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Ratings and reviews

Travelers' Choice2022
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value

Details

PRICE RANGE
$11 - $141
CUISINES
European, Portuguese, Hungarian
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
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features, about

Location and contact

Belvaros-Lipotvaros
0.1 miles from St. Stephen's Basilica (Szent Istvan Bazilika)
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MICHELIN Guide's Point of View

Portuguese chef-owner Tiago and his Hungarian wife Éva have created a warmly run and deliciously different restaurant in the heart of the city. A small...
Read more on MICHELIN Guide
One MICHELIN Star: High quality cooking, worth a stop!
Reviews (46)
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All reviews cod course tasting menu caviar lamb michelin star juice pairings white chocolate tasty food coriander mangalica sommelier menus onions dishes ambience plate desert
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Reviewed January 12, 2023

We visited the restaurant in December 2022. We had tasting menus with wine pairing. The food was exceptional, the wine pairing very well chosen. The service was excellent, the decor and ambience very pleasant. I recommend!

Date of visit: December 2022
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Reviewed December 9, 2022

We came back again to try the autumn menu. We were satisfied as always. We also loved the juice pairing.

Date of visit: November 2022
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Reviewed October 20, 2022 via mobile

Itresting experience. Great food and services. Portuguese and Hungarian fusion. Excellent dinner music creating relaxing atmosphere.

Date of visit: October 2022
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Reviewed September 22, 2022 via mobile

I love both kitchens so I chose the mixed tasting menu with wine paring. The sommelier was excellent, I found wine pairings were exquisite and enjoy the knowledge shared with me. I found some of the portions a bit on the small size, but had...a wonderful experience overall.More

Date of visit: September 2022
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Reviewed September 9, 2022

I really enjoyed my solo a la carte lunch at Essencia. The service and attention to detail were immediately Michelin-worthy. The dishes and little playful amuse bouches were nicely passed, and the portion sizes were generous. The white chocolate dessert was the absolute start of...the meal for me, while the main of cod and caviar was a bit of a disappointment and lacked the depth of typical Michelin dishes. However, the waiter seemed grateful for my feedback, and service overall was cordial and quick, if not the warmest. Finally, the juice pairings were excellent - just note that different juices have different prices.More

Date of visit: September 2022
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Reviewed August 15, 2022

A fantastic tasting menu with my friend especially enjoying the quail dish. Service was a bit slow compared to previous experiences but a positive experience overall The juice pairings were also extremely well-matched to the dishes

Date of visit: August 2022
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Reviewed August 15, 2022

We visited the restaurant (Dad + 2 sons...) in lunch time where you can select from the a la carte menu (that is if you do not want a 5-6 courses set menu), we enjoyed all dishes but especially the Strawberry gazpacho, cereal risotto &...for desert the white chocolate , wines suggested by the sommelier were also very good !! Service was professional and friendly and all questions were fully answered. will definitely return when back in BudapestMore

Date of visit: August 2022
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Reviewed August 11, 2022 via mobile

While dining at Rumour we were fortunate to be seated beside Eva and Tiago. The loveliest couple that we found out had a restaurant too. We made reservations right away for lunch the next day. Hungarian (Eva) and Portuguese (Tiago) food. Along with the food...the restaurant has so much of their relationship in this space. Loved it all and would love to experience dinner next time we’re in Budapest.More

Date of visit: August 2022
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Reviewed July 31, 2022

We really loved the spring menu, so we had to try the summer menu. I absolutely loved the beef tartare and the lamb palóc way.

Date of visit: July 2022
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Reviewed June 26, 2022

We were here three times because love it very much. It is our favorite Michelin star restaurant in Budapest.

Date of visit: June 2022
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Reviewed June 22, 2022

This lunch was a wedding gift from a couple of friends, and we did not before we arrived that it has a Michelin Star! Actually, my husband did not know until we part from our friends and I told him because the only indicator was...a sticker next to the entrance. Before we got anything, they brought a small plate with some sort of fried mash potato wedges as complimentary gift from the chef! We ordered appetizers, I had the Caldo Verde potato soup, and my hubby had the onion consommé(soup) with black garlic and cottage cheese (túró). Both of our bowls arrived without the actual soup, the waiters poured them into the bowls after they told us what we get and what is in each food(they did that with every course). As main, I ordered the lamb sided with green peas and caramelized yogurt. The meat has a very thin slice of bacon on top, and it was really tender. The caramelized yogurt was exquisite, never tried anything before! My husband ordered the mangalica(pork) with coriander „açorda”(kind of a bread pudding with coriander) and clams. It was really good, looked like a thin slice of steak. For dessert, I tried apple pie with rhubarb. It was that kind of deconstructed food where they use all the traditional ingredients but in a different way. They used bow fresh apples and cooked and mashed apple puree for the filling, with fresh rhubarb, rhubarb puree, "biscuits" made of pie crust, white chocolate pieces, and a really airy white stuff that sadly I don't remember what was made of. But tasted really good :D Hubs ordered the "Azores" pineapple with basil, which was a basil sorbet with thinly sliced pineapple shaped like a rose and some sort of bready-spongey crust pieces. Both of our desserts came with edible flowers. After everything, we got another complimentary gift, four little pastel de nata, and we ordered coffee to pair them with. The whole experience was really pleasant, the staff was super friendly, helpful and kind. We had a bottle of white wine fro the four of us, it was really fresh and tasty. Also still and sparkling water and lemonades. Great experience, highly recommended.More

