Costes Downtown is the second restaurant of the Costes restaurant family, located in centre of Budapest. The restaurant is the flagship restaurant of the Prestige Hotel, which is located right in the heart of the centre of Hungary’s capital city. It is the perfect starting point for a city trip to this beautiful city, with the famous Chain Bridge, the Danube River, St. Stephen’s Basilica and the Buda Castle, all less than a kilometre away. For more information about the Prestige hotel, please click here.
The restaurant opened its doors in June 2015 and was quickly awarded with several recognitions from the culinary world. It is open every day of the week, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In charge of the kitchen: Executive Chef Miguel Rocha Vieira, who we know from the great restaurant Fortaleza do Guincho in Cascais, Portugal. For more information about this restaurant, please consult this review. At Costes Downtown, Miguel appointed Chef Tiago Sabarigo for the daily operation. Chef Tiago is, just like Miguel, a Portuguese Chef with experience working in various high-end kitchens all over Europe. The young and driven chef gained experience in famous restaurants Pétrus and Texture in London. At Costes Downtown Tiago developed his own style while maintaining the signature from his chef and mentor Miguel Rocha Vieira.
Costes Downtown is located at the front side of the hotel and has a separate entrance for non-hotel guests. The interior is warm and inspired by the Hungarian nature. A beautiful flower wall welcomes the guests in the main dining room and lots of wood, flowers and warm colours enhance the natural philosophy. Contemporary art and music bring a vibrant, big-city atmosphere. At Costes Downtown, the dishes are prepared in an open kitchen, next to which one will find a big chef’s table – a great spot for the gourmet fans seeking that extra special dining experience.
Just as in its big brother restaurant Costes Downtown, the cooking at Costes downtown has a Hungarian base but the execution is different. One could call it more casual but the style remains creative, fine and elegant. Hungarian ingredients are used more and more, and are complemented with the Portuguese influences from the two chefs in charge. However, ingredients that are more exotic are used as well, such as the combination of crayfish with yellow lentils, coconut, burnt mango, and spices. The chef clearly likes sweet flavours and often integrates them into his dishes. A highlight of our menu was the Hungarian quail, completed with cabbage, braised red cabbage, and a jus with balsamic vinaigrette.
Wines are chosen and served by Peter Pongrácz, the Head Sommelier of Costes Downtown. With more than 20 years of professional experience, and born in a Hungarian restaurateur family, Peter does a great job selecting wines for the chef’s dishes. Peter is dedicated to Hungarian wines, especially to pair with the tasting menus, and offers many natural wines too. The wine list is very interesting and many wines are available by the glass.
András Lexa is the operative Director of Costes Downtown (and Costes) and he is, just like the rest of the team, driven by passion for gastronomy. He manages his team with professionalism and flair and makes sure every guest is treated as a VIP.
Costes Downtown quickly worked its way up into the best restaurants of the Hungarian capital Budapest. Executive Chef Miguel Rocha Vieira and Chef Tiago Sabarigo present creative, fine and elegant dishes, combining Hungarian ingredients with their Portuguese influences.
Written by Sven and Frank
