Városház Snack

Low prices, homestyle Hungarian dishes, a pared-down interior, no English menu, let alone an Instagram page: these are promising signs that you've stumbled on a local eatery. Városház Snack, which opened in 1985, is a shoebox-sized counter-service restaurant in Budapest's downtown that's especially popular among employees of the Mayor's Office across the street.

The daily-changing dishes are written on weathered plastic boards attached to the wall. As the day progresses, they flip over those that they ran out of (try to get there before 1 p.m.). I usually opt for the daily soup followed by a vegetable stew (főzelék) topped with meatballs. You'll find here dishes that largely vanished from Budapest restaurants, including a wonderful poppy-seeds noodle plate (mákos tészta). Lunch-only, Monday through Friday.