Just a few months ago – on this blog – we predicted another star, a Michelin star – would fall on Budapest. And so it happened, at the same time giving the city its first ever two Michelin star restaurant in Onyx. Moreover, the prediction that Stand 25 Bisztró would be honored also came to pass, though it received a Bib Gourmand rather than a star. All in all, it was a good haul for the city’s culinary scene.

For those who don’t know, the driving force behind both venues is the wunderkind chef Tamás Széll, who helped Onyx to procure its first star before leaving to open his own restaurant in Stand 25 Bisztró. Along the way he became the first Hungarian to win the Bocuse d’Or Europe, billed at the most prestigious cooking competition on the continent. The affable, charismatic Széll, only in his 30s, has become something of a local celebrity chef. It’s an interesting trajectory, as Széll could have had his choice of jobs or attracted investors for any number of haute cuisine restaurants here or abroad, but instead he chose to flawlessly recreate and update Hungarian classics in the unpretentious environs of a corner space in a central Budapest market hall. His instincts were of course spot on, and the restaurant is always busy, with their gulyás (gulash soup) becoming immediately legendary among gulyás fans.

“We would like to present our gastronomy in a more informal, friendly, contemporary, but still very high-quality way, after the quite formal, elegant, Michelin-starred style of Onyx,” Széll told finedininglovers.com . “To me it was very important not to lose quality. To use the most excellent ingredients and the most modern Hungarian kitchen technology when we offer meals that feature the culture and history of Hungarian gastronomy. We innovated traditional Hungarian meals, we modernised and we are very proud of our Hungarian products and technologies.”

If you are one who keeps track of such things, the other restaurants with stars are Costes, Costes Downtown, and Borkoynha. Bib Gourmands, which honor restaurants on the budget friendly spectrum, have also gone to Budapest's Fricska and Petrus. Olimpia earned an Assiette, an award that goes to restaurants with no fixed menu.

If you look where the award count places Hungary among post Soviet Union countries, it puts the country firmly at the top of the list. Second place is the Czech Republic which has three starred restaurants. As a destination for sophisticated diners, the stars are only beginning to come out for Budapest and Hungary.

Flatpack Films is based in Budapest, Hungary. We are a film company that offers an inspiring and professional work atmosphere for our local and international clients. Since our inception, our focus has been providing the best of the best in terms of local production resources, locations, cast, and technical teams to ensure that whatever the production we facilitate, we do to highest standard possible.