A new attraction has emerged in Budapest’s 7th district: the farm-to-table restaurant Tati has brought a cozy atmosphere, Hungarian dishes emphasizing natural flavors, and surprisingly fresh cocktails to Dohány Street.
Tati’s founder, Barbara Poisson Angeli, has long dreamed of bringing the goods from the countryside right to our plates in the capitol, giving the chance for everyone to get a taste. Finally, in the midst of the COVID period, an opportunity came presented itself and Tati finally opened its doors in November of this year. Although the farm-to-table approach is by no means a new concept in Hungary, the innovation lies in the fact that Tati doesn’t offer this in a fine-dining cloak, while chasing Michelin stars, but with impeccable quality at affordable prices in a cozy atmosphere.
From grandma’s pantry
For Barbara, these tastes come naturally. She grew up with them in the countryside and this is what she aims to offer to everyone. Although she is also the proud owner of a large farm not far from Budapest, something that she would like to later include in her supply chain, for now, she works exclusively with external suppliers. In choosing them, she is helped by Boldizsár Horváth and the Farm2Fork initiative, who know all the producers by name and know any ingredient that gets sent by them has been produced with the utmost love and care.
Tati welcomes you
The restaurant bears the name of one of the owner’s senior horses: Tati is Barbara Poisson Angeli’s mount, whose well-known friendly nature left no question that building on the “nomen est omen” adage they would want to invoke this friendliness in the restaurant as well. The horse is also a striking feature of the locale’s design. Guests are greeted by a monumental black horse statue from the wall. The rest of the décor has also been designed with nature in mind: the central bar is made of bent and common grass, a creative plant-based material, while the wine coolers are topped with bales of hay coming from Barbara’s farm. However, to avoid the barn vibe, raw concrete elements offset the naturalistic effect of the wood, lending the space a more industrial feel.
Farm to fork
Chef Attila Gáspár returned to Hungary after having spent many years abroad, and in line with his previous experience, he carries on with the “Nordic” line in Tati, as well: his dishes are not overly complicated, the high-quality ingredients are based on their own full-bodied flavors, and vegetables are greatly emphasized on the menu. As the restaurant strives to be fully seasonal, in addition to serving only local ingredients, they also vary the menu according to the season: you won’t find tomatoes in your salad in December, instead, you will discover a whole new side of root vegetables. Many of the main courses are vegan, which definitely stand their ground the way they are, but if you fancy something extra, there is a selection ranging from farmhouse chicken breast to homemade grilled sausages, to goat’s cheese from Etyek, or smoked sturgeon fillet. The chicken paprikash has already become to be a real crowd-pleaser: it is served with buttered dumplings and lettuce vinegar—just like it’s supposed to. To enhance the cozy, family atmosphere, menus for four are also available, perfect for when you’re bringing your loved ones for a Sunday lunch.
Carrots even in your cocktail
Scary at first, but brilliant every other time! The attention to detail at Tati really shines through on the drinks menu: this is the part where you’d expect a few unimaginative mojitos slipping in between the signature cocktails, but not here. Taking full account of seasonality, the cocktails are based on freshly pressed vegetable and fruit juices, which is how this carrot composition came about, where the sweetness of the vegetable is offset by the tartness of the gin. Barbara Poisson Angeli’s love project, the Plant a Tree Cocktail is also available here: if you choose the wheatgrass drink from the menu, a tree will be planted in your name, of which you'll also receive a photo. The program, which has been running for several years in numerous Budapest-based bars and restaurants, has already planted approximately 16,000 new saplings, amounting to a small-sized forest.
And the eye-catching wine selection is the first thing guests would see when walking through the door: the selection can be made from a giant glass wine cooler stocked with natural and organic wines. Although a few foreign wines are included just to complete the selection, the majority of the range is sourced from small Hungarian wineries, as the really big players rarely deal with organic and natural wines. But at Tati, event the tea doesn’t come from a box: a Hungarian producer hand-picks and dries with care the herbs that form the basis of the various blends.
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Photos: Kata Balogh, Bálint Kiss/Socially
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