KISFALUDY-HÁZ RESTAURANT, Badacsonytomaj - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number

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The iconic Hungarian restaurant high on Badacsony hill

PRICE RANGE

$5.00 – $23.00

CUISINES

European, Central European, Hungarian

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Digital Payments, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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3.5

160 reviews

Excellent

69

Very good

33

Average

23

Poor

18

Terrible

17

Péter K

Budapest225 contributions

Maybe the best view on the lake, hence the overprice

Jul 2020 • none

If you visit on foot or in our case, by bike, you arrive sweating to this restaurant. However, it is well worth the struggle. The view is excellent from the terrace. Service is also exceptional, matches the price point. Only the food is, well... nothing to cry home about. We had the pork chops in "lángos" and pikeperch in pickled grape leaves. I have long had such overcooked, tough pork, it was a disaster. The pikeperch on the other side, was great. Not as great as its price, but tasteful. The portions were too small. Still, we had a great time. If you look at only the food, it is well overpriced, if you look at the whole picture, the price may be justified!

Written August 4, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Zoltan M

Las Vegas104 contributions

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Jun 2024 • family

Kisfaludy-ház Restaurant is a spot we keep returning to - something I first visited as a child in the 1970s and, thanks to my parents owning an apartment almost exactly across the lake in Balatonfenyves, I visited almost every year in the 1980s and 90s. I moved to the US in 1995, but until 2018 I still came each year to visit - this habit was broken in 2019, when I did not come - and then the COVID pandemic followed preventing our plans to travel to Europe - so this time (we visited the restaurant on June 26th) was the first visit since 2018 for me. I don't believe I have written a review of this restaurant here before. My review pertains solely to this recent visit and not my multi-decade experiences with this restaurant. The GOOD: 1. The restaurant is at a "perfect" location, midway up on the beautiful Badacsony mountain, accessing it represents a wonderful choice of either walking up the brief but steep hike for the physically courageous or just getting a very affordable jeep ride up from right at the bottom of the road, which is near a truly gorgeous park-like area between the lake/ferry stop, the train station, and souvenir shopping boots. Either hike or taxi, it is a great experience, crowned by the views when you actually get to the restaurant. The views from the restaurant's terrace on Lake Balaton and the Badacsony mountain side (with wineries and vineyards abound), traditional folklore styled houses are nothing short of breathtaking. Visiting the Kisfaludy-ház Restaurant, whether you come by train or ferry, makes a wonderful day trip plan. The restaurant building and deco are just as pleasing as the views. 2. Service is great, overall. There are plenty of waiting staff around; it is not difficult to get their attention if you need something. 3. At least on this weekday, technically still during the "pre-season" (June is not the most crowded month at Lake Balaton), and lunch as opposed to dinner, the place was far from crowded. Unfortunately all the terrace tables on the lakeside were taken, so we had a table just 1 row away from the edge, which is fine - see the photo I attach, we still had excellent views. Also, mid-lunch, they did offer to reseat us to a table in the first row closest to the lake, but at that point we declined as our table was just fine, really. 4. Some of the food items were truly tasty. My mom had the pumpkin cream soup, which was great. I also had luck with both of my choices, including the catfish "fisherman's soup" and veal stew. I am an avid fisherman, from Szeged, which is a region famous for fisherman's soup - and it is a strong family tradition in my family to cook this. As a fisherman I often catch my own fish for my own fisherman's soup, so I have the credentials to state that this soup was cooked to the highest standard. The portions are not as huge as we experienced in some other places we ate at, but decent. My wife's salad was also good, but her wiener schnitzel was not up to the quality she experienced in other restaurants earlier during our trip. The BAD: 1. I was shocked to see that when I asked for "Erős Pista" - a popular Hungarian hot sauce made of pureed red hot pepper, often used to mix in with soups like the fisherman's soup - they brought a tiny pouch (see photo). Between Budapest, Szeged, and Balaton we ate at over 10 restaurants during this trip in 2+ weeks, and almost every time I ordered "Erős Pista" - and everywhere they would bring it in a small plate or cup with a teaspoon so one could