Budapest Goulash Guide · by the Goulash & Langosh Bar family
Where to eat goulash in Budapest.
What goulash really is, how it differs from pörkölt and paprikash, what langosh is, what it costs and where to eat it in the city centre. Written by a family that runs seven kitchens, so every place in this guide is one of ours.
The four words to know
Goulash, pörkölt, paprikash, langosh.
Gulyás
Goulash is a soup
Beef, onion, sweet paprika, potato and carrot, cooked slowly in a broth. Hungarians eat it from a bowl, often as a meal on its own.
Pörkölt
The stew is a different dish
Meat, onion and paprika cooked down without the broth until thick. It is what most menus abroad call goulash.
Paprikás
Paprikash has sour cream
Chicken, beef or mushroom in a paprika sauce finished with sour cream, served with galuska, small soft egg dumplings.
Lángos
Langosh is fried dough
A round of yeast dough fried until golden, then brushed with garlic and topped with sour cream and grated cheese. Best eaten hot, with your hands.
First visit
What to order first.
Start with a bowl of beef goulash soup. If you are two, share a plain langosh with garlic, or one with sour cream and cheese, while you wait. Still hungry? Chicken paprikash with galuska is the classic second course.
Our own two dishes are worth a try too: Bribacsa®, a thick paprika soup with galuska, and Briboka®, a paprikash made mild or hot.
Prices
What it costs.
Beef goulash soup
5,990 Ft to 6,990 Ft
A full bowl, the dish most guests come for.
Vegetarian goulash soup
4,490 Ft to 5,490 Ft
The same slow soup without the meat.
Plain langosh
3,290 Ft to 3,990 Ft
Garlic and salt. Toppings cost a little more.
Chicken paprikash
7,490 Ft to 8,990 Ft
With galuska.
Menu prices at our seven restaurants, September 2026, in Hungarian forints. A 15% service charge is added to the bill.
Without meat
Vegetarian goulash is on every menu.
Every one of our kitchens serves a vegetarian goulash soup, mushroom paprikash with galuska, the vegetable and mushroom versions of Bribacsa® soup, and several langosh with cheese and sour cream. The vegetarian dishes are marked on each menu. If you have an allergy, ask the staff before you order.
Where to eat it
Seven kitchens in District V.
Near Elisabeth Bridge, on Vörösmarty tér, on Ferenciek tere, by the Basilica and in the Parliament district. All within a walk of each other.
Goulash & Langosh Bar3 Duna utca · Open every day, 07:00 to midnightSee the place
Traditional Goulash & Langosh Bar by Bonnie5 Ferenciek tere · Open every day, 07:00 to midnightSee the place
Authentic Mama Paprika Restaurant1 Duna utca · Open every daySee the place
Bazilika22 Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út · Open every day, 11:00 to midnightSee the place
Mama's & Papa's4 Vörösmarty tér · Open every daySee the place
Old Mama5 Vörösmarty tér · Open every day, 12:00 to 23:00See the place
Terv Presszó19 Nádor utca · Open every day, 12:00 to midnightSee the placeQuestions
Asked often.
Is Hungarian goulash a soup or a stew?
A soup. Gulyás is beef, onion, paprika, potato and carrot cooked slowly in a broth and eaten from a bowl. The thick stew most people abroad call goulash is pörkölt in Hungarian.
How much does goulash cost in Budapest?
At our seven restaurants a bowl of beef goulash soup is 5,990 Ft to 6,990 Ft (menu prices, September 2026), and a 15% service charge is added to the bill.
Where can I eat goulash near Váci Street?
Four of our kitchens are a few minutes from Váci utca: Duna utca 3 and Duna utca 1 near Elisabeth Bridge, and Vörösmarty tér 4 and 5 at the northern end of the street.
Is there vegetarian goulash?
Yes. Every one of our menus has a vegetarian goulash soup (4,490 Ft to 5,490 Ft), mushroom paprikash with galuska and several langosh, and the vegetarian dishes are marked on the menu.
Do I need a reservation?
No. Walk in anytime, or book a table online from the page of the restaurant you want to visit.
Is there a service charge?
Yes, 15% is added to the bill at all seven restaurants. Menu prices are in Hungarian forints.