Flavours that capture the essence of summer
If you’ve only ever thought of Zamárdi for its beaches, festivals or Lake Balaton sunsets, it’s time to discover the town from a new perspective. This town is a true gem of the southern shore, where cosy, family-run restaurants, lively and trendy spots popular with the younger crowd, and long-established venues rich with generations of experience all thrive side by side.
On Zamárdi’s rightly famous gastronomic scene, you’ll find everything from the classic Balaton-style fried hake to masterpieces of Hungarian and Mediterranean cuisine. The locals also appreciate dishes made with heart and soul – here, every meal is a true celebration. You can experience this for yourself by dropping into one of the charming little restaurants, ice cream shops, or bars – or by visiting the upcoming long weekend’s special event: the Pentecost Season Opening and Cooking Competition.
On 7 June 2025, the Zamárdi Event Square will come alive as people from the local food scene, community groups, and groups of friends cook together, competing to create the most delicious dishes. Visitors can taste the food, relax, enjoy a hearty meal, and bask in the first rays of summer sunshine.
There really is summer, lightness and hospitality in every bite here. Join us for a taste trip to the shores of Lake Balaton and discover the best of Zamardi’s restaurants, pastry shops, classic beach buffets and street food. Here’s why you should visit if you’re craving culinary delights – and what tasty treats you can expect on your plate in Zamárdi. Warning: it might make you hungry!
Hungarian Cuisine at its finest – In Zamárdi, they know exactly what the checkered tablecloth means to us
The Paprika Csárda in Zamárdi has been an iconic dining spot on the southern shore of Lake Balaton since 1948. It is located just off Route 7, only 500 metres from the beach. The restaurant has been cooking for over 70 years, continually evolving to offer guests the very best even today.
Anyone who hasn’t yet tasted a steaming plate of fish soup at Paprika Csárda doesn’t truly know what genuine Hungarian hospitality means.
These flavours take you back to a Hungarian grandma’s kitchen – a memory you’ll always cherish. Not to mention the generously piled platters, crispy fried meats, and hearty stews.
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Another shining star of Hungarian cuisine is the Hausmann Restaurant, which is also not to be missed. As promised on the menu, the Jókai bean soup here is indeed prepared the way we like it: with smoked meat and homemade sausages. The dessert menu features Hungarian childhood favourites like túró gombóc (cottage cheese dumplings), mákos guba (stuffed poppy seeds dough with vanilla sauce), and classic császármorzsa (sugared pancake speciality), naturally served with homemade apricot marmalade.
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And the secret Hausmann spice is the breathtaking view of the Tihany peninsula. You can enjoy the cosy, family atmosphere in a beautiful setting, just 50 metres from the coast.
If you’re a fan of vegetable stews, all you have to do is pop next door!
Right next to Platán Hotel is the Főzelék Faloda, which also fits perfectly among the Hungarian-style restaurants. With homemade dishes, a varied menu, and a range of vegetable stews, it’s ready to welcome you for a hearty lunch.
After exploring the restaurants and enjoying a delicious meal, you can relax in our beautiful, peaceful green garden or unwind comfortably in your air-conditioned room, where you can enjoy a peaceful siesta. And since we’re talking siestas, let’s bring in the experts of the Mediterranean lifestyle – because Zamárdi certainly doesn’t lack Italian-style restaurants!
Pizza, Prosecco, Panorama – An Italian Summer by the “Hungarian Sea”
You don’t have to travel all the way to Italy to experience light meals and passionate dining. The Mauro Ristorante Pizzéria brings the treasures of Rome, Naples, Capri, the Amalfi Coast, and Sicily right to your plate.
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The Mauro menu features seafood dishes, authentic Italian pizzas, pastas, a variety of fresh salads, and handmade ice creams. After a dinner like this, all you want to do is hold someone’s hand. And since Mauro is located on one of the most beautiful open beaches in Zamárdi, you can go for a cosy walk along the beach, listen to the waves and watch the stars appear.
Among Zamárdi’s Mediterranean-style restaurants, another big favourite is the Pizza Pazza Pizzeria, which is tucked away on Zamárdi’s open beach, right by the harbour. They truly know what Lake Balaton dolce vita is all about! Crispy pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven, local wines, craft drinks, and of course, an unbeatable atmosphere await every guest who drops by.
The restaurant regularly hosts themed weekends, featuring guest winemakers, live music, or charcoal grilling to spice up the evening. In spring and autumn, you can also enjoy special wine dinners.