portion the right amount. Of course I could have asked more than just one of these tiny pouches, but the worst thing about it is not how little it was, but when I opened it (in the proper manner, tearing off the top at a small thumb notch, as it is supposed to be done), it splashed a tiny amount of the sauce in droplets onto my shirt. I was not interested in opening another 3-4 pouches like that. I am going out on a limb on saying this, but I wonder if an overzealous manager one day had a lightbulb moment and felt there could be money saved by restricting the "Erős Pista" use, by serving it in tiny pouches as opposed to the more traditional serving it on the side on a small plate or cup (with unlimited use and some unavoidable wastage). This may seem like an irrelevant detail, but it in the end this is "saving" (at best) only a completely negligible expense, at the cost of denting the overall spirit of the traditional dining, time travel atmosphere if you will - a fast-food style small plastic pouch destroys that feeling (apart from its practical flaws I described above). Whoever came up with this "brilliant" idea to presumably save money, may have produced a classic case of "penny wise, pound foolish". 2. Similarly, as I document in a photo below, when we asked for ketchup, they brought a single tiny pouch of ketchup. My kids don't really eat much else than French fries, which they like with ketchup, so we ordered it at every restaurant we went to. Each place we ate at served the ketchup on a separate small plate. I understand that fast food restaurants use the pouches, but there one can just grab a bunch as much as needed, subjecting themselves of the inconvenience of prying and tearing each pouch open. More importantly though (again), this fast-food style of serving condiments undermines the overall experience of upscale dining. 3. While I mentioned the food quality in the "GOOD" column, like I said some of the food also needs to be listed in this column. One, like I alluded to it, was that portions were borderline small. I ordered my fisherman's soup in the larger "bogrács" size and the photo below isn't doing a great service to my point, which is that it was small. Again, I had fishermen's soup both in Szeged and Budapest in multiple restaurants, always ordering the largest available portion ("bogrács" size) and this was the smallest of them all - generally about 2 almost full plates. My mom's pumpkin cream soup was just shockingly small, I wish I took a photo of that too. Again, of note, both of these soups were excellent, in terms of quality/taste. Perhaps that further drove the point of their small portion size into our conscious. Like I mentioned before, my wife's wiener schnitzel was not bad, but also not great. 4. The online menu link is not functional. The UGLY: Up to this point I was leaning to a 4-star review, but the sole reason it ended up a 3, is the bathroom. First of all, access is an issue. While the stairs up to the upper level (from where one can access the bathrooms) may be steep, at least there is a hand rail. Once you get to the upper level/inside seating area for the restaurant, you will need to take another set of stairs down to the actual toilet, and there is no hand rail there. My mom (soon to turn 85) had difficulty negotiating the stairs without handrail and needed assistance from my wife to make it down there. But the real and much bigger problem is the disgusting sewage smell there! I almost threw up! There is a penetrating, unbearable stink that permeates the entire bathroom area - this is unacceptable in any restaurant, let alone a high-end historical place like this. Not sure if the same manager that felt there is money to be saved by using plastic pouches for condiments a la fast-food restaurant style, also saw an opportunity to cut corners for cost-saving in whatever ways the bathrooms are being serviced, but I surely found this stinky problem to be a shocking flaw.

Written June 27, 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ladislav H

4 contributions

Great view terrace with an unprofessional service

Aug 2023 • solo

Restaurant with very beautiful view on Balaton, in the evening the life music was playing, the atmosphere was pleasant and food tasty. The service was incredibly negligent, I was waiting 45 minutes with empty glass by an empty table for a waiter and I could have sit there until the closing time.

Written August 8, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gaborinbrussels

Brussels34 contributions

not worth the money at all

Aug 2023 • family

Great view but this is the only good point about this restaurant. The portions are ridiculously small! I agree with other reviewers that the place is not the same as used to be. Taste is OK but if you have to order two portions to feel good is not OK. And the prices are elevated which would be acceptable if you eat well and enough. But this was not the case. So sorry but this was the last time to come here.

