Internationally acclaimed Balaton hamburger place gears up with unique autumn and winter specials
Bitang Burger in Alsóörs has earned recognition as the only hamburger restaurant in the Balaton region to be featured in the returning international restaurant guide Gault&Millau, after a ten-year hiatus.
The best hamburger spot at Lake Balaton
The guide placed the eatery in the “Pop” (Popular Establishments) category, celebrating high-quality, popular street food venues. This accolade ranks Bitang among the top 1% of the 489 Hungarian hospitality businesses recognised this year.
Bitang Burger also received the Professional Elite’s “Burger Restaurant of the Year 2025” award, presented in Szombathely.
“At the gala, we saw that small operators and businesses with high professional standards but little spotlight also received recognition,” said co-founder Mária Kovács-Radnóti in an interview. Chef and co-founder Balázs Kovács noted that these honours prove top quality is no longer exclusive to fine dining. “Gault&Millau is crucial to us because they’re pioneering this new perspective,” he added.
The awards were well deserved – the place is a favourite among guests, which might explain why this year the restaurant, open all year round, achieved record sales.
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According to the local news portal hirbalaton.hu, these accolades elevate the Balaton burger joint into the top 1% of Hungary’s hospitality scene. Opening its doors at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, its success has been credited to a fusion of perseverance and quality.
Special dishes for autumn and winter
The local outlet reports that for autumn and winter, the team has crafted bold, seasonal flavours to suit the colder weather. The standout is the Martinmas duck liver hamburger, which has been on the menu since late October.
“Beef and duck liver work fantastically together, complemented by a black garlic sauce that adds subtle dried-plum notes while softening the harsh edge of garlic,” explained Balázs Kovács. He emphasised their commitment to local ingredients for maximum freshness – the further an ingredient travels, the less fresh it becomes.
Before Christmas, wild game (venison) will appear in the bun, alongside warming drinks such as rum hot chocolate and mulled gin and tonic served with mulled apple juice.
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What makes this hamburger place truly special is its year-round operation in Alsóörs. The owners live locally and have built a loyal neighbourhood following. Many visitors prefer this quieter season for a peaceful retreat by the lake.
Not only will the food and drinks be special, but the igloo seating area will also be transformed into a little winter wonderland – heated, decorated for Christmas, and perfectly cosy.
Exclusive recognition
Gault&Millau, with its French roots, returned to Hungary in 2015. It doesn’t just focus on classic fine dining but assesses freshness, ingredient quality and the consistency of the guest experience, based on multiple anonymous visits, according to local reports.
Out of over 45,000 hospitality venues in Hungary, only 489 made it onto the 2025 list.
Bitang Burger sells around 50,000 hamburgers annually, with sales in May already matching last August’s figures. In summer, booking weeks in advance is often necessary, and sometimes hundreds of guests have to wait, as walk-ins aren’t always possible. Though autumn and winter are less hectic, popularity remains strong.
Expansion plans are underway, but the owners insist that the central location, strict quality control and customer-focused approach must be maintained at any future branches.
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