables, it was busy at lunchtime, but I always had a seat, as many buy takeaway.

Napos oldal is an amazingly peaceful place right in the middle of the city, highly recommended!
 
Address: Jókai u. 7. Metro: Nyugati tér on blue line or tram: 4/6 at Nyugati tér or Oktogon
Open: Monday- Friday 10 am till 8 pm, Saturday 10 am till 2 pm.
Tel: 1-3540048
http://www.naposoldal.com/

I was over the moon when I found this little veggie place a few minutes walk from our newly established veggie B&B in 2003 and I became a patron immediately. I just got hooked on their warm spinach pita bread, spinach is my favourite vegetable and I can’t have it too often.

The place is tiny, with only 4 chairs and 2 tables outside in summer, but I always managed to get a seat since most customers just pick up their food and eat in their office.
There is a lovely selection of sandwiches, warm pita breads, salads, and one or two main dishes a day and some desserts. They also offer water, fresh fruit juices, cocktails and teas. There is always a vegan and a macrobiotic option. The dishes are very imaginative, Indian, Hungarian, Italian and so on.  The food is free from additives and preservatives and filled with their loving care!
They make the sandwiches in the shop, the salads and the mains are made in their home delivery kitchen and arrive in the shop around 12. There is normally warm food till 3.30 or 4.00, but you can get sandwiches from 11.00-5.00.

I popped in at 11 just as they were opening up, I normally get up at the crack of dawn so by 11 I am usually famished and the nice girl behind the counter was very understanding and warmed up the previous day’s lecsó, my favourite traditional Hungarian food! It was delicious and just the right spiciness- we Hungarians love our paprika!

I was on my way to the airport to pick up a couple of omnivorous friends from Denmark, so I bought 4 sandwiches as well, two mozzarella tomato and two parmesan rucola baguettes, they were a massive hit and very good value for 690 Hufs!

Nem süti 
small sandwich bar, five minutes walk from the budaveg apartment right next to Margit Bridge,

Address: Jászai Mari tér 4./b (Pozsonyi u). Metro: Nyugati tér on blue line, tram: 4/6 at Jászai Mari tér
Open: Mon-Fri 11am-5pm
Ovo-lacto-veggie
http://www.nemsuti.hu/
https://www.facebook.com/nemsuti

A short walk from the budaveg vegetarian B&B you find the loveliest park in the city, Margaret Island rich in sights and history. It belongs to our municipality and can be easily reached by bridge or boat. The island is car free, there are two buses and a car park at the northern tip, it is also possible to rent a bike or a bicycle-carriage.

The island was in fact called “The Island of Rabbits” for a long time, and received it’s name from Princess Margaret,  who lived as a nun on the island. She was the daughter of King Bela IV, who vowed to dedicate his daughter to God after the Tatar invasion, so Margaret entered the convent as a child. You will find the ruins of the convent and the memorial of St Margaret almost at the centre of the island.   Today the island is a lovely landscaped park  full of 150-200 year old enormous sycamore trees and lots of flowers. There is a rubber jogging track all the way around the island which is enormously popular amongst  joggers.

If you enter from Margaret Bridge you pass first the Athletics centre, then the centenary monument commemorating the unification of Buda and Pest in 1873. Right behind that is the musical fountain; there are several speakers around blasting out Pavarotti to accompany the water. On the west side is the Olympic Swimming pool named after Alfréd Hajós, and right behind it a large playground. On the east side are beautifully maintained parks with flower beds and roses. There are also couple of bars and a restaurant.

Further down on the west side there is a small zoo and a large bird hospital, we go there very often since our kids love animals, and they can also go pony riding there. A short walk from the zoo and you get to the ruins of the convent and the Chapel of St Michael.

On the east side you can find the biggest water park in Budapest, Palatinus, with many swimming pools, slides, thermal water, a wave machine and children’s pools.

Further up north is an enormous green field where people play football and frisbee on sunny days.  The island is full of wildlife, a very good place for urban birdwatching, also red squirrels abound.

At the other end of the island you can find the two thermal hotels and the car park. Right next to them you can see the lovely Japanese Garden with a small thermal pond, full of gold fish and terrapins.

There is a brand new “eco” playground behind the parking area and there is a popular bar called Cha cha cha at the very northern tip of the island.

Should you get hungry there are vegetarian places quite close: Nem Süti and Keleti on the pest side and Govinda Buda and Napfényes patisserie on the Buda side

A vegan restaurant where the chef doesn’t do any cooking? Intriguing, isn’t it? This was my first raw food restaurant experience, since this is the first raw foodie place in Budapest. Raw food for most of us means salad with fresh juice but here I was presented with a selection of  main courses and cakes.

