This was the worst meal I have had in quite a while. When we first arrived the waitress didn't seem too bothered about our presence, and we had to wait almost a minute before she deemed us worthy enough to approach. When we were (finally) showed to our table, we were given filthy menus which I thought was a bad sign. After wiping mine down with the limp tissues that were supposed to be napkins, I discovered that the place didn't have any decent seafood dishes!!!! I had to put up with ordering some chicken and chips! The drinks were ok, although I think my glass could have been a bit cleaner. The ice was probably local water and I am surprised we didn't all come down with the plague. We ate our meals and generally agreed that the food was acceptable, but the place could do with a really good clean-up. Suffice to say we won't be going there again, as I would like my dinning experience to be sans sewage.

Ignore the petty grumbling: Menza is a terrific summer evening spot with positively the dishiest staff in town. My several dinners there were fine, and the last visit included a wonderful _bodza_ gin and tonic. Go for the summery, youthful, energetic charm of it all. Have fun.

Honestly, I really dont understand why peope are raving about this place. Yes, its quite funky interior wise but the food is absolutely horrible. I have eaten there several times just to give the place a chance since i thought it was just that one dish i ordered which was quite bad. No, every time i ordered it was the same bad quality. Why do restaurants think they can get away with bad quality food for increasing prices almost quarterly. If I order a sandwich I do expect fresh bread, no? How can somebody accept to have 2 day old bread being served???? In general i think that Budapest has great restaurants interior wise but the quality of food is not consistent. Sorry about the honest remark I am giving.

went based on top 33 listing. All 6 of us were pleased with our food. Would return.

made a reservation and had a prime spot on the patio (can get too hot inside). we all had different starters and mains, and were all pleased. Have already sent others as a result. would return again.

waitress was very pleasant and even attempted tohumo ( which is always hard in a 2nd or 3rd language). she took our full order for drinks starters and mains with a notepad, and we than got the correct food.

I still go and still love it! I was actually very surprised to see all the complaints below.

Great 60's decor. We were actually expected Austin Powers or 007 to appear from a small door in the back.
Ambiance of this eatery is professionally designed, the colors are warm and the atmosphere appealing.
The food was not bad, but it didn't leave us overwhelmed. The food selection is not extensive (neither the wine list) and if one is looking to have a traditional Hungarian meal in a retro environment, Menza is the place for this. We started with goose liver pate, that was relatively tasty and too abundant. It was served on a bed of nicely dressed leafy salads and accompanied with tomatoes and capsicums. What followed was a dish of vegetables nicely stir-fried and still crispy covered with some oven-melted emmental-like cheese. The final dish two of us shared, was the boiled and baked smoked knuckle with a side dish made of layered potatoes, boiled eggs and sausages. And let's not forget, covered in sour cream. This was tasty but heavy. It felt a bit unusual to eat a smoked knuckle in such an environment, but it wasn't bad.

The wine we had was not bad. We started with nice bubbly Prosecco and continued with their Kekfrankos (by glass).

The service was OK. The waitress who met us at the door was smiling and was very pleasant, but our waiter was less enthusiastic. He spoke some English, but was very proficient in Italian (!).

So, we would come back to this place again, mainly for the decor and would hope to have the food a bit more inspiring.

Well I have been back to Menza since, just to give it another chance. Host (Árpád) apologised about the "TIP" added to the bill and explained TIP is only an indication, not compulsory, and usually only applied to French Spanish Italians etc as they don't have a tip culture. Not sure what to make of this but I did enjoy a wonderful meal; recently my friends did too - it is hard to fault the wonderful atmosphere there - just some of the waiters are a little sour. It appears as if they may have pulled up their socks a little - and we should be glad if they did; it was always one of my favourites. If they remedied this ambivalence they'd be on my top list!

I think the service has improved since the summer when it was indeed awful. We still joke about this non-sequitur exchange in July

Me: Excuse me, we're still waiting for the Mojito we ordered 20 minutes ago.

Waitress (outraged, lying): But I didn't take your order!

I would agree it's a clear notch below Ket Szerecsen, but it's still a notch above the other LFT offerings. Just to steer newcomers to LFT, I would keep it in the Top 33.

Policy to add service for foreigners/expats??

10% service charge, no rather, TIP, on the bill of two people for a quick dinner. Service was fine, ambiance was great, but in general this place is going downhill fast and no longer what it used to be. I think I'll stick to the odd drink if I go again.