Hungarian restaurant with a folkloric atmosphere

The “csárda” is a Hungarian restaurant with a folkloric atmosphere. Originally it would have been an inn, often situated outside the village, which was frequented mainly by travelers. During the 19th century these inns also provided refuge for the Betyars.

Today, some of them are jealously guarded gastronomic secrets and the guests, who would probably rather have avoided a personal encounter with the glorious highwaymen, are now eager to return to the hostelries where the likes of Sándor Rózsa, Jóska Sobri, or Vidróczky once had their favorite dishes prepared for them while their beloved melodies were played by the primás.

Nowadays, a csárda – whether a simple hostelry or a fashionable restaurant — not only provides food and drink, but also satisfies a yearning for the romantic. Its surroundings conjure up the rural past, while the menu with its various dishes – some original, some improvised – reminds the guests of the men who usually had to procure the ingredients themselves and boil them in a pot or roast them over an open fire.

The last of the Bakony Betyars, Jóska Savanyó, was a frequent visitor to the csárda in Nemesvámos. The date 1834 stands resplendent on the building’s facade. In that year emerged from the foundations of an earlier inn a new building in the so-called peasant baroque style typical of the region. Beneath the thatched roof, a veranda with archways decorates the length of the building. This beautiful house stands on a road frequently mentioned in documents from the Middle Ages: the military road Via Magna. The region is well known for its lentil cultivation, so the menu at the csárda in Nemesvámos is never without traditional lentil dishes.

(Photos: magyarcsarda.hu)