Traveling around we found in Hungary this great restaurant from Tiago and Éva. I would have given 5 stars if all the courses where perfect and had a great teste. We had the 6 course meal. I’m total ever Bing had a great aroma and great texture. The desert was not for my taste. I really didn’t like it. That’s why I can’t give a 5 star rating. The rest of the dishes where good. From a rating from 1 to 10 I would have given 8. The service was great. The food was ready in no time. I would recommend talking more about what you are serving and explaining it more in detail. As a conclusion it was a good evening.

Wow — an exceptional dinner. Every dish looked like a work of art and tasted amazing. Great service and a highly knowledgeable sommelier. Well deserving of its Michelin star and my new favorite restaurant in Budapest!

Spectacular from start to finish. Both quality and presentation of their dishes are excellent with a unique Hungarian-Portuguese twist to it. We were well taken care of throughout the course of our dinner with prompt and knowledgable service. I loved the low-key atmosphere, their open kitchen concept (I peeked into the kitchen which was kept immaculately clean, a big plus). A joy to dine in that’s well worth the money!

One of the most recent restaurant in Budapest that received a Michelin star, and i must say, very well deserved. Essencia has a very elegant and cozy ambience, i love the color of wood matching with the blue theme, it welcomes you in and eases you from the stress of the outside world to enjoy and escape to the culinary feast. As expected from a one star Michelin restaurant, everything was on point and well prepared. There was no room for mistakes - the dishes came out to the exact temperature, plating was beautiful, all the ingredients blend well together. Simply a masterful execution of the chef's vision and skill. However, i feel like all the dishes were on the conservative side - solid in taste, delicious, but lack a twist that will make you excited, and they didn't make use of Hungarian's tradition. Still, that is not a criticism, it's more of a simple thought of what could be added to elevate the experience. Wine pairing is definitely a must to bring out the complete flavor of the dish. I remember the octopus dish was very typical, but with my wine pairing it transformed into a deeper taste of umani. Definitely a compliment to the somelier. Overall, I enjoyed all the food, and it was a solid choice if you want a delicious time with certainty. Waiters are nice and timely, and the somelier definitely knows his wine.

Beautiful aesthetics and food. The octopus was my favorite, I still think about it now! Honestly best octopus I’ve had. The presentation of food was mesmerizing. I can’t get over the Black Forest dessert

A beautiful restaurant in the center of Budapest. We just loved the decor and the ambiance. As for the food and service, both excellent. The service was attentive and yet not intrusive. The food was delicious and some dishes had a Portuguese influence as we found out the chef is from Portugal. Wonderfully made dishes with excellent taste. Now Essencia is one of our favorites in Budapest.

This was our favourite meal in Hungary, and we visited a few excellent restaurants. The watermelon gazpacho was amazing and the strapacska delicious. The service was attentive and prompt. The restaurant's interior is very friendly and makes you feel comfortable. I hope I can visit again soon!

Amazing experience! A brilliant fusion between Portuguese & Hungarian cuisines. We decided on a la carte for lunch, and EVERY dish was delicious. The service was fantastic as well. Highly recommended for anyone in the area.

We managed to squeak in a tasting menu while in Budapest at Essência last night. I contacted a few Michelin restaurants in Budapest months ago while home in Vancouver and Essência was the only establishment that responded positively to us bringing a toddler. Aside from being a standout restaurant in a city of standout restaurants, the customer service at Essência made it an easy choice. Everything was thoughtful and amazing. Our only disappointment was that the cheese platter lacked Hungarian cheese, which we were kind of counting on.

We got a voucher as a wedding present for Essência Restaurant. Both my wife and myself were excited to go as we had just visited Lisbon. The restaurant is in a very centric place in Budapest close to St. Stephan's Basilica. We got a cosy table by the window. The service was excellent, both the waiter and the somelier had an in depth knowledge of all details of the food and wines and very open to explain them. We both chose the Portuguese menu (also there is a Hungarian option) and enjoyed the international wine selection. Overall it was an absolute delight and an excellent experience.

Absolutely lovely. Wonderful restaurant with equally wonderful service. This was my first time at a Michelin star restaurant and it did not disappoint. I got the Hungarian menu and my friend the Portuguese/Hungarian menu, both with the accompanying wines. Every course was lovely and the wine pairings fantastic. My favorite course was the Dödölle” & caviar, and I never thought of myself as a caviar/roe person. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough!

fantastic food and service, lovely and friendly staff that took time to explain the dishes to us. generous as well, we were given complimentary starters and dessert. highly recommended!

