42 Restaurant

My boyfriend surprised me for our 7th anniversary with one of the 42 restaurant experiences, which included a stay in one of their rooms, dinner, and breakfast. We were thrilled and had high expectations, but unfortunately, the experience fell short in several ways. Upon check-in, we found a lovely bouquet of flowers, which my boyfriend had arranged. However, the champagne he had also paid for was missing. We waited an hour, assuming it might be brought to us cold after check-in, but no one came. We had to call and remind them, which was disappointing. Later, as we were getting ready for dinner, my boyfriend requested an iron. They initially said they would send one shortly but called back to inform us that 1 week ago a previous guest had taken the iron home and they hadn’t replaced it yet. This left my boyfriend unable to iron his shirt. Thankfully, he had packed another option that worked, but this oversight was another letdown. We looked forward to dinner, hoping it would make up for these earlier issues. I chose the classic menu and since my boyfriend doesn’t enjoy fish and the menu was heavily fish-based, they suggested the vegetarian menu for him. When booking, my boyfriend had provided a detailed list of my allergies (I have quite a few) and specifically requested no eggplants in his dishes. Two of my boyfriend’s plates contained eggplant, and one of mine included hazelnuts, a major allergen for me. Thankfully, I caught this during the waitress’s explanation and immediately alerted her. While she apologized and adjusted accordingly, it was disappointing that these details were overlooked after we had taken the time to notify them in advance. The wine pairing was exceptional, and the sommelier was knowledgeable and very friendly, this was undoubtedly the highlight of our dinner. However, while the food was beautifully plated and good, it wasn’t particularly memorable or worthy of the experience we had anticipated. Breakfast the next morning continued the trend of overlooked details. I was served fresh apple juice, another allergen for me, and no alternative juice was offered. During one course, a Japanese omelette with Wagyu beef, I was served both items (plated separately), while my boyfriend only received the omelette despite the beef being on the waiter’s tray. This left us confused until the waiter returned, explaining that the Wagyu sauce contained nuts and was being remade. However, they had mixed up who had the nut allergy, it was mine, not my boyfriend’s. While they apologized, these recurring allergy mistakes were deeply concerning. Overall, we found breakfast tastier than dinner, with beautifully plated dishes, but the lack of attention to allergies was unacceptable. For a restaurant of this caliber, these errors should not occur once, let alone multiple times. Overall, the combination of overlooked allergies, failure to honor my boyfriend’s preference for no eggplant, and food that, while good, wasn’t exceptional, led us to rate this experience 2 stars. One star is solely for the excellent wine pairing and the other for the atmosphere. If not for the allergy issues, we might have rated it 3 stars. We hope the restaurant takes this feedback seriously, especially regarding allergies, as such oversights can have serious consequences.

I’ve visited 42 Restaurant a few months ago. The culinary experience here is absolutely amazing. Allergies and dietary preferences were asked and noted over the phone before arrival. I was warmly greeted and escorted to my table. The first impressions of the restaurant were excellent, the interior and atmosphere of the place is extraordinary. Talking about extraordinary… The accompanying wine/alcohol-free drink pairings were unique and interesting. Not to mention the dishes which were out of this world! Every single course was prepared and presented to perfection. The main highlights - there could’ve been many - were the caviar (extra) course and the signature Hungarian cabbage. Incredible! As I’m writing this so many more dishes come to mind: the burger, the main course, the apple, etc… all were phenomenal. The only weak link on the menu was the lactose free version of the extra caviar dish, which was a letdown both in terms of creativity and portion size. Other than that everything was excellent! The service was great, the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. Enthusiastic and professional are the two main words I would use to describe our service - which are big words, especially from someone familiar with the industry. Top notch for sure! All in all, even though I’ve had a lengthy 3 hour stay, I can’t really complain about anything other than the caviar course mentioned above. The ambience, the food, the drinks, the service all were amazing and I would like to thank the staff once more for this exceptional culinary experience. Although I’ve yet to visit some Michelin restaurants in Hungary, I’ll certainly be back to this special place one day!

Great experience at 42 with the tasting menu at 59’000HUF and the pairing at 39’000HUF (mixing champagne, white, red and sweet wine, both Hungarian and French). The setting is beautiful and the service was excellent. Visually, every plates was just perfect. Deserves more than 1*.