Date of visit: June 2022
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Reviewed May 28, 2022 via mobile

Solid 1 star Michelin experience- we loved the concept of the Hungarian and Portuguese mix. Prices are definitely good for the experience, location, food and service. The wine pairing was decent for the price and we guess that’s the maximum the restaurant can charge their...customers… but maybe an optional upgraded flight would be a great addition.More

Date of visit: May 2022
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Reviewed May 12, 2022

Fab experience - food, drink, staff, ambience were all excellent. Had the 6 course tasting menu with wine pairing. Particularly loved the clear passion of all of the staff

Date of visit: May 2022
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Reviewed May 9, 2022 via mobile

Culinary experience of the year. The lunch tasting menu was amazing. The staff fantastic we got an explanation to each course on the menu. We had the mixed (Hungarian or Portuguese or mixed) and it was amazing. The various flavors in each dish are something...for it self. Highly recommended by us. If you love food and you are visiting Budapest you must! try this place. Even got a Michelin star (well deserved). Price range is ok considering it has a Michelin star and is located in the center of Budapest. Absolutely loved itMore

Date of visit: May 2022
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Reviewed May 7, 2022

We jumped out of hotel in simple clothes to walk around town. Then we saw this restaurant. It offered only degustation meniu for about 75euros (without drinks) and we thought okay, why not. They also offered a vegetarian degustation option, which was really nice. We...looked quite poor and not ready for this Michelin star restaurant. We actually saw it in some of the workers eyes. I could say, even though there were some free nicer tables to sit us, we were given a table by the door. Whatever, we didn't really care. The first impression was not so nice - somelje was really unfriendly. He came and I asked something about the meniu - he didn't mention that he is somelje. He got quite frustrated and said, not in a nice way, THAT HE IS ASKING ABOUT DRINKS AND HE IS SOMELJE, like we are some stupid young tourists with no class or money. Well, he was wrong about that. At that point I was humbled and got quite sad:) the more interesting thing is that SOMELJE didn't came back to our table to introduce the wine or something. And one time he brought chef's compliment - so are you a waiter, somelje, or what? Anyways, I would recommend to change your attitude. Just because we were dressed casual, doesn't mean we don't tip or we are poor. FOOD - - - - - - - - Food was amazing. It was so interesting, unique and filling. We loved every bit of it. The quality and taste of food is very good and price is reasonable for what you get. If you want an amazing experience - this is the place. You can see that the Chef loves this place and his staff are working amazing then introducing the dishes. Staff were quite attentive. Especially our waiter and hostess. She was really nice, informative, friendly and helpful. I would like to personally say thank you. You make this place feel very professional. We had one more misunderstanding. This left me feeling scammed. I thought that maybe, just maybe this place wasn't looking at us as stupid tourists. But I think in the end, they did. I came privately to the hostess and asked her if I could leave a tip for her on the card. She said yes. I then said that I will enter the tip and pay for it and the guys will pay for the food. When she came to the table, without looking at the check I asked her to enter 35euros for a tip, I paid. And then I looked at the check - there was a service fee added, about 40euros. That is absolutely fine with us. But why not mention it when I was talking about the tip? Was it okay to take 35euros knowing that there is a service fee in the check as well? I felt so stupid and yes, I asked to get the 35 euros back, cause we didn't think that the service, all in all, deserved 75euro tip. I felt. Well. It was sad. Because if we hadn't noticed it in the bill, nobody would have told us. I would recommend this restaurant for a nice dinner. It was a good night. I would recommend to dress nice for it and double check the bill.More

Date of visit: May 2022
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ESSENCIA RESTAURANT - TIAGO & EVA, Budapest - District V / Inner City - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Essencia Restaurant - Tiago & Eva

Essencia Restaurant - Tiago & Eva is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4.5