Written August 8, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cintia KM

1 contribution

Amazing experience

Apr 2024 • couples

They serv tasty foods and drinks, the view is beautiful and the waiters are really nice and polite. If you're in the area, you must visit them. 😊

Written April 20, 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Krisztián

Budapest1 contribution

Lunch

May 2023 • family

Wines and foods are good but he waitress are incompetent and was not possible to change a table for better view even if it was not reserved...

Written May 29, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

erika2205

Caterham215 contributions

Lovely meal and view

Jul 2022 • none

Service was lovely, cheerful and swift, food was lovely, and the view is just gorgeous. We had a great meal here and would love to return.

Written August 2, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Egija V

3 contributions

Nothing good about this place

Aug 2021 • family

Absolutely overrated place. Food was extremely low quality, many items not available, service was bad, and we even were overpriced for parking. Such a disappointment...

Written August 25, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Miklós

Conegliano17 contributions

Great view, lovely meal and amazing service

Jul 2019 • friends

We had the steak tartar, goose liver, wienerschnitzel and cigánypecsenye. Could recommend these meals to everyone! We spent 29 euros each and had multiple beers, wines and coffee. This is not expensive at all! (for Dutch customs). Furthermore, our waitress was very friendly and checked if we were happy multiple times. The waiting staff spoke both German and English.

Written July 31, 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Matt

Salisbury134 contributions

Fine but lives from the location

Jul 2019 • couples

They offer great food for 20-30% more than in other restaurants nearby. The view and location is stunning, I guess that's what you pay the extra for. Service was great, food delicious. It is worth coming here but note you can get the same quality food elsewhere without the great view.

Written July 28, 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rekabara

Budapest10 contributions

Used to be good, now a disappointment

Jul 2019 • family

Pork ribs was chewy and not fresh - could not get the meat off the bone. Beef stew was chewy; the taste was ok. Toliets stink, hygenie is off the charts

Written July 28, 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

katicacica

19 contributions

badacsonytomaj kisfaludy ut 28.

Nov 2018 • friends

tipically drop-in inn with an authentic country style. during out of season period open from friday to saturday. simple snacks with good wines of the region - elderberry and “kéknyelû. helpful, nice and friendly staff. worth having a half-an-hour rest on the way to the top or back.

Written November 11, 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter T

Hi katicacica, Thank you for your kind review! Best Regards, Peter Torok

Written November 23, 2018

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

gyoergykalmans

Oulu108 contributions

What a View, What Great Food

Aug 2018 • couples

A beautiful view of the scenic Lake Balaton and exquisitely prepared Hungarian dishes. What a combo! And there is great wine to boot.

Written September 10, 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter T

Dear gyoergykalmans, We are glad you had such a great time with us! Kind Regards, Peter Torok

Written September 11, 2018

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Rebecca N

Brisbane61 contributions

Fantastic place for dinner

Jul 2018 • couples

Beautiful location up on a hill overlooking the vineyards and lake - just stunning in the evening. Sat out on the patio, enjoying the view and listening to live Hungarian music. Good service. Excellent Hungarian food, good size meals. Reasonably priced (would pay a lot more for the same location, food and service in Australia - one reason we loved Hungary!). Definitely recommended

Written September 7, 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter T

Dear Rebecca N, Thanks for your great review! We are so happy you enjoyed your stay in Hungary! I had an idea, to be sure how well we perform we should do a study tour in Australia :) just for research purpose of course :) Kind Regards, Peter Torok

Written September 11, 2018

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Virág

Szeged120 contributions

A perfect place to enjoy both the view and Hungarian cuisine

Jul 2018 • couples

Delicious food, excellent service, professional staff + the view make this place simply the best in the region. Thank you, Miklós Nagy, you are an excellent host, and keep on going :)

Written July 28, 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter T

Dear ViragM_6722, Thank you for your kind words! Kind Regards, Peter Torok

Written July 30, 2018

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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Kisfaludy-ház Restaurant

KISFALUDY-HÁZ RESTAURANT, Badacsonytomaj - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor