I often travel to the US and I try to get a sample of both of the above when I’m there. And while I haven’t tasted anything close to matching a decent American cheesecake here (yet!), Budapest may have produced my favourite ever burger. Yes, you read that right.

My favourite burger can be found at Black Cab. It has two locations in Budapest, a small restaurant on Mester utca and the larger main restaurant on Rákóczi.

The restaurants are decorated in a diner style with London motifs to reflect the time the owner, József Tóth, spent in London working in restaurants.

Apart from the food, you can buy all sorts of English based drinks: Ciders, bitter, even Scottish speciality Irn Bru. The place definitely has an anglophile feel to the place and is regularly populated both by Hungarians and expats.

What sets this place apart from the rest is that you can build your own burger and this is why it is my favourite. When you enter, you get a leaflet with all the choices available. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, so I’ve got the link here so you can plan ahead.

Apart from burgers you can also get hot dogs, and even salads. I tried a sample of them when I sat down with the owner and they are very good, but let’s face it, you’re here for the burger.

I asked József why he decided to open a burger restaurant. József is a well-travelled man. He has lived in the UK, America, and Australia among others.

During this time, he worked in many restaurants, such as Cipriani, where it was essential that all ingredients were fresh. Nothing frozen.

However, it wasn’t until he came back to Budapest that he thought about opening his own restaurant. A burger place. Simply because, like me, he likes burgers. Back in 2011, there weren’t any quality burger establishments, only MacDonald’s or Burger King.

He therefore decided to open his own using high quality ingredients sourced from local suppliers and the lessons he learnt from working in Cipriani. The result is juicy burgers with great chips/fries. Burgers that you can tailor to suit your tastes. Here’s mine:

150g of beef, cheddar, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, mayonnaise, tomato, ketchup, and pineapple. The result is a party in your mouth! A good mix of the savoury beef and the sweet pineapple. Yummy! If you don’t want to pick your own, you can also choose others from the list.

So, if you’re craving for a great burger, then give Black Cab Burger a try. You’ll not regret it. Now all I’m missing is a decent cheesecake. Anyone have any suggestions?

Where to find them:
1088 Budapest, Rákóczi út 19.
1095 Budapest, Mester u. 46.

About the author:
I write these reviews for fun and as a hobby. In this particular case I was given free samples, but this does not alter my opinion of the restaurant because I’ve been coming here for years. Prices were correct as of time of writing (July 2018).

There are probably grammatical errors in the above, but I got a C for English at GCSE, so what do you expect! My reviews do not reflect the opinion of XpatLoop. Please treat it as a bit of fun and some friendly local advice.

Photo courtesy of the venue

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