Street Food Budapest: A Hungarian success story in Norway

According to Forbes, Diana Riz and her Norwegian husband Morten Estensmo always had an entrepreneurial spirit; they established their first company in the digital media sector in Hungary before moving to Norway. Initially, they tried opening pop-up bistros. However, a couple of years ago, they opened a restaurant in Oslo, and since February, they serve Hungarian street food at a site of a former swimming pool.

The space is filled with guests sitting around tables eating and drinking while music plays in the background. In the far corner of the area, there is a yellow Budapest tram with a colourful “Street Food Budapest” sign.

“Our bestselling product is the lángostrio; on three pieces of lángos we put different kinds of toppings. We are also planning to introduce pörkölt and sausages,” Diana Riz who opened Street Food Budapest with her Norwegian husband in February told forbes.hu. There was a lot of competition for the site, and the owner did not want to sell to individuals who planned to open a traditional buffet or fast food restaurants. Therefore, Street Food Budapest does not sell pizzas, burgers or sushi.

The couple pays a percentage of their revenue to the owners of the swimming pool. The more successful their restaurant is, the less they have to pay. The venture has been a success so far as locals love the lángos, the goulash, and the pulled-pork sandwiches they offer.

After a successful business career in Hungary, the couple decided to move to Norway with their children. “We wanted to bring Hungary’s cuisine with us,” explained Morten. They worked on small-scale projects, selling food at events and festivals. For example, before their restaurants, they tried selling kürtöskalács in the city centre, but without much luck. After a while, they started looking for an ideal place to open their first restaurant.

They opened their first restaurant called Bistro Budapest in Oslo in November 2017. The facility was furnished with items from Hungary, including the bricks and the interior. It can welcome up to 40 guests at a time and is nearly always full. The restaurant was even rated by the biggest Norwegian newspaper VG, who gave them 5/6.   As a result of the article, hype around the Hungarian restaurant grew even more. Visitors are mostly Norwegian, but local Hungarians love showing their friends the dishes and culinary traditions of their country of origin.