Kispipa Vendéglo
VII. Akácfa u. 38
Cuisines: European
About
Located on a residential street in Erzsébetváros, at the far edge of the old Jewish district, Kispipa (Little Pipe) is a cozy, well-lit establishment. Vintage Hungarian poster advertisements, which were probably new when hung up, decorate the cream-colored walls. A pianist played vintage Cole Porter melodies and other familiar tunes. Zsolnay china graces the tables as do fresh flowers, and paper napkins. Go figure. The cold lemon soup with a dollop of whipped cream was refreshingly tart and chilled for a hot evening in a hotter restaurant with no air-conditioning. The menu is extensive, with wild-game dishes the house specialty; vegetarians will find it lacking. We chose the stuffed cabbage with pork chops (which was actually minced pork with cabbage and tomato sauce), and the duck breast, which was lean and grilled to perfection with generous portions of quince and three saucer-size potato pancakes. At the end of the delightful evening, we were told the credit card machine wasn't functioning; running to the ATM did not even work off the soup, the portions are so generous. At lunch, they have six fixed-meal selections and all are priced at 4,220 Ft ($22/£12), a bit much for lunch.
