At most places everything besides the gyros is made before hand and is reheated just for the customer. Fresh food is one of the most important aspects of Turkish cuisine anything you order in Turkey will be made on the spot; usually nothing will be made before hand except the ingredients that have to be pre-prepared for the meals.

Some Turkish restaurants in Budapest even go as far as to introduce Hungarian dishes in their menus and change how the Turkish dishes are traditionally prepared hoping it will seem more appealing to the customer. This is mostly done in the way they serve the famous gyros, it is common in Hungary to have a lot of vegetables and two different sauces, one is spicy and the other one is yogurt based. This is mostly done so people think they get a lot for their moneys worth, however gyros in Turkey would never include the two sauces and would not include tons of vegetables. It is more important to taste the flavours of the meat rather then to spice it up with extra ingredients.

Turkish cuisine is not only about the famous gyros but it includes kebabs, which most people tend to ignore in Hungary and amazing desserts such as rice pudding and baklava. Turkey is also known for its amazing seafood dishes, but it is hard for these restaurants to serve fresh fish in Hungary because it is a landlocked country after all. There are a few dishes the uninformed customer would not know to order, but next time you’re in a gyros shop consider trying something new.

There are many menu options that are very tasty and inexpensive such as Adana Kebab, Pide also known as Turkish Pizza and gyros plate which is basically gyros meat served on a plate with side dishes ranging from salads, to rice, to baked potatoes. Ask for Turkish rice, a brown rice seasoned with tomato sauce, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to try your dish with the authentic Turkish flavors. Adana kebab is minced meat with onion, cooked on a skewer and can be really spicy, depending on how you order it. It is usually served with pita bread and vegetables on the side.

Turkish pizza or pide, is made with a thin dough and could be topped with cheese, minced meat or anything that the customer wants. The selections in the restaurants are limited in Hungary, but the cheese and minced meat are the most traditional choices. A secret drink that most foreigners do not know about is the traditional drink Ayran, made by mixing yogurt with water and a little bit of salt, which is served at almost every Turkish restaurant next to kebabs and gyros making it the perfect combination.

There are so many Turkish restaurants in Budapest and one can easily be overwhelmed and wonder which place is the best to try. Personally there are two restaurants that stand out from all the rest and provide the closest experience of having real Turkish food.

Szeraj and Star Kebab are the two most famous Turkish restaurants in Budapest with chefs brought in from Turkey to make the kebabs and baklavas to a high standard. They both are located in the city center; Szeraj is on Szent Istvan street, and Star Kebab is located on Terez körüt next to Oktogon, in the heart of Budapest. Some personal favourites to order from these restaurants would be Iskender, which is gyros meat on top of bread that has been soaked in a flavorful tomato sauce, served with a good sized helping of plain yogurt on the side. Also if you have a sweet tooth and would like to order baklava try a non-traditional style.

There are a variety of selections especially at Szeraj. Enjoy exploring the delights of Turkish cuisine in Budapest and don’t be afraid to try something new. Afiyet olsun!

Words by Rahmi Umut Küçüktetik for XpatLoop.com