Balaton means sunshine captured in a bottle!
Are you drawn to the gentle buzz of the evening, a toast, and a good conversation? Make the Artists Restaurant and Bar (Művész Étterem és Bár) your first destination, where you’ll find a wide selection of wines, modern cuisine and a unique setting. The cosy garden is an island of tranquillity. Whether you’re coming for a romantic getaway alone or with a larger group, the experience will be perfect.
Olaszrizling, Szürkebarát, Kéknyelű? – Wine tour in Zamárdi on 31 May!
The renowned wineries of the area pour out their best wines, almost in a state of overwhelming abundance. If you’ve ever been stumped by the wine list, now’s your chance to get some experience.
Thanks to the Zamárdi is Open! initiative, the Zamárdi Wine Tour will be held again on 31 May 2025.
Explore the town’s most beautiful spots, enjoy the restaurants, the waterfront panorama and sip on some of the finest wines in the area.
The tour stops at excellent bars, renowned wineries and fine restaurants that will lead you to the hidden treasures of the Lake Balaton wine world.
If you’re heading down to Lake Balaton with friends for a weekend of wine and wine tours, book your accommodation at Platán Hotel as soon as possible. The Zamárdi Wine Tour is a popular event that attracts many people. Don’t let the best spots slip away right under your nose!
Streat food, yeah!
If you’ve read this far and think you’ve already seen the best of Zamárdi’s restaurants, you’re very much mistaken. This quality holiday destination is also a leader on the street food front. And in Zamárdi, you don’t need a white tablecloth to have a truly exclusive culinary experience.
The Zamárdi bistros, bars and classic beach buffets can compete with professional restaurants.
Take a stroll along the shores of Lake Balaton or spend a day on the open beach, swimming, sunbathing as you please. The area is a true street food paradise, where tempting aromas greet you at every turn, and classic favourites are expertly prepared and served with a modern twist.
At the Parti Bisztró, you’ll also find a high-quality beach buffet selection, along with a touch of stylish design to enjoy. What’s more, Zsolt Litauszki, one of the country’s best-known master chefs, has created the short but special menu – and on weekends he cooks on the beach himself.
The Chef Beach stands out for its creativity – worth a visit especially for their unique pizzas, Angus burger, and Mediterranean grill dishes.
The Parti Büfé is also one of Zamárdi’s long-standing establishments, serving guests since 1983 who work up an appetite from a day at the beach or the fresh lakeside air. They welcome you with coffees, cakes, and fast food.
Turning toward Keszeg Street, you’ll find Balázs Bistro, where a relaxed atmosphere, light dishes, and refreshing drinks await you. And the street food palette is not complete without a generously packed döner at Anyám Pitája. If you don’t have time for a restaurant because hunger strikes suddenly, at Dallas Beach you can grab a hearty burger or a hot dog between dips in the water.
A culinary icon worth lining up for – The best lángos in Zamárdi
Beyond the restaurants and bistros, there’s the unmissable lángos! If you’re in Zamárdi, be sure to stop by Csipi Mama’s Lángos Stand at the market! She kneads the dough by hand, making it incredibly light and tender, just like a dream – the recipe’s secret comes from her mother, but no matter how much you ask, she won’t reveal the exact details.
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Alongside the classic cheese and sour cream, they also offer specialties like the “Piedone” with sausage, beans, and red onion; the “Pistabácsi” style with sausage, red onion, and hot paprika; and the “Hawaii” lángos, spiced up with cheese, ham, and pineapple.
Another top contender for the title of the best lángos on the beach is the Lángosellátó, located at Mirabella Camping. This iconic beach buffet won the title of “Best Lángos at Lake Balaton” in 2020, voted by the guests – a success likely thanks to its crispy dough, quality ingredients, and generous toppings. Alongside the ever-popular lángos, the menu also features pancakes, smash burgers, gyros, quesadillas, Balaton fried hake, and fries.
The name Mirabella Camping is also worth remembering for its unique dog-friendly beach – the only one in Zamárdi. If you come to Platán Hotel with your pet, we have a surprise for you!
Our hotel guests enjoy free access to the dog-friendly beach, where their furry friends can splash and play to their heart’s content! And while you’re here, why not stay for lunch? Great restaurants await you on site – and of course, the heavenly lángos!
