Category: Reviews

Independent Restaurant and Hotel Reviews

Stelazsi Cafe and Wine Bar, Budapest – Review

On our recent visit to Budapest, Hungary we happened upon a wonderful Cafe that deserves a shout out!

Located in the third district of the city is the charming Stelazsi Cafe, Restaurant and Wine Bar.  You must visit to fully appreciate the homey, warm feeling they have created.

We stopped on a beautiful sunny morning for a coffee, taking a short break from sightseeing in beautiful Budapest.  The patio seemed like a good place to enjoy or break and we ordered 2 cappuccinos, costing 450 ft / €1.50 each.

Reminiscent of days gone by, the eye appealing coffee arrived complete with honey, 2 kinds of sugar, sweetener and a glass of water.

The inside is decorated with a homey feel, charmingly and romantic.  It was a wonderful break.

Info:
Stelázsi Cafe, Restaurant and Wine Bar
Address: 1036 Budapest, Nagyszombat u. 3.
Opening Hours: every day from 10 am to 10 pm
http://stelazsietterem.hu/

 

Dogmopolite Dog Boarding, Budapest, Hungary – Review

Visiting Budapest?  Need a place to board your dog?  Following is my independent review of Dogmopolite.

Nobody likes to leave their dog in a boarding place, and we are no exception.  However, this summer, when we went on a European road trip with our dog Fritz, we found ourselves in need of a dogsitter in Budapest.  We were in Hungary for the Formula One weekend and Fritz, unfortunately would not be particpating in the racing events.

After a little research, my husband decided on Dogmopolite Boarding and Day Care.  We arrived and very obviously started asking questions and checking out the large facilities.

The young lady in charge, who spoke good english, quickly put our minds at ease as she confidently answered our questions and gave us a tour.  There were a lot of other dogs and people were coming and going, dropping off and picking up their treasured pets.

There was garden areas, pools, agility courses as well as separate areas for big dogs and little dogs. Private areas were available for dogs that do not play nice.

We had to present Fritz’s passport which documented his vaccinations and vet visits, filled out paperwork, answered a series of questions which were recorded and signed papers.  Hesitantly, we left our “baby” in the care of Dogmopolite, assured that we could come and go to visit as we pleased.  We did not visit, afraid of upsetting a balance, but we did call several times and were always patiently told what he was doing and where he was.

When we picked him up, we quietly arrived at Dogmopolite so we could observe how he was handling the situation.  He was in the garden playing with some other dogs, tongue hanging out, tail waging!  Whew!!!

Great place!  The only negative was the pungent odour of dog urine, but that happens when there are so many dogs entertaining eachother.

Cost: 3500 ft / €11.50 for 3 nights & 3 days.

Dogmopolite Dog Boarding and Day-care PEST
1103 Budapest, Cserkesz u. 49.
Telephone: 06 (1) 246 23 06,
06 (20) 528 72 21, 06 (20) 362 83 30
0-24 Telephone: 06 (20) 477 56 00

Cafe Studio, Bratislava – Review

Hungry in Old Town Bratislava, Slovakia.  Independent review of dog friendly Cafe Studio.

After wandering around town and castle all morning, (read about it: Bratislava, Slovakia – Dog Friendly European Road Trip) we worked up an appetite.  Passing several restaurants, in search of some authentic traditional Slovakian Food dishes, we decided on  Cafe Studio.

As the rain had finally passed and the sun was showing her beautiful face, we opted to sit outside on the patio where we could watch the pedestrian street action.

Our order, on the pulled recommendation of the our waitress, consisted of:
– a beer @ 2.50 ea (2) and Smirnoff Cranberry @ €5ea (2)
– Sheep cheese dumplings – good but rich, large serving
– Potato pancakes with cabbage – good, large serving
– Schnitzel – it never arrived?!?

