Sorry America — though the hot dog is certainly in the pantheon of classic American foods, you’ve been bested. John’s Hotdog Deli in Copenhagen serves what is almost certainly the best hot dog I’ve ever had. It’s absolutely stunning.
They take their cinnamon rolls (or kanelsnegle) pretty seriously in Copenhagen, and most people seem to agree that some of the tastiest ones can be found at Skt. Peders Bageri.
I just ate one, and yeah — that makes sense. It’s amazing.
I recently tried some pretty bizarre stuff at McDonald’s in India, but somehow, I think the salad I tasted in Denmark was the most un-McDonald’s-like thing that I’ve ever had.
I’ve mentioned before that once you start going to a lot of big, old European churches, they all start to blend together a little bit.
There are exceptions, however. One of those exceptions: St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest. It’s an absolutely amazing building.
Kürtös Ételbár is interesting; it’s a tiny little hole-in-the-wall take-out joint (they do, however, have a handful of tables if you want to eat in the restaurant). It also just happens to be connected to (and share a kitchen with) Rosenstein Vendéglő, a much fancier, acclaimed restaurant that serves traditional Hungarian fare.
Which means you can get an affordable lunch from a kitchen that really knows their stuff. It’s a great deal.
I had sausages a couple of times in Prague, and they were both okay (well, one was mediocre and one was pretty good, so they average out to okay), but neither were the mind-blowing sausage experience that you’d hope for from a place that really knows their sausages.
It may not have happened in Prague, but I just had that experience in Budapest.
Though pretty much everything I’ve been eating in Budapest has been great, Mangalica Mennyország was a bit of a mixed bag.
Everybody loves pancakes. And when I say everybody, I mean everybody. I think pretty much every culture has their own variation on a pancake; Wikipedia has a list of all the different types of pancakes served throughout the world, and it’s quite impressive.
Fried chicken sandwiches are one of those universally delicious foods that’s basically impossible not to love. I’m pretty sure every country in the world enjoys some variation on the dish; it’s crispy, meaty, tasty, and convenient.
There’s a popular breakfast in Budapest called langos — fried bread, traditionally topped with sour cream and cheese.
A vendor at the back of the Rákóczi Market Hall called JóKrisz Lángos Sütöde serves these things, and man, they’re good.