Krakow and Budapest restaurants ranked among emerging Europe’s finest

Budapest, Hungary – The London-based platform Emerging Europe, which covers the 23 countries of the region, has listed restaurants in Krakow and Budapest among the best and finest in Central and Eastern Europe. Emerging Europe’s editor-in-chief Craig Turp named Costes in Budapest and Garden in Krakow in his list of six restaurants “leading emerging Europe’s culinary revolution”.

“There was a time not so long ago when few people travelled to emerging Europe for the food. Great restaurants were thin on the ground and service was invariably appalling. Over the past decade, all of that has changed,” he writes.

The other restaurants included on his list are situated in Georgia, Romania, Lithuania and Slovenia.

Krakow and Budapest restaurants among emerging Europe’s finest

About Krakow’s Garden restaurant, situated in the Old Town, just a few minutes walk from the Main Square, Turp writes that “the warm, wood-infused interior is a delight and makes eating here a memorable occasion even when poor weather means that the garden is out of action”. With three great chefs at the controls, Dominik Sas, Tomasz  Turecki and Patryk Potepa, this certainly sounds like a treat!

Regarding Budapest’s scandalously fancy Costes restaurant, Turp describe its cuisine as a “unique combination of flavours combining traditional Hungarian food with the elegant techniques of French cuisine to create a fusion rich in both taste and artistry”… bon appétit! Its head chef, Ezster Palagyi, is after all, one of just four chefs in Hungary to hold a Michelin star.

But these are just one man’s opinion…

“Perfect food, great service & beautiful surroundings!” Ranked number 1 out of 1.445 restaurants in Krakow, Garden boasts a 5/5 rating on Tripadvisor. Other reviews include “Hidden gem”, “Outstanding”, “Fabulous”, “Perfect”, “First class”… and “Sneaky sales tricks”. Well, no restaurant can be that flawless. 

While still highly ranked with 4.5/5, Budapest’s Costes restaurant is “only” the 139th best restaurant in the Hungarian capital, according to the travel website. “Excellent, but…” it is then, if you are to believe some of the comments.

If the food is indeed almost uninamously described as “divine”, “magnificent” and even “unbeatable”, the customer service seems to be a tad “unwelcoming”… but again, you can’t have it all!

Dinner time it is then! Smacznego and Jó étvágyat!

For more delicious food from the region, check out some our recipes from Central Europe for delicious dinner ideas! Pierogi ruskie, the Polish delight; Chlodnik, the Eastern gazpacho; Liptauer, the Hungarian cheese spread; Bryndzove halusky, the Slovak sheep cheese gnocchi; Leco, the Czech tomato-based stew; and many more…