Last year's biggest event was the reopening of the Old Hungaria as Hungi Vigadó after 38 years of pause. The venerable building had been empty for decades until a group of young businessmen rented it, built a terrace then made the half-ruined banquet room one of Szeged's coolest and most exciting places of amusement.
The trendy terrace, situated next to a building with a solid reputation in Stefánia Park, gives the newcomer an extraordinary first impression. The sail-cloths create a beach house atmosphere intensified by the outdoor bar and the Mediterranean potted plants.
The icing on the cake is that the place has a well-equipped kitchen, which means that the dedicated fans of high-quality street food can actually order hamburgers, too. The menu offers cheeseburger, BBQ-bacon cheeseburger, chicken burger, as well as vegan burger to satisfy the needs of vegetarians. While waiting for a regular cheeseburger and one with BBQ & bacon, we were drinking two glasses of Aperol lemonade with slices of orange, cucumber and fresh garden mint. Aperol, originally made in Padua, is an aperitif made of bitter orange and rhubarb that give the lemonade its mild, bitter flavour. For a moment, sipping on this refreshing summer drink, we truly felt like we were in Italy.
We didn't have to wait long for the hamburgers: the BBQ-bacon cheeseburger had a 18-20 dkg steak patty in it, made from minced clod, as we learned it. When our orders were taken, we were not asked how we would like our steak cooked so one should tell the waiter in advance. I ordered mine medium well so the outcome was a juicy and tender patty with all the distinctive flavour of beef. On the inside, it slightly had pink colour and was spiced not heavily - a real textbook case.
The sandwich contained plenty of bacon and cheese and also had slices of cucumber, tomato and salad, as well. The two kinds of sauce would be worth a separate chapter in itself, as, instead of good-quality commercial sauces, we enjoyed chef's special homemade BBQ sauce and aioli (garlic mayonnaise).
The signature cheeseburger has a 15 dkg patty inside and the bun is slightly smaller. The bun had excellent texture and consistency with just a touch of sweetness. This burger has no BBQ sauce inside, but the superb garlic mayonnaise and the plenty of cheeese make up for all. On the plate, there was even balsamic vinegar sprinkled with oregano as garnish.
The burgers come with crispy French fries freshly-cut and made on the spot. Right after the fries are taken out of the friteuse, they are sprinkled with salt and pepper then served freshly and hot.
The regular cheeseburger costs 1,590 forints, the BBQ-bacon cheeseburger 1,690 forints and this makes these two menu items a great choice in such a cool place like Hungi.