It deserves a Michelin star. Because of the late reservation, there was only one available time during Christmas week unfortunately. Surprisingly, even the lunch menu catches my appetite. I’m glad that it’s my first meal after arriving Budapest. Highly recommended! It will be a once in a lifetime experience.

We luckily found out about this new restaurant through our cooking class. We had a wonderful 5 course dinner & wine pairing and everything was delicious. The decor is beautiful and the staff are all so nice and attentive. Even the simplest things like the grilled bread were AMAZING. We sat by the open kitchen which was an extra treat to get to see the chefs preparing the dishes!

Really great new restaurant. Excellent food and service. The octopus especially. And The waitress was really nice when my girlfriend poured her drink all over herself.

One of the best places in Budapest at a great location. You can taste here local ingredients and dishes also. We really liked it so I can recommend this place as one of the best ones in Budapest.

We ordered the 6 course tasting menue. (1x May17 - 1x Hungarian). The first courses were amazing, the Crab dish had shell pieces inside of the meet, from there on the dishes became a bit unusual and tasted off and very acidy. The duck and rib eye meets were great, the side dishes not so much and almost indefinable. The bread pudding dessert was very salty. Overall a good restaurant, maybe just today a bit off.

This is a nice restaurant with two distinct options between Portuguese and Hungarian taking menus. We did the two tasting menus with wines from those countries, and overall, the dishes were delightful. The only dish we were not too impressed with was the cod that came with the Portuguese tasting menu. The sauce was delightful, but the fish itself was quite salty. The service was good as well, the waitress we had explained each dish nicely. There was one dish where we had a different server present the dish without much explanation. Overall, this is a nice place to check out if you want to explore some fine dining.

Absolutely phenomenal and soectecular place....the cuisine was outstanding, the flavors fantastic and the service just wonderful. We enjoyed every single course of our multi-course dinner. Every dish was great. The Portuguese flavors shone through. They have an amazing wine list and knowledgeable staff to advise. Excellent sparkling, whites, red and sweet wine, all local were outstanding. I will for sure be back.

My wife and I had a truly wonderful experience and they truly deserve the Michelin star. The place is very well organize and clean. The staff was very attentive and explained very well the food and wine. The food was exquisite and well seasoned. the wine selection was done perfectly. Truly value for your money

We love Societe next door that is unfortunately closed but these guys do amazing job as well. The food is delicious, service super smooth, the place is nice and reasonable pricing. We will be back.

In one word: Amazing! Had the a la carte menu, with a few different Hungarian an Portuguese wines. The food was well prepared, well balanced and beautifully executed. Everything was A+! We had a young waitress at our table, that gave us perfect recommendations on wine, and she had a really wonderful way of approaching us. Sweet, friendly and professional. She made the experience even better. We did not get her name, but she had a silver watch on and dark hair, so we/I hope this credit reaches her! Thank you Essência - wonderful experience!

An exceptional work of art. Everything were perfect, the food, the service, the ambience. Interesting fusion between Hungarian & Portuguese gastronomy. You can expect to have an interesting & worthy experience there.

Good food, just on the saltier end. My palate is strong but this is next level - generally Hungarian and Portuguese food can be really salty so you should request right after the first dish if you notice you can’t take their level of saltiness

Positives: - amazing service and attention - no "pressure" for being in fine dining restaurant, went there fully casual - great atmosphere - nice presentation of foods - bonus pre-meal and dessert Negatives: - taste was not up to expectations - presentation of their signature dish could have been better Ordered the pulpo (as I believe it is their signature dish with what they acquired the Michelin-star) and it was average compared to other restaurants I ate pulpo at; those were not Michelin-star. Also, the presentation was not as nice as on their website and in Michelin guide (check the website as I couldn't post a photo here). -------------- Summary: If you want to 1 - experience the best Michelin-star restaurant in Budapest or 2 - have a pulpo you never forget, Essencia would not be my first choice. Else, of course they are great that's why I've given 4/5 stars. It's just not 5/5 for me personally. Will amybe give it another try some time in the future and then revisit the review. -------------- Other restaurants near by: My (probably) favourite restaurant in Budapest - Zeya - is just few steps away. Unfortunately, they are closed now for a longer time (3-4 monts). I have chosen multiple times Zeya (non Michelin-star) over Essencia as the taste is just as good if not better with also better prices. Also, thete is Hoppá Bistro near which is not bad either. It can be problematic to reserve a table. They pretend to be very high-end and fine dining but they are rather on the upscale side. Still, they are not bad value (price/taste).

