I just got back from a two week European adventure. I love, love, love Europe and how easy it is to hop from one country to the next to experience different cultures, people, architecture, and FOOD.  This trip I got to go to London, Vienna, and Budapest- all hustle and bustle type cities with such different vibes. While I was in each city, I was on a mission to find hidden gem restaurants because I HATE eating where all the other tourists eat when I am traveling.  I never want to visit the first restaurant that shows up on a simple google search or on Trip Advisor, unless the reviewers say the place is really too good to pass up and even then I am skeptical and keep searching. My ultimate goal is to find where all of the locals go or at least the places locals have heard from other locals as THE spot to try.

So, the trip was a success. Thanks to my favorite food bloggers and a few blogs I found while searching the web, I was able to find unique yet happening spots for a delicious meal in all three cities.

I have decided to share my favorite restaurant for each city. Next time you are ever in any of these cities, I highly recommend you trying them out.

26 Grains

London, United Kingdom

 

 

 

 

 

This spot had been on my radar for months. After stumbling across an eye catching, mouthwatering picture of morning porridge on Instagram a few months back, and messaging the specific account that posted it, asking where I could find such a thing and learning that the café was in London, I put it on my MUST HAVE, MUST VISIT list. It’s more of a breakfast spot but with that being said the porridge and smoothie bowls they serve can be eaten at any time of day. Their coffee is fantastic as well so even if you are not into porridge (you will be though after you try this place) then it’s still worth stopping in for a cup of Joe. It’s located in the beautiful Neal’s Yard which is a hidden side alleyway off the main walking street near Covent Garden. It’s not so hard to find and the alleyway has a “Neal’s Yard” sign. It’s a beautiful area and 26 grains is found on the far side of the small court yard with all of the lovely benches that many visitors lounge upon.

The interior is very cute and cozy. There are a few hand crafted tables and very cool wooden stools to perch on inside, and one outside picnic table. You order at the cash register, watch the girls work their porridge and oats magic in the back, and get served a delicious bowl within minutes. I had the Hazelnut & Butter Porridge made with Almond Milk Oats, Butter, Hazelnuts, Cinnamon Coconut Palm Sugar, and Apple. It was delicious. Served warm, it was the perfect taste of fall with the Hazelnuts and Apple the stand out ingredients which mixed really well with the Cinnamon. My counterpart had the Salted Caramel Pear porridge, served beautifully with a small flower garnish, made with a Coconut Milk Oat and Barley Blend, Salted Caramel Pears, Cinnamon Greek Yogurt, and Pistachio Sesame Sprinkle. It was such a unique blend of ingredients but tasted amazing. If you like Pears, Coconut Milk, and Tangy Greek Yogurt you will enjoy this one.

They also serve a Banana Cacao Oats porridge served with Cacao Nibs, Banana, and Maple toppings and   a few savory porridge bowls, one being their very popular Egg & Kale porridge, which is made of Butter and Kale Oats served with an Egg. Add this cutesy place to your list.

Salm Bräu

Vienna, Austria

I found this place, on Pack Me To travel blog  (Thank you Adelina!) and knew it was going to be good. It is a traditional Viennese restaurant close to the Belvedere but far enough away so it’s somewhat off the beaten path, away from all of the tourist trap restaurants on the “Ring.” First off, they brew their own beer in house, so the second I figured that out they had my vote. They also have both inside and outside seating, and large outdoor heaters for the outside seating area for those of us who wanted to be warm and cozy enough to chow down and mingle with the locals at shared picnic tables. The temperatures definitely drop at night here, so the heaters are definitely appreciated.

As for the menu, the menu is EXTENSIVE, there is something for everyone, salads, vegetarian dishes, various meat platters, etc. but if you go, you must pick from their “house specialty” and “delicacies” list which is all traditional Viennese food. You must try the Stelze, which is essentially a large haunch of ham served as a single or double portion. It is out of this world amazing and the portion is huge for one, two, or an entire family.  It is served with bread dumplings, which are so freaking good, beer cabbage, mustard and horseradish. Holy moly, the ham is tender, lean, and delicious with the horseradish and mustard for dipping. After this meal and my trip to Vienna and Budapest, I have fallen in love with cabbage. I don’t know what they do to it over there but they make it taste so yummy. We also ordered the pork schnitzel because you can’t not order some kind of schnitzel while in Austria which came with a large bowl of potato salad. The schnitzel was cooked to perfection and very lean which I appreciate and the potato salad, a simple blend of ingredients, was the best I have ever had. I was surprised by how much I liked it. It was mixed with some sort of vinegar dressing versus traditional mayonnaise which I am used to tasting. It was a lot lighter, didn’t make me feel like I was gaining weight by the second, and very tasty. I was very impressed with our meals and the ambiance of this place. This should be your first pick for dinner if you are ever in Vienna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Haunch of ham in front, pork schnitzel in back, and delicious cabbage and potato salad in the middle)

Kisüzem

Budapest, Hungary

This spot was recommended to us by our super cool and trendy Airbnb hosts as one of their favorite bars in the most happening quarter in Budapest: The Jewish Quarter. This area of Budapest is so freaking cool and is filled with the most unique looking bars and restaurants you have ever seen. They call them Ruin Bars, and essentially they are pop-up bars and restaurants built in abandoned and unused outdoor spaces with the most random materials, building scraps, and junk that accidentally works as artwork, creating a very cool vibe. This area is lively, chaotic, and a blast at night.

We decided to listen to our hosts and try Kisüzem and I am glad we did.  First off, the set-up is amazing. Plants adorn the exposed brick walls that take over the interior (my look for my dream house when I make it big), the lighting is right, and the place is a combination of concrete and wood in addition to the brick which gives it a homey yet modern feel. They are known for their jazz music too and host jazz bands almost every night of the week. I enjoyed the jazz band playing in the background as I sipped by Hungarian concoction- it was a nice touch. People hang everywhere here, at the bar, outside on the side walk, at the small tables near the windows, and inside the windows. Yes, people sip their cocktails while they sit on the window ledges, it’s very laid back. The second I saw people sitting Indian-style in the windows I knew I was in love. It gives off a bohemian vibe which was right up my alley.

The food and drinks were very good and cheap! Hungary is pretty cheap in general but I loved the quality of food and drink here for the price I paid. We had the spinach, butternut squash, and goat cheese sandwich, it was delicious and a combination I have never thought of and the hamburger wrap made with ground veal, onions, lettuce, and other veggies. The bartender kept passing by with the goulash soup, I was salivating at the looks of it and had to order it too.  We kept it coming. The menu was definitely one of the more interesting ones I stumbled across in this city. The combination of ingredients seemed so odd but also genius and clearly they worked because people were ordering food all night long. I loved that the portions were small but rich in flavor and very, very filling. The drinks were phenomenal as well. They have a huge selection of Hungarian wine and beer AND their famous wine spritzer went down very easily. The bartenders must have poured 100 of these spritzers during the two hours I sat at the bar, so I obviously had to have what the locals were having.

I absolutely fell in love with this place and with a very small price tag, I would have come back again, again, and again if I had more than 72 hours in this city.

Go to Budapest and go to Kisüzem for a bite to eat and a few drinks. Then hop around the Ruin bars. Do not come to Budapest without going to the Ruin Bars, I repeat, you would be crazy to come to Budapest and not check out the Ruin bars.