Moving On Up

The terrace at the Angelika Kávéház & Étterem is a great place to have a coffee or a delicious lunch, but it doesn't come cheap.

Angelika Kávéház & Étterem
1011 Budapest
Batthyány tér 7.
Tel: 201-0668, 224-0046
Hours: 9am-midnight

It's time to take my client to lunch. At the last minute I decide to forgo being a cheapskate and take him out for a real lunch.

Considering his office is on the red metro line and I'm in Buda, I scour my brain for something suitable. Got it: the Angelika Coffeehouse and Restaurant at Batthyány square - a cavernous space in the rectory of the adjacent church towering over the square. I used to go there for coffee in the early 90s, but had not been to the Angelika since it "upscaled".

Like so many atmospheric places in Budapest, I don't comprehend the need to gut them and start over, but the Angelika has become a real restaurant. On this sunny spring day it's all about the wonderful terrace. We're seated under an umbrella in a space - nice and secluded - between the Cafe's elevated terrace and the wall of the restaurant.

I tell my guest to order whatever he likes, but he takes it pretty easy on my wallet. He chose an asparagus ravioli with mascarpone sauce, while I had the crisply baked salmon with a side of polenta and sautéed spinach. The food was delicious - my client was pleased and so was I, although I must admit that my portions were minuscule, especially the spinach.

He drank cola while I had 2 deciliters of delicious house red. The service was friendly without being too doting.

Our bill, excluding tip, totaled HUF 7,660 (approximately 36.48 euro).

TAGS:
Budapest cafés