I have been really looking forward to this one! 

Taste From Hungary has been a small independent supermarket on Chesterton Road for some time, offering a wide selection of Hungarian products and produce. They have now opened a restaurant next door, adding Hungarian cuisine to Cambridge’s already bustling restaurant scene. I have always been a big fan of classic Hungarian dishes, since my trip to Budapest, and I was keen to explore more of what this fine country has to offer.

🅿️ Free parking outside Barclays Bank after 5pm

The restaurant is small and intimate with a lovely looking bar located at the back of the restaurant.  I was particularly charmed by the wide selection of Hungarian items across the restaurants which gives it a cosy and unique character. The mounted tea sets and ornaments gave off warmth and familiarity, almost like a Hungarian living room. I honestly can’t think of a restaurant in the city that resembles anything like it.

We were presented with a menu in either English or Hungarian. My Hungarian is a little rusty, so I picked English 😅

The menu was large with a varied selection of authentic Hungarian dishes. I lost count at the number of interesting dishes that sounded absolutely delicious. I was quickly coming to the conclusion that a second or even a third visit may be in order to try everything I wanted. For more information on what’s available, click here.

There is a great selection of Hungarian wines and beer on the menu. We ordered a beer called Borsodi, which came to £3.99 for a half litre can at 4.5%. This was a rather smooth and light beer that balanced well with the heavy and rich dishes Hungary is known for. I ordered a Sio orange juice to accompany it.

Starters

We started with two choices from their starter menu – Kolbásztál (sausage selection) and Sajtál (cheese selection). Both were beautifully presented on a wooden board which looked fantastic on the chequered table cloth.

The kolbásztál came with a pot of mustard, pickles, and toasted bread. The sausages were also garnished with chopped chilli peppers. This was a balanced dish in its own right with lots of colour and things going on. I could see this working well as a light lunch.

The sausages are hand crafted and had a lovely smokey flavour. The mustard was smooth and mild which really complemented the bold richness of the sausage. I quite enjoyed spreading the mustard on the toast with a slice of sausage, pickle, and chilli, that turned it into a delicious toasted sandwich. Marvellous!

The cheese board was as impressive as the sausage board. It also came as a balanced meal with toasted strips, grapes, and apple.

According to the menu, the cheese selection included, Hungarian Trappist, smoked parenyica, Gomolya cheese, smoked Caravan cheese, and Medve cheese. This gave a variety of mild and smokey cheeses alike, with a wide variety of what Hungarian cheese had to offer

Mains

I was accompanied by my sister who tried a vegetarian dish called ‘Gomba pörkölt nokedlivel’ or roasted mushroom with nokedli. Nokedli is a pasta shaped dumpling dish which is very popular in Hungary. The roasted mushroom is served as a spicy paprika stew and garnished with sour cream, tomato, onion, and parsley.

The dish looked fantastic by eye. The mushroom had a beautiful deep colour and the nokedli looked rich and creamy. Unfortunately, this was met with an absent flavour almost like it had been boiled out. The only thing we could taste in the dish was the individual chunks of mushroom but any hint of sour cream or paprika was entirely missing. Sadly, we failed to finish it which left us feeling completely underwhelmed.

I ordered my dish from their specials menu after the ‘Füstölt csülkös pacal pörkölt’ (smoked knuckle tripe stew) caught my eye. The pork knuckle is slow cooked with tripe, paprika, garlic and pepper, which comes with a tower of potato and chillies.

Like with the Gomba pörkölt nokedlivel above, this also has a very watery washed out absence of flavour. The chillies packed a spicy wallop which was a nice touch but otherwise I was left feeling disappointed, especially considering that this came to £20. I also thought the portion size was also small for the price.

The potato tower consisted of lumpy mashed potatoes. I presume it is made lumpy to hold together the shape. I’m not a Hungarian food expert by any stretch of the imagination, so I have no idea whether or not this is how the dish is supposed to be served but I got the impression that this is done on purpose.

Dessert

Finally, we had desserts…

I was keen to try the apricot dumplings and my sister ordered the Somlói galuska (Hungarian trifle).

The dumplings are large and served as a pair – one single dumplings is easily big enough for a single portion alone. The dough is thick, soft, and silky with a generous filling of apricot inside and on top. This is then topped with powdered sugar and crispy crumbs to add that little extra sweetness and more diverse texture. I thoroughly enjoyed these but thought they were very heavy for a dessert, especially if you have had a big meat-heavy meal prior. Either way, they were great value, generous portions, and a truly unique dish unavailable anywhere else in the city.

My sister’s Hungarian trifle was also a generous size, easily sharable between two people. Keep this in mind if you decide to visit as a couple.

The trifle is made in three layers of sponge covered chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and vanilla sugar with raisins soaked in rum. I was particularly keen on the orange chocolate flavoured layer at the bottom and a big fan of the consistent yet subtle flavour of vanilla throughout. Beautiful!

My sister and I failed to find a sticky raisin in the entire dish 🤷‍♂️

Conclusion

We both enjoyed our evening at Taste From Hungary.

The starters were the stand out favourites from the evening, with the Hungarian cheese and sausage boards both impressing while also offering good value. The desserts were big and beautiful.

The restaurant is cosy and bursting with vibrant Hungarian character not found anywhere else in Cambridge. We were both charmed by the staff who were polite, mild mannered and attentive. A service charge of 10% was added to the bill which I felt they deserved.

There is no denying that the mains let us down somewhat. Both our dishes felt small and flavourless. Luckily there is so much to explore on the menu and I have a good feeling that if I return, I will be able to find something as delicious as it is authentic.

Thanks for reading!