Pocakos Lakatos
Pocakos Lakatos is a popular lunch-only eatery on the outskirts of Budapest. Since it takes about 25 minutes to reach from downtown by public transport, I especially recommend this place for people looking for an immersive Budapest dining experience (I promise you'll be the only tourist).
The restaurant revolves around Ferenc Hangos, the cheerful owner, who multitasks behind the counter in his signature white suspenders: plating dishes, handling payments, and shouting orders to the kitchen staff. Mr. Hangos's banter with regular customers is layered with obscene and witty personal insults; he takes particular joy from roasting customers behind whom a sufficiently long line has formed to appreciate his verbal slap.
Most customers are blue-collar men, which might explain why plates piled with beef tripe, stuffed cabbage, roast sausage, and other hearty Hungarian dishes are consumed in massive quantities. Pick whatever looks most appetizing of the daily specials stacked behind the glass counter and enjoy the show!
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