Restaurant Review: Bangla Bufe: Bangladeshi Cuisine In Budapest

  • 5 Dec 2013 4:35 AM
Restaurant Review: Bangla Bufe: Bangladeshi Cuisine In Budapest
Initially opened by a student but now run by Mr. Sheikh Swapan this restaurant may not be pleasing to the eye but is certainly pleasing to the stomach. Located at Akácfa utca 40, this restaurant certainly complies with the commonly used phrase “hole in the wall”. Both because of it’s positioning on a side street here in Budapest but also because of its extraordinarily small interior. Extraordinarily that is due to the restaurant’s large and regular flow of customers.

With seating room for only ten this restaurant is not for those looking for fine dining or eccentric amenities offered by many restaurants in the city. However; if you are looking for a homey feel with extremely friendly staff this is the place for you. The interior of the restaurant is simple, four tables and a cashier booth set up for ordering with minimal décor on either side wall.

The menu is also quite simple which can be reassuring to those not yet familiar with Bangladeshi cuisine. This is useful since this restaurant offers the only cuisine of its kind in the entire city of Budapest. That’s right; this small and simple space is the only place to find Bangladeshi food here in this rather large city of over 1.5 million people, which is quite amazing considering the restaurant’s low rate of occupancy. Therefore it is near inconceivable to find yourself dining in the restaurant alone. Almost always will you find either a packed house or at least a few other people dining in.


A result of this high traffic area is a community base among its customers. Often times you may share your table with someone stopping in to enjoy some of the delicious food served here. Therefore courtesy among strangers turn into conversations with new found acquaintances. It is also common to find yourself dining next to a familiar face due to this restaurants large amount of repeat customers. Not only do such repeat customers come in to appease their own appetite but the fan base grows due to word of mouth. Many who have experienced the cuisine happily spread the news and rave to others who find themselves stopping in for an experience of their own. Little to no advertisement is required with such a loyal customer fan base.

This article would not be complete without a review of the dishes offered at Bangla. You could easily say that the quality and delectable taste of the food makes up for the lack of décor and aesthetic appeal. Curry is a favorite among most all customers. One can purchase chicken or mutton curry with either rice or chapatti for around 1200 HUF. Not only are the servings generous but all are cooked fresh. Therefore patience is definitely a virtue when dining at Bangla. The wait is always worth it once you taste the richly seasoned dishes.

Also among favorites are chicken biryani, pappadums, and the authentic drinks such as mango lassi and black masala tea. For those who can withstand a bit more heat than most all of the curry dishes can be served spicy which is sure to kick sweat glands into overdrive. Overall, if you are looking for authentic food with a backpacker-style experience set out for Bangla Bufe and see what you’ve been missing.

By Laura Pollard for XpatLoop.com

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