This is a lovely restaurant in Esztergom. We also stayed at Room 42. It's a great option if you are traveling through on an overnight. The decore is modern and almost feels Art Deco like. The food was top notch as you would expect and the service was very friendly. The service wasn't seemless, however, as I would expect from a Michelin Star restaurant. At first I felt rushed to order the meal as we had ordered a bottle of champagne as our aperitif. Our first course and pairing came as we were still enjoying the champagne. (And the first pairing was a sparkling ) Then it seemed like the meal took too long. More than once we sat with dirty plates in front of us for too long. We ordered the wine pairing with the meal and I would have liked to have more of a description of the wine, where it's from and why it works well with the dish. These are small points and I only mention it as it's a Michelin restaurant. It was also extremely hot and the AC wasn't working well. It's beautiful to be surrounded by windows but perhaps not practical in the summer months. We also had the breakfast tasting as part of our stay. It was absolutely amazing. My only commentary is that a couple of the courses could be smaller. It was a lot of food. It was divine beginning to end . We loved every bit of it. I highly recommend the restaurant and the hotel. If we are back in the area I would stop again.

Douglas Adams just about sums it up in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: “The ultimate answer to Life, The Universe and Everything is…42!” The moment I stepped into 42 Restaurant, I knew I was in for a voyage! Chef Adam Barna has managed to bring Hungarian cuisine into the future, and he does so with a humble, yet elegant touch. The food comes in the form of a 9-course tasting menu, using locally sourced ingredients, that is prepared skillfully using both traditional and modern techniques. As a Swede, I love potatoes, so my personal favorite was definitely the potatoes with brown butter. The best dishes to me is when simple ingredients, like potatoes, can be turned into something truly special, and this dish truly did that! The front of house gave me the best treatment throughout the whole night. I was always met with a smile and any questions I had were always answered with great passion, truly showing me the pride they had in their restaurant! After discussing the wines with sommelier, he even gave me some recommendations for my upcoming day in Budapest. The wine pairing was super interesting, and showcased some great wines from classic producers in France, as well as many local producers from both Hungary and Slovakia. In my opinion, the wine pairing would be even better if it solely focused on the wines from the region. From a Swedes perspective, it’s a very underrated region for wine, that deserves more recognition! I feel really bad for not remembering everyone’s names, but I do want to give a huge thank you to everyone in both the kitchen and front of house for making my visit to 42 Restaurant truly memorable, and also the highlight of my 4 day trip to Hungary! I will absolutely be back again, but until then: “So long, and Thanks for All the Fish”

Fabulous restaurant in Esztergom. Chef Adam has created an outstanding menu highlighting traditional Hungarian favourites, as well as developing the art of eating. Recently awarded a Michelin star, I predict that it will not be too long before a second is awarded; this is the best one star restaurant I have eaten in.

Very nice experience, extremely fairly price (300€ per person with drinks). Beautiful tableware and great to meet Sander!

We visited after seeing the restaurant on the Youtube channel Alexander The Guest and had high expectations. The online reservation was effortless with just enough information to trigger the interest. After over 3 hours in paradise, I have to say, the trip was absolutely worth it. Although the waiters seemed a little nervous at first, the service was impeccable with great timing and the exact right duration of pauses between the courses. Thus, the conversation could flourish, and everything could be appreciated in full. The meals incorporated exciting twists while emphasising the local cuisine and, for me, personally evoking nostalgic memories of my grandmother's food. The wine pairing combined some solid staples with a couple of surprising choices that really complemented the specific soul of the dishes. My personal favourite was the Kiralyudvar Tokaji Muscat Danczka 2021, which for me, together with the duck liver, immediately transports the mind to an especially opulent meal at New Year's Eve. The tableware was a feast for the eyes and was just the right combination of luxury and style. If I had to criticise anything, it would be the temperature, which could have been a couple of degrees lower. However, it was one of the hotter days of summer. Also, the choice of music with lots of modern covers of older hits just wasn't to my taste. In summary, we had an outstanding experience, which we can recommend to anyone who has a chance to visit Esztergom.