Restaurant in Esztergom, Hungary
La Liste-ranked tasting menu, four nights only.
42 Restaurant is the clear choice for serious dining in Esztergom — a La Liste-ranked kitchen (76 points, 2026) serving refined Hungarian produce in a glass-terrace townhouse on Széchenyi tér. Open Wednesday to Saturday, dinner only. Book it for a special occasion; it delivers enough quality to justify the journey from Budapest.
If you are planning a serious dinner in Esztergom and want a multi-course experience backed by international recognition, 42 Restaurant is the clear choice. It holds a La Liste ranking (76 points in 2026, down slightly from 79 in 2025), operates from a pastel blue townhouse on Széchenyi tér, and combines refined Hungarian produce with cooking that draws on broader European and global influences. For a date night, anniversary, or any occasion where the meal itself is the event, book here without hesitation.
The dining room configuration at 42 Restaurant gives you a meaningful choice when you book: the intimate interior rooms carry a more formal, enclosed feel, while the glass-enclosed terrace overlooking the street offers something closer to a stage — you are watching the town square while the kitchen sends out its leading work. For a special occasion, the terrace is the better seat. It adds a sense of occasion without tipping into stuffiness, and it is the kind of table you will want to linger at through multiple courses.
The menu moves in a deliberate sequence. Early courses reflect influences from further afield — the kitchen's framing of a global pantry filtered through a Hungarian sensibility. Later dishes pull back toward local identity: Danube salmon with caviar, butter sauce and dill; aged Mangalita ham with white asparagus, morels and chervil. These are not rough approximations of Hungarian produce , they are polished, carefully sourced presentations of ingredients that have real regional meaning. The wine cellar is described as impressive, which in this context and at this price point, you should take seriously when selecting pairings. Service is noted as charming rather than stiff, which matters on the kind of evening where small missteps in tone can undercut the whole experience.
Venue also has overnight rooms, making 42 Restaurant an option worth considering if you are combining a stay in Esztergom with dinner , particularly given the town's proximity to the Danube Bend and the Basilica. Our full Esztergom hotels guide covers your other accommodation options if the rooms here are unavailable or outside your budget.
42 Restaurant operates Wednesday through Saturday, 6 PM to 10 PM only. It is closed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, and does not serve lunch. This is a dinner-only kitchen with a short operating window, so your timing options are more constrained than at most city restaurants. Friday and Saturday evenings will be the most in demand. If you want more flexibility on seating time and a quieter room, Wednesday or Thursday are the practical choices. Because Esztergom draws weekend visitors from Budapest (roughly an hour away by road or the Mahart ferry), weekday evenings offer a notably calmer atmosphere.
The La Liste score places 42 Restaurant in company with other well-regarded Hungarian fine dining destinations outside Budapest, including Platán Gourmet in Tata and Pajta in Őriszentpéter. The slight dip from 2025 to 2026 is worth noting but not alarming , the Google score suggests consistent execution at the table. For broader context on similarly positioned restaurants across Hungary, see Stand in Budapest or 67 Sigma in Székesfehérvár.
Hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 6 PM–10 PM. Closed Sunday–Tuesday. Booking difficulty: Easy , reservations are available without weeks of advance planning, though Friday and Saturday evenings fill faster. Budget: Priced at the €€€€ tier, expect this to be a significant spend per head for a multi-course dinner with wine. Dress: No published dress code, but the setting, price point, and style of service suggest smart casual at minimum , this is not a jeans-and-trainers room. Address: Széchenyi tér 23, 2500 Esztergom, Hungary. Getting there: Esztergom is approximately one hour from Budapest by car; the Mahart Passnave ferry from Budapest is a more scenic option in warmer months. See our full Esztergom experiences guide for more on reaching the town.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 Restaurant | €€€€ · Modern Cuisine | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 76pts; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 79pts; A pastel blue townhouse plays host to this series of intimate, elegant dining rooms, but many favour a spot in the striking glass-enclosed terrace overlooking the street. The multi-course menu opens with dishes inspired by the chef’s global travels, before moving on to offer refined versions of more local recipes. Beautifully presented, wonderfully flavoured Hungarian produce might include Danube salmon – accompanied by caviar, butter sauce and dill – or aged Mangalista ham with white asparagus, morels and chervil. Charming service and an impressive wine cellar add to the experience, as do the luxurious bedrooms. | Easy | — |
| Babel | €€€€ · Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Borkonyha Winekitchen | €€€ · Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Rumour by Rácz Jenő | €€€€ · Creative | Unknown | — | |
| Stand25 Bisztró | €€ · Traditional Cuisine | Unknown | — | |
| Bilanx | €€€ · Contemporary | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Esztergom for this tier.
Dinner is your only option. 42 Restaurant opens at 6 PM Wednesday through Saturday and does not serve lunch on any day. If your schedule only allows daytime dining in Esztergom, you will need to look elsewhere — the kitchen runs a single evening service per night.
The venue data does not confirm a bar-seating option. What is documented are intimate interior dining rooms and a glass-enclosed terrace overlooking the street — the terrace is the preferred spot for most guests. Book the terrace if you want the most atmospheric setting the restaurant offers.
The restaurant's intimate room configuration suits smaller parties better than large groups. If you are coming with four or more people, contact them directly well in advance — the dining rooms are described as intimate, which typically means capacity is limited and private-room requests need lead time.
The venue holds La Liste scores of 76–79 points across two consecutive years and operates in a pastel blue townhouse with elegant dining rooms — the setting signals formal to semi-formal dress. Err toward smart formal: no sportswear, and treat it as you would any Michelin-tier tasting menu restaurant in Central Europe.
Yes, and it is one of the stronger cases for it in the region. It holds back-to-back La Liste Top Restaurants rankings (79pts in 2025, 76pts in 2026), serves a multi-course menu built around refined Hungarian produce, and has on-site luxurious bedrooms if you want to extend the occasion into an overnight stay. For a milestone dinner outside Budapest, this is a considered choice.
There are no other La Liste-ranked restaurants in Esztergom, so for fine dining at this level you are looking at a day trip to Budapest. Borkonyha Winekitchen and Stand25 Bisztró both operate at a high level in the capital. If you are already in Esztergom and want something less formal or easier to book on short notice, local bistro options in the town centre are worth exploring.
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