Surprise dining: The chef who serves gourmet meals on Budapest’s metro

A TikTok sensation has taken Budapest’s Metro Line 4 by storm, as an Asian chef surprises passengers with impromptu fine dining experiences. Nguyen Trong Tung, a young chef and restaurant owner, has been capturing hearts and taste buds with his unique approach to culinary promotion.

Since the beginning of 2025, videos have been circulating on TikTok showing Tung spontaneously setting up a table in front of unsuspecting passengers on the metro, HVG reports. He carefully lays out a tablecloth, places cutlery, and serves gourmet dishes and drinks, all within the short journey time of Metro Line 4.

Lucky passengers can choose from various national cuisines

The chef’s culinary offerings span various national cuisines. Passengers have been treated to Italian-themed meals featuring tomato spaghetti and red wine, French delicacies like camembert cheese and croissants, Greek salad accompanied by ouzo, and even traditional Hungarian lángos topped with garlic, sour cream, and grated cheese. Tung’s creative marketing strategy has not gone unnoticed. His videos have gained millions of views, with one even featured on the popular website LadBible. The international audience has been captivated by this innovative approach to restaurant promotion.

The chef’s background includes an appearance on the TV2 show “Séfek Séfje” (Chef of Chefs) in the fall of 2024. His restaurant, Ha Mo Asian Bistro, located at 3 Baross Street in Budapest’s 8th district, had previously faced closure by tax authorities but has since reopened and gained popularity.

Watch on TikTok

Tung sometimes has only 7 minutes to serve his guest

Tung’s metro dining experiences are meticulously timed. As one commenter noted, if the chef boards at Szent Gellért Square station, he has approximately 7 minutes to serve his guest before reaching the end of the line. Annie, a lucky recipient of Tung’s Italian menu on the metro, described the experience to HVG as “a truly funny and sweet experience.” She praised the detailed presentation, complete with pasta, sauce, basil, wine, and even golden cutlery.

Tung’s creativity extends beyond the metro. He has also produced videos of himself serving sushi to an elderly lady and even preparing a meal for a small dachshund, Metropol wrote back in November 2023. In a surprising venture in that same year, he boarded the M2 metro line with a food cart, distributing pre-packaged meals to travellers.

Watch on TikTok

The chef even created a Hungarian-inspired pho soup

The chef also shares his recipes on his TikTok channel, demonstrating how to prepare various Asian dishes. Always open to experimentation, Tung has even created a Hungarian-inspired pho soup upon request, incorporating kolbász (sausage), bacon, and red onions. As Metro Line 4’s journey time is just under 15 minutes for the entire route, Tung’s lightning-fast food service is particularly impressive, giving passengers only a few minutes to enjoy their unexpected gourmet experience.

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Featured image: TikTok/@hamoazsiaibisztro