What an experience! The food combines the best of Portuguese and Hungarian foods, with some interesting twists. Every meal was perfect, the wine complimented the food very well and the service was welcoming throughout. The lesco that came with the mangalica was my favourite element, would love to know how they made the tomato flavour so fresh.

I had a great time in Tiago and Eva’s restaurant. Their lunch menu is great, and i also loved the atmosphere of the place. The staff is excellent 🙂 Hope to return soon for dinner!

Highly recommended Michelin restaurant. Great food with a delicious combination of Hungarian and Portuguese food. Attentive service. We felt welcome - even with a reservation that by our mistake wasn’t gone through. A highlight was the knowledge of the Sommelier who knowledgeable took us through great range of both Hungarian and Portuguese wines.

Had a very tasty lunch and even though we made a mistake with the reservation time causing them some headache, the team was very hospitable and nice. Highly recommended.

beautiful & tasty. My wife and me loved the food and service. The makos Guba was amazing. very tasty ! The Rib eye was delicious too :) The owner's put a lot attention to the details so the Interior is great too. Coming back to try their lunch :)

Amazing fine dinning restaurant located in the central of Budapest. The interior design is elegant with beautiful mixture of Portuguese and Hungarian style. The food is amazing with nice Hungarian wine pairing. Every dish and pair went really well, brining out the flavour of the cuisine and upgrade the taste of the wine. Staff are amazingly nice and supported! Will recommend this place if visiting Budapest!

Good experience, and great service. Snacks and the 2 first servings were out of this world! The wine was also interesting, but the last 4 servings were not to my liking, and for that price, I would try somewhere else, should I choose again. Would recommend though!

The best food experience of my life. My lovely fiancé gifted me a meal here for my birthday and our 5th anniversary. It was beyond believable. The food was amazing and the service was absolutely brilliant, every dish and wine being described in detail. I love how I got a birthday cake too. The 6 course menu is heavenly. Thank you so much, it made our holiday.

This restaurant deserves Michelin ☆☆☆. Excellent! No words. Thank you for the treats.

Wow! We had ‏such a good time There. ‏first of all the service was amazing, and really kind. The Food was sooooo good!! Out of this world. The atmosphere was great and even the Chef served us the dessert. This was our first michlen dinning, and it was amazing.

Amazing evening at Essência with a bunch of friends. The staff was very kind and helpful, the interior of the restaurant is pretty nice! I wanted to taste Tiago's creations a long time ago and finally the day has arrived - and i was amazed! We picked the hungarian-portuguese tasting menu with wine pairings and i cant even pick a favourite one its really hard to choose. But if a had to, i would pick to octopus. I hope they will change the menu later to come and try many new items from the chef's mind :) Thank you again for the experience!

This was one of the best dinning experiences we have had. We had the 6 corse tasting menu that combines Hungarian and Portuguese flavors. It was wonderful.

We came here for the 3 course lunch menu and wine pairing. It was absolutely delicious and one of the best price value ratio one can find in a Michelin Star restaurant. Especially our sommelier was great! Definitely recommend.

We had lunch here few weeks ago. It was nice atmosphere and cozy. Staffs are professional and polite. We chose 3 courses menu. The starters were amazing, absolutely tasty. Main courses were very good too. Overall, it was nice experience. We will come back

We tried the essencia (blended) and original (portugese) menus. Everything was wonderful, but the Portuguese menu in particular was best (personal taste preferences). Pork dish was fantastic and the cod was cooked perfectly. Service was superb with some nice extra added touches here and there (amuse bouche, intermezzo, etc) made for a memorable experience. Strong recommend for a special occasion. $$$

In the past year I’ve traveled around the world and ate in some of the best Michelin star restaurants in the world, looking for the best culinary experience. Yesterday was extraordinary! From the design of the restaurant to the kindness of the staff. I can proudly say that this was one of the BEST meals I’ve had- the closest to perfection. I would recommend this restaurant not only to those who are already in Budapest, I believe you should come to Budapest especially for this restaurant! Thank you with all my heart to the amazing staff of 3.12.21 night- you really made my trip. Promise to come again soon- hopefully for the second and the third Michelin stars.

It is not by mistake it has a Michelin star. I went in a party of 2, and we were well served from start to end, and, although we ordered the 5 course menu, the kitchen gave us 4 extras. The experience and food was totally worth it. Booking in advance is recommended. They really accommodate food allergies and (health) intolerances. Everyone speaks good English there too. I recommend it.

What a great place! We enjoyed every plate of our 6 course menu. The additional wine pairing was absolutely outstanding and the sommelier told us all the details about the wine and gave us some lessons in Hungarian history :-) Highly recommend this restaurant!