Address:
1052 Budapest, Károly körút 4, Hungary
1053 Budapest, Kossuth Lajos utca 7-9, Budapest

Website

Update December 2021: This restaurant is permanently closed.

How to get to Nika Restaurant:

The closest metro station is Astoria (M2). Exit the station and face towards the Danube. It’s on the left handside, a short walk from the metro exit.

New photo from Dec 2019

Of course I returned on my birthday. To find vegan options in the menu. This giant burger was both my dinner and next morning’s brunch. It was huge and super tasty – both hot and cold. There were more vegan items in the menu.

New photos from Feb 2019

Yes, we returned. And A. wanted to get the Vienese schnitzel. I stuck with my choice. Grilled veggies, steamed rice, and pickles. The food was great. And they still don’t have anything vegan in the menu. And the service is still slow.

Updated review written May 2018

And we got back to Nika during our wedding anniversary trip. With my diet changed to vegan, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Although the menu didn’t have anything vegan, the served helped me and I chose the grilled veggies and tomato salad for dinner. And the chia pudding for dessert is 100% vegan.

We also went for breakfast and , although the options are limited, I could still get the fruit salad.

Updated review written March 2017

It was a bit of a struggle to find the place although it is located right on the main street. GPS in hand and we walked back, as on our first try we passed by.

The new location of Bali Cafe, rebranded as Nika Restaurant, is way bigger and looks more modern.

I found the servers were still speaking English (yay!) but the service was a bit slow. So slow, that the friends we went there with kept waiting for the server to ask us to serve desert, but that didn’t even happen. Oopps.

Overall though, the food was still good. I had, again, grilled mozzarella on some greens; and Alex had mangalita (Hungarian pork) stew. The servings are now smaller but still quite big for the daily recommendations (ahem!).

I even ordered a Cosmopolitan and it was way different than the ones I had at home. Couldn’t taste the alcohol but I felt its effects on me (especially since I drink a Cosmo per year, on a special occasion).

I do still recommend the place.

Original review written in April 2013

Sunday evening we were set on finding a restaurant which served Hungarian fare. The plan was to go to Elisabeth Bridge and from there walk towards Rakoczi ut. Since we haven’t found anything up to the Astoria Metro stop we decided to make a left. Right on the corner there it was : Bali Cafe. It offered Hungarian fare – and other international dishes – and the prices were cheap.

Everyone except me ordered Hungarian fare and they were more than delighted by the food. Alex ordered beef stew with red wine and buttered noodles, while I chose mozzarella on the grill with pesto and mix veggies.

My food looked amazing and it was absolutely delicious. To my surprise they have used balsamic vinegar on the veggies. My dish was 1990 ft / US$8.80 and Alex’s 2290 ft / US$10.10. I chose tea on the side and it was absolutely amazing, too (I know, I have a thing for tea and coffee).

Our waiter, a very handsome local, spoke perfect English. And he was extremely attentive with us. Definitely a big plus and a reason for tip! By the way: the service fee IS included so you won’t have to pay extra (we did because we loved the guy).

I would recommend the place to anyone who is looking either for Hungarian fare or for healthier alternatives. I’ve seen fish and chicken dishes in their menu, too. I also had a fruit salad (990 ft / US$4.35) which was delicious.

Note: the article was originally writte in 2013. It was updated in Feb 2019 and Dec 2019.