Vörös Postakocsi Étterem
IX. Ráday u. 15
Cuisines: European
About
The eclectic building on the very busy Ráday utca was built in 1876, where it once served as a coffeehouse. The restaurant opened in 1970, named after the Hungarian writer Gyula Krudy's book The Red Post Coach, which is on display in the entry. The restaurant reflects the tone of the novel with an early-20th-century feel inside with heavy dark furniture and old-fashioned wallpaper; it is like eating in a history lesson. Food selections embrace traditional as well as modern Hungarian recipes. As a starter, the gulyás soup is spicy and filled with meat, carrots, and potatoes; the bean soup is thick, but not as flavorful, lacking something. Those who appreciate turkey will love the breast steak stuffed with dried tomatoes and bacon topped with mozzarella served with steak fries. The Caesar salad with tenderloin was the first salad we have had with Romaine lettuce in Hungary. This type of lettuce is a rarity, often replaced with the iceberg variety. The tenderloin was cooked perfectly to enhance the flavor of the salad without overwhelming it. The dressing was close to a true Caesar dressing, but needed some lemon, which the server brought after we asked. Live music is provided daily, but Monday. They will serenade you while you eat indoors or outside, thanks to the oversize windows that signal no air-conditioning inside. We found the service somewhat tenuous; we waited for menus, then for a lengthy time to order, while three servers stood close by and chatted with each other.
