Explore Budapest’s own Chinatown! — PHOTOS
The Hungarian capital is truly special. Whether a city is multicultural or not can be determined by many things. The ethnic composition of its inhabitants and a large number of tourists are obviously tell-tale signs. However, one of the best ways to understand a city’s diversity is by looking at the various gastronomic options it has. Budapest is not lagging behind in this respect. Besides many restaurants offering American, Italian and South American delicacies, the Hungarian capital also boasts its own Chinese quarter which we present below.
Dragon in the heart of Budapest
Chinese cuisine is one of the best known in the world. Almost every big city has its own Chinatown and Budapest is no different. In the Hungarian capital, you can find the Chinatown in Kőbánya, in district X. A Chinatown can be beneficial for a city both for cultural and economic reasons.
For a long time in Budapest, Chinatown was synonymous with the Four Tigers Market.
Later, the Asia Center opened followed by numerous restaurants serving Chinese and other Asian dishes both in the capital and rural towns. In one place, however, a small Chinatown was formed. It was initially established to serve the local Chinese community, but nowadays it has been increasingly popular among locals as well. Menus can be often in Chinese. However, more and more places have translated them to English and Hungarian.
The Budapest Chinatown is completely authentic, with no Hungarian or European features.
It is worth a visit not only if you want to taste locally prepared food. You can also buy rare ingredients and traditional spices that are typical in Chinese cuisine but are hard to find elsewhere.
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Wonders of Chinese cuisine in Kőbánya
The Monori Center and the Chinese Quarter in Budapest may not be as famous as other Chinatowns around the globe. The decor is not what you might expect at first glance. There are no dragons or lanterns at every corner, but the flavours are guaranteed to take you far away and introduce you to a whole other world.
Squid on skewers, mussels, oysters and fried pasta.
Wan Hao offers a selection of salads and marinated spicy fried meat plates. There are also lamb, beef, pork, chicken and seafood dishes. At Happí Panda, fried squid, lamb chops or tofu are the most popular choices. However, the curious can also try mussels or Chinese sausages.
At the Yitian/R&D place, you can choose from spicy savoury to salty. Iced shakes, tiger sponge cake, mango matcha mochi – all await hungry visitors. Spicy Fish is perhaps the best-known name in Budapest’s Chinatown. Among meat and vegetable dumplings, the stuffed crab is their signature dish. While Hi Bing is also worth a visit if you crave Chinese pancakes.
Chinatown can be reached by tram, bus, car or even train.
Read also5 new places in Budapest you should not miss
Source: Facebook, DNH
Great experience to visit.
Residents as we are in Hungary, born in the “land Down Under” living in District V, we enjoy muchly, visiting ALL the Chinese attractions located in relatively close proximity in the Kobanya utca – Ganz – Chinatown Factory – District 10, of Budapest.
Excellent public transport, we “tram it” from Keleti Station, as an example, but choice of trams & trains, to start your “Adventure” in Chinatown – plentiful.
We dine, we buy “frozen” foods – from numbers of stores that have vastness of variety of “frozen” and fresh foods, to purchase from this shopping adventure.
You experience that it is the meeting point of the – West meeting the East – through the “cultural” experience, you are rewarded with, venturing into this “exciting” district area of Budapest, Hungary,
We Love it.
72 years of age, and remember clearly 64 years past, then just 8 years of age, central main city area of Melbourne, Australia – being taken to dinner at a Chinese Restaurant.
Peace & Harmony – tolerance & respect and acceptance of cultures – mankind can Do It – if we want.
As a teen in Toronto I loved going into the China Town area of the city in large part to listen to the unusual old-time traditional music that all the shops were playing in unison so that even out on the sidewalk you could hear the gentle strains come thru open doorways & windows. It made me feel as if I were fully immersed in that culture as shopped for products to try or products which I already loved. And eating at restaurants where almost exclusively Chinese families & business men dined meant that the food was not bastardized to Canadian/American tastes. That I think is important! Do not adjust to the pallet, let people learn to love your authentic food, which overtime will happen. Like foods of many other cultures. Right now in my province people are crazy about Kimchee. Never heard of it 3 years ago. Now gotta stuff my grilled cheese sandwiches with some of it or have it as a ‘relish’.