Travelling by “tuja” (tram) in Debrecen: a gastronomic tour in the city centre

Get off the tram No. 1 at the “Nagytemplom” (Great Church) stop and get your morning coffee at this new-wave café. You can also have a duck liver and onion bun, or a marinated and smoked spare rib bagel. Quiches are risen and baked here, as are croissants, the famous Paris-Brest with burnt pastry and praline, and the classic in-house cream pastries. The owner Gábor Tóth is an ambitious young man. He went to the Vienna University of Economics and Business, studied jazz drumming in England, but also worked as a pizza delivery boy. His childhood experience of the smell of the grinder in the Meinl shop (there is a yellow machine in the collection) haunted him until he was first self-taught and then absorbed into the world of coffee and roasting through courses.

The flagship of local hospitality. Ingredients from local farms and markets, traditional recipes, bold ideas, fine bistro style: here, pork cheeks go well with St James' mussels and polenta on the same plate, just like tripe with aioli or monkfish with mixed vegetable stew. The lunch menu on the terrace is always a special surprise. 

The DiVino is a place with one of the best atmospheres in the country, which has educated a whole generation of Debrecen to the harmony of sophisticated wine drinking and partying. 

The enthusiastic, ever-present owner couple is not only passionate about vegan food, but also about top gastronomy. You will be amazed at the creative cuisine and rich flavours that can be created without animal proteins, under the indoor green bower reminiscent of a winter garden. Based on Levantine cuisine, they make delicious falafel and hummus, and a big favourite is the roasted carrots with cashew sauce and mashed potatoes with spinach.

Sophisticated Mediterranean dishes, with a special focus on fish, crabs, mussels, baby octopus and charcoal oven-baked homemade bread, pizzas and pastas. All this can be enjoyed on a shaded terrace, with a view of the “Nagytemplom” (Great Church), but if we close our eyes we could be on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The seafood menu is a winner with the zuppa di mare and the mussel mixer being a favourite.

Just a step from the main square is this retro sanctuary, where the recipe for Milanese macaroni has remained unchanged since 1988. The secret sauce – many have tried to reconstruct it at home, without success – which is known to contain no meat, only stew gravy, works even better in a hot sandwich version, and has a regular fan base.

Crossing “Piac utca” (Market Street), you run into another time capsule. The interior has not changed much since 1957, and remains a favourite destination of the local literary and artistic world. Selected wines, temporary exhibitions, cellar events and, above all, the Friday “slambuc” add to the atmosphere. In addition, homemade sausages, bread made from them, mulled wine and original Debrecen sausages are always available.

The change of regime in Debrecen began on 20th August 1986. After almost forty years, the city's first private restaurant, the “Serpince a Flaskához” (Beer Cellar at the Flask), was opened. The reality of goulash-communism and stew-socialism was replaced by the omelette Parisian (with peach jam and burnt rum on top), the Túróc cheese pork knuckle noodles, and the kindness and professionalism of the service. It still operates today with a stable staff and unchanged menu (which has been expanded to include regional flavours and ingredients such as mangalitsa, polenta dumplings and sheep kephir), with a tavern feeling and a cellar atmosphere.