Vlada Sahovic
Budapest is a city that offers all kind of charming tastes, exotic foods and wonderful eating experiences, so as a gourmand I would like to shift the attention of all my fellow gourmands inhabiting this city towards the always pleasant and never old Millennium Da Pippo.
As far as good Italian food and good service go, Millennium is one of the finer joints in town. With a host who is always around to greet you and make sure everything is a-okay, a crew of chefs and waiters that seem to be – maybe just for appearances sake – indigenously Italian, with a wide variety of meat dishes, fish, and of course pastas and pizzas, one can say nothing but positive things about the Millennium experience. The prices are also always a pleasant surprise; pizza and pasta prices do not exceed 3500 forints, meat dishes are up to 5000, soups and other starters are modestly priced while the priciest foods on the menu are, as could be expected, fish and other sea food.
About a week ago I went to visit, or rather re-visit it for I have not been there in a long while and I was not surprised; the whole experience was as pleasant as ever. Upon my arrival the waiter and waitresses who have got accustomed to my frequent visits greeted me. Luckily for me it was around 4 o’clock – which is not the most popular time to be eating in Hungary – so I could take a seat wherever I pleased. I took a seat in the far right corner. From there I could observe the restaurant in its fullest detail.
The decoration is somewhat rustic, or maybe a better word would be simple; there are no lavish ornaments, no minimalist or pseudo-modern metal tables or other such elements as can be seen in many restaurants nowadays. Rather, it consists of wisely and tastefully placed vintage articles, such as an old clock sticking out from the wall or large prints of old Italian film stars eating pasta or something of the sort. Also, because the owner, who I previously mentioned as the host, is a huge fan of Juventus there are pictures of him with Pavel Nedved, Alessandro Del Piero and other players, and a big Juve flag that hangs from above the entrance. In any case it leaves a sensation of being in a small, family-run restaurant in the north of Italy.
The food is no less of a pleasure. I ordered a well-done beefsteak in Gorgonzola sauce with fresh spinach on the side.
The steak was well done, as I ordered, and ample in size: very attractive at first sight. Thankfully it was as attractive and tasty at first bite. But in all honesty I cannot say that it was the best beefsteak I ever ate, for it was a bit chewier at times than I would have liked it to be. But the spinach was as good as any; Popeye wouldn’t have had any complaints. As far as the beverages go they have a various selection of quality wines, a few draft beers to chose from and all the non-alcoholic beverages you would find in any other restaurant. Though if you are a big Coca-Cola fan you might be a bit disappointed, as they serve Pepsi.
The bill at the end of the experience is never an unpleasant surprise. As I previously mentioned, the prices are rather acceptable seeing as the quality of the food and service are commendable.
All in all one cannot say much more in order to describe the pleasant experience of Da Pippo. It is located on the corner of Andrassy and Sziv utca, so all that is left now is for you to go and visit it.
My overall grade: 4.5/5
