Royal bubbles in a royal town

Expats living in a capital tend to stay within the city and rarely venture outside. We encourage both expats and tourists to spend a day in one of the gorgeous places around Budapest. Let’s start with Esztergom, where No4 Best Hungarian Restaurant is located!
Cover photo (without the wine): Antonio Fekete, Michelin Guide

Esztergom was the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary for three centuries in the Middle Ages. The stunning Basilica by the river Danube is the largest church in Hungary! Esztergom is only 46 kilometres from Budapest.

42 Restaurant in Esztergom

As we wrote earlier, the Top 100 Hungarian Restaurants were announced on 21 September, and 42 Restaurant was named the 4th best eatery of Hungary. “Clean, distinctive, honest flavours. It all starts here. We are Hungarian, but our curiosity knows no borders. Our travels, experiences, and encounters shape what we put on the plate. The diversity of the world inspires us, but we always speak in our own language.” The skills are provided by chef Kevin Szabó, who was part of the Hungarian Bocuse d’Or team, while the inspiration comes from the owner, Sándor Varga, who runs a YouTube channel sharing his gastronomic experiences from around the world (with 100 000 subscribers).
The Michelin-star restaurant offers two normal and two vegetarian menus, each cost 68 000 HUF + 15% service fee. According to Michelin Guide, the place is ideal for a “date night”.
The wine list is fabulous with international and Hungarian wines, with an astonishing selection of Champagnes (for example 12 vintages of Krug), and with outstanding Hungarian sparkling wines, like Barta Tokaji Pezsgő from our cover photo.
More about 42 Restaurant

Photos: Patrik Fábián and Antonio Fekete, Michelin Guide

Royal bubbles by Barta Cellar

Barta Tokaji Furmint 2020 traditional method sparkling wine was selected the Best Sparkling Wine of the Hungarian Academy od Sciences and it won gold medal at the latest edition of Winelovers Wine Awards international wine contest. And why royal? Because the Furmint grape comes from the legendary Öreg Király vineyard meaning Old King. “2020 was, again, a year ideal for producing a great base wine from Furmint from the Dobozi sub-vineyard of Öreg Király, which then underwent the usual traditional method secondary fermentation. Disgorged in January 2026.” The dosage is only 6.9 g/L.
More about Barta Cellar