We had 2 servers working our table, a man and a woman. Neither spoke english; the man was extremely rude, the woman tried to smile once and awhile but obviously did not like her job either.  Perhaps Slovakians are not fond of tourists / foreigners? Or maybe they are simply not happy people…

For dessert, we ordered an Apple strudel to share which was very good.
Our total cost was: €32.30 ?

Bottom Line:  Slow service, male server was a grumpy, unfriendly disaster, forgetting parts of our order (drinks); the female server was slightly better, but also missed parts of our order (food).  Overpriced in a country where the average nominal wage is a little over €800.

Would I recommend Cafe Studio?  NO

Pizza Grill Budkova, Bratislava Slovakia – Review

Visiting Bratislava, Slovakia?  Looking for a cheap place to eat in a jungle of high prices and mediocre food?  Here is my review of Pizza Grill Budkova.

Exhausted from our day of travel from Vienna Austria (blog), and some sightseeing in Bratislava (read my blog Bratislava, Slovakia – Dog Friendly European Road Trip), we were out walking our dog Fritz when we happened across Pizza Grill Budkova. Conveniently located within walking distance of our accommodation Penzion Vilo.

They warmly welcomed us and our dog and we found an empty table on the al fresco terrace.  The evening heat demanded? that we order a beer for my husband, and a radler – beer with lemonade – for me.  The radler was incredibly delicious as they made their own with beer and real lemonade – so refreshing, I suppose as it is meant to be!

Enjoying the atmosphere, we decided we would split a pizza.  Not just any pizza, in Italian tradition, the pizza Margherita was cooked in a wood fire oven.  Simple and delicious! ?  Cost for all: €8.40

Due to the fantastic pizza and friendly people, we decide to return to Pizza Grill Budkova the next evening for dinner.

This time we managed to consume
– 3 radler
– 1 Pizza with prosciutto and rucola
– 1 Pizza Hawaii
Total cost: €17.80

Once again, everything fabulous!  Not only is Grill Budkova dog friendly, which allows us to not only consume, but enjoy our time out, the food and the service is 5 star in a comfortable common people restaurant!

Win Win!!!

Do I recommend it?  YES!  Go, enjoy and let us know your experience in the comments section below.

Penzion Vilo, Dog Friendly – Bratislava, Slovakia – Review

Located just 2 km from downtown Bratislava, dog friendly Penzion Vilo was our booking choice when visiting the capital of Slovakia.  Here is my review.

Name: Penzion Vilo
Our Cost: €86.80 for 2 nights – €43.40 per night Note: Prices are slightly cheaper if you book directly with the house
Booked via:  Booking.com (not an affiliate)

Read about Bratislava, Slovakia – Dog Friendly European Road Trip

First impressions:  The accommodations are very simple, a bright room with two big windows and a ceiling fan, very friendly, full use of kitchen, internet, very small in suite bathroom with toilet, sink and shower, patio with ping pong. It seems the place is owned/managed by a father son team who are both friendly, although only the son speaks some english.

There is a secure parking area where we were instructed to park the car, which of course is a huge advantage, especially due to the narrow, steep street.  The disadvantage is the limited spaces; as more people arrived with vehicles, they were all parked side by side, making it impossible to get out again unless you found the car owner.

The bathroom was very clean.  A firm, hard bed (we like that, but it is a negative if you don’t) with fresh bedding was the focal point.  The main necessities were achieved.

Negatives:
– Dated furnishings
– Dirty – kitchen and floors
– Overall, not as clean as I like it / could be
– Extremely noisy – very loud until 11:30 pm, again at 2:15 am (guests coming back) and then the owners wake up at 6:30 am and start making tremendous noise

It advertises with being in the city center, but it is a 10 minute steep downhill walk to get there, which makes it a steep nightmare uphill walk ? to get back.
The normally good for a city cost of €40 per Night is, imo, too expensive.
Note:  In fairness, the kitchen was cleaned, including floors, when we came back the second day

?Unfortunately, I can not recommend this place, except maybe for people who party and crash?.