Mannatural is well hidden in a small market building though right in the city centre a few minutes from Arany János metro stop. There is a seating area at the bar and at big stone tables and the place is surprisingly sunny!

They had two main dishes on offer and I chose the stuffed paprika with sweetcorn sauce and salad, which was very tasty. I dived in and only remembered to take a photo after I had eaten half of it. But click on the photo and it will take you to the Mannatural album on flickr with some pro images of their dishes. Around me every other customer was eating the chocolate cake which looked really delicious but it was one of the rare moments of my life when I just didn’t fancy a pudding. (No I wasn’t sick just had an ice cream half an hour earlier). I asked a friendly guy next to me at the table and he confirmed that it was indeed just as yummy as it looked.

Ákos, the manager was behind the bar and was happy to answer my questions about the food and the restaurant. They opened 5 weeks ago and at the moment they only open at lunchtime, however they have now an area on the first floor as well where they are going to hold active and passive raw food classes- which means you can watch and eat or prepare the food with the chef. Also in November they open their raw, vegan patisserie!

They also do home delivery, you can check the actual offer on their website.
He assured me that they are vegan, the only exception is honey in the lemonade. 80% of the ingredients come from organic sources and they in fact have 3 organic (biodynamic)  gardens around the capital from where they get their fruit, vegetables and honey. All food is made of fresh sprouts, grains and vegetables and special blenders and ceramic knives are used for the preparation. They have a blog in Hungarian with great recipes.

Mannatural is in this market building, the entrance is from Hold utca or Vadász utca.

Address: 1054 Budapest, Hold u. 13
Open:  M-F: 11:00-15:00
http://www.mannatural.net/index.php?oldal=fooldal

Summer is almost over, school is about to start and this is the best time for a city break! The weather is pleasant; not too hot, yet sunny, prices are lower and there is so much more to do than sightseeing!

7-11 September Wine festival in the Royal castle in Budapest, 15 counties are presenting 220 vineyards and 5000 types of wine, this year the special guest is France. Folk music, craft market and children’s activities make it into a great family event. Hungary has 22 different wine regions,  and lots of excellent vineyards- but most are relatively small so even their award winning wine hardly makes it abroad, but here is the perfect opportunity to taste a bit more than Bull’s blood and Tokaji.

image from: www.winefestival.hu

If wine is not your cup of tea how about a Chocolate and Sweets Festival? It is held 16-18 September also in the castle district, and looks yummy! Lots of handmade chocolate, ice cream and tastings of course.

We celebrate the composer Franz Liszt this year which culminates at the LISZT AND EUROPE INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL 29 September – 2 October 2011 held at these venues: MTA Roosevelt téri Díszterme, Művészetek Palotája, Millenáris

8-17 October Budapest Autumn Festival: is a prestigious art festival with art exhibitions, concerts, film, theatre and dance.

If you are into pop and rock, you can look forward to the following concerts:

George Michael 19 September,
Bryan Ferry 21 September,
Britney Spears. 30 September
Rammstein 10 November
Sade 23 November
Rihanna, 8 December

The budaveg apartment is available in September and October, you can book the best veggie B&B in town here or simply get in touch!
See you soon in vegetarian Hungary…

The newest vegan cafe in Budapest is right in the city centre; a few minutes walk from Deák tér, on Paulay Ede street. The place looked inviting and the people lovely on their facebook page and we were eager to try out their vegan delights.

The place is tiny but they made the most of it I guess. As you enter you pass the counter and can see into the kitchen. You can place your order, then go upstairs where there is a small seated area which can seat 12 people.
They do vegan burgers (tofu and bean burgers), burgers with chips/ french fries, hot dogs, vegan spreads, salads, and soya shakes. Every day there are two special dishes which are posted early morning on facebook and their blog.

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I had bean burger menu with lemonade and my friend tried the tofu burger (in the background), and I have to say they don’t go stingy on the portions; those burgers were huge and really filling! The prices are very friendly, good value for money.

Address:  1061 Budapest Paulay Ede 8.
Open:  Mo – Th : 11.30 – 20.00, Friday: 11.30 – 22.00, Saturday: 15.00 – 22.00
http://gorillavegabufe.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/GORILLA-VEGA-B%C3%9CF%C3%89-vegan-vegetarian-restaurant/127044247370486?sk=wall_