Hake me baby, one more time – fresh, crispy hake that you’ll never get enough of
Summer just wouldn’t be complete without Balaton’s iconic hake. In Zamárdi you can find this crispy delicacy in countless places. You’ll find it on restaurant menus, neatly chalked onto beach buffet boards in perfect handwriting, and of course at the legendary Patkó Büfé – a must-mention for any Zamárdi food blog!
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If you’re after a classic Balaton beach snack bar but won’t settle for the ordinary, head straight to Patkó Büfé! The daily specials are always different – one day it’s crispy fried carp fillet with potato salad, another day mangalica pork knuckle with smoked venison tongue, or grilled red deer veal with wild mushrooms, asparagus, and new potatoes from Töreki.
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They offer strudel, homemade syrup, soda water, chilled beer, and Balaton wines – and of course, a vegetarian delight too, like stuffed kohlrabi on a bed of spinach-beet from Berény.
On weekends from noon to 7pm, the fish, sausages, fish, blood sausages – this is the smoky, tasty side of Lake Balaton.
And on Saturday morning, visit the Patkó market in the courtyard: breakfast delicacies and artisan treasures await you between 8 am and noon.
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There’s another local spot worth highlighting when it comes to hake: none other than one of Balaton’s coolest fish restaurants, Dokk Zamárdi. Hake, bream, catfish, trout, fish soup, seafood chowder – everything you could crave by the waterside is on the menu. Make sure to try the classic fermented cucumber, and while your hake is being prepared, you can enjoy one of the most beautiful panoramas of the southern shore from the terrace.
“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream!”
The sentence above can be found on the wall of Hirschmann Ice Cream Parlor in Zamárdi, and we absolutely can’t argue with it. Plus, this charming family-run patisserie serves classic favourites. The place’s retro vibe and the chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, lemon, and punch lined up in the steel counter take you straight back to childhood. These ice creams also evoke nostalgia in their flavors, as each one is made following the original recipes of Hirschmann great-grandfather. And new generations have added their own creativity, so you can try specialities like banana split alongside the traditional selection.
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Besides the restaurants in Zamárdi, the pastry shops also lure us with an irresistible array of sinful sweet temptations. At Sulák Cukrászda, traditional cakes and coffees await you, while the cakes at DesszerteM Sütiműhely can even turn Mondays into a celebration! Though when you’re on a Balaton holiday, you don’t really need to keep track of the days – here, you’re always free! They will make you unique handcrafted cakes, sweet and savoury snacks to order. Ask for a big cookie box and enjoy the treats with family, friends or alone under the plane trees.
If you want to try something sweet and special after the restaurants, buffets, and bars, taste the homemade ice creams made from natural ingredients at Summer Fagyizó és Kávézó. This is one of the best places in Zamárdi where you can find gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free versions and you can even have your favourite in shake form.
At the Carpigiani Fagylaltozó, you can take a break with a refreshing selection of Italian-style ice creams, slushies, and Bubble Tea. What would you choose – a twisty cone ice cream, or a cup with toppings and sprinkles?
And the most important thing: breakfast like a king – at Platán Hotel!
A culinary adventure in Zamárdi isn’t complete without starting the day right – say, with a hearty buffet breakfast at Platán Hotel.
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Balaton, Hotel Platán Zamárdi - Zimmer mit 2 Betten
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Balaton, Hotel Platán Zamárdi - Zimmer mit 2 Betten
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Balaton, Hotel Platán Zamárdi - Zimmer mit 2 Betten
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Platán Hotel Zamárdi Balaton Frühstück
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zamárdi Platán Hotel Balaton breakfast
In our air-conditioned rooms with terraces, you’ll sleep and wake up in maximum comfort. The smell of fresh, crispy baked goods lures you out of bed and the table is filled with local ingredients, juicy fruits, vegetables, savoury and sweet delicacies. Everything a true king could want before plunging back into the Zamárdi sunshine.
Breakfast is included in the room rate! And if you follow a special diet, no worries – just let us know when booking, and we’ll prepare gluten-free, lactose-free, or sugar-free treats for you.
Besides that, the outdoor pool, the cosy little garden, and the ancient plane trees guarantee a peaceful and relaxing stay. And what about Lake Balaton? The shore with its excellent restaurants, buffets, and patisseries is just a few minutes’ walk away from your accommodation.
And booking a room is just a few clicks away! Come and enjoy the gourmet adventures, the restaurants of Zamárdi, the sound of the waves and summer!
Book now! You can find the